Lynne Cohen was a beautiful and energetic southern California mom who was dedicated to her four children. She volunteered at their schools, went to all their soccer games and took the time to get to know their friends. When Lynne was 48, she experienced some irregular spotting and immediately called her gynecologist. He set up an appointment for her as soon as possible. During the exam he felt a palpable mass on one of her ovaries and scheduled her for exploratory surgery the following morning. When Lynne's husband awakened her in the recovery room, he told her that she had to have a total hysterectomy because she had metastasized ovarian cancer.

When Lynne was diagnosed, her oldest daughter, Whitney, 22, had just graduated from college. Middle-sister, Erin, was 17 and a high school senior. Next in line was Amy, who was 16 and a junior in high school. The youngest child, Robby, was only 10 at the time. Lynne insisted that life go on as planned during her treatment and supported her children in every way possible as they pursued their goals. But the disease got the best of her after that, and the last two years of her life were besieged with hospital stays, painful treatments and bouts of bed rest. Through it all she managed to stay up-beat, always dedicating herself to the well being of others.

Shortly after their mother's death, Amy, Erin and Whitney created The Lynne Cohen Foundation for Ovarian Cancer Research as a tribute to their mother's life, character and her immense strength. Amy became President, Erin Vice President and Whitney the Chief Financial Officer. "Life is not the same without Mom," say the sisters. "She was an incredible woman and we all miss her every day. Even though she's no longer with us, she bequeathed to us a living legacy of love. That love is the power that supports our Foundation. We all hope that through The Lynne Cohen Foundation we will be able to give to other women what our mom ran out of -- more time."

Initially, they felt it was important for their Foundation to find novel treatments, other than traditional chemotherapies, for women dealing with this debilitating disease. By providing the seed money for exciting and innovative ideas, The Lynne Cohen Foundation would act as a springboard to help doctors conduct ovarian cancer research that might otherwise be too expensive. As time went on, Lynne's daughters developed a philosophy about research based on having observed their mother through the five years of her illness. "Everything comes back to our mom," says Erin. "We are guided by her experience."

Although Lynne Cohen didn’t carry a genetic mutation, she was concerned her three daughters might be at risk. Since then, through preventive care programs at major cancer centers throughout the country, the Foundation focuses on the emerging role of screening and prevention in women’s cancers. The Foundation funds novel approaches to an early detection test for ovarian cancer and has a yearly Symposium at NYU with nationally and internationally well-known scientists who present their latest research on early detection and prevention. Additionally, the Foundation’s list of preventive care programs for breast and ovarian cancer continues to grow and presently includes: Lynne Cohen at NYU Cancer Institute in New York; Lynne Cohen at USC/Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center in Los Angeles; Lynne Cohen at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas; and Lynne Cohen at Bellevue Hospital Center in New York for underserved women. In 2006, Lynne Cohen at University of Alabama, Birmingham will be opening.

The Lynne Cohen Foundation is funding extensive and broad research in an attempt to detect ovarian cancer in women when it is still curable, to help women who are currently in treatment as well as to offer an alternative to women who are at the end of the road in terms of standard therapies now available. Amy, Erin and Whitney, three exceptional young women, have turned a devastating family experience into a positive one by working to change the destructive path of ovarian cancer for the generations of women to come. "It's amazing that we've accomplished all that we have considering that our mom was not a celebrity," says Amy. "She was an extraordinary women, committed to our community, our friends and our family. When we started to raise money for our Foundation, we asked all of her friends (and she had many!) to write to all of their friends. Suddenly we had a whole community of people coming together to support ovarian cancer research. We feel that she's been guiding us every step of the way. Our mom has been showing us the path to take."

Ovarian cancer is considered the most deadly gynecological cancer, killing about 14,000 women each year. The Cohen sisters are committed to changing that statistic and their mission is to do so in their mother's name. "The projects we choose," says Amy, "illustrate the extraordinary commitment of The Lynne Cohen Foundation to support research that will increase survival and improve the quality of life for women with ovarian cancer."

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