The words "You have cancer" have changed my life forever.
In September 2019, I was diagnosed with a rare form of ovarian cancer. The odds of my stage four low-grade serous ovarian carcinoma diagnosis were highly unlikely, just 1 in 1,000 women will receive this diagnosis in their lifetime. While this diagnosis was devastating, I’ve managed to create a new normal.
Morgan Gaynor
Prior to my diagnosis, I was a healthy 30-year old living and working in New Jersey. I was ready to start the process of freezing my eggs to preserve my fertility when I was diagnosed with cancer.
I decided to share my experience online to help keep my friends and family informed on how I was feeling, and to raise awareness of ovarian cancer. When most people think of ovarian cancer, they imagine post-menopausal women. I’m showing people that ovarian cancer can strike at any time and affect women of any age.
It's a club no one wants to join, but once you are in it you will be amazed at how much you will learn.
The connections I’ve made have been the highlight of this journey. I’ve been blessed to meet the most inspiring women online and in-person, with whom I likely would have never crossed paths without this diagnosis.
Fighting a rare cancer like mine is different.
One of the things I’ve learned during my journey is facing a rare cancer diagnosis is different. Because low-grade serous ovarian cancer is so rare, there is less funding dedicated to research. The Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, where I receive my treatment, has partnered with Cure Our Ovarian Cancer in an effort to raise $100,000 in 2020 for low-grade ovarian cancer research.
