In October 1999 when Donna was 44, she
was rushed to emergency with severe back pain and what she
thought was a ruptured disc. She had been conscientious
about regular gynecologic visits because her mom, Claire,
had been diagnosed with Stage I ovarian cancer the preceding
year. Claire was doing fine, but Donna’s MRI revealed
Stage IIIc ovarian cancer. She had surgery and six months
of chemotherapy. Only three months later, her cancer recurred.
Donna, her husband, John, and their three
children, aged 7 to 11, moved to the East coast to be close
to their families while she underwent aggressive treatment.
In typical Donna style, she sought out the most optimistic
doctors and preoccupied herself with details of making a
comfortable, new home for her family. Her positive attitude
was contagious.
Donna endured an incredibly painful,
private battle for survival, but she never missed a step
running her household, being “Super Mom,” and
being there for everyone else. In February 2003, just days
after her 48th birthday and 26th wedding anniversary, she
lost her battle.
Donna’s husband John, her
children, Christopher, Matthew and Emily, her mom and Dad,
Claire and George, her sisters, Suzanne, Georgeanne, Sheri
and Claire, her brother George, and their respective mates
raise funds through donations and through an event they
created, Calling on Angels, which they hosted at Café
Suzanne in Folly Beach, South Carolina in 2003. More fundraising
events will be organized in 2005. Their Fund supports trials
of an ovarian cancer early detection test at the LIJ North
Shore Health System in New York, and their plans are to
continue supporting early detection.
