Supporting rare ovarian cancer research
Cancer research moves fast. Since I was diagnosed with low-grade serous ovarian cancer in 2020, the FDA fast-tracked approval for the first drug treatment designed specifically for my rare cancer.
Unfortunately, genetic testing indicates that my particular mutations are not likely to respond to Avmapki Fakzynja, nor will they respond to any of the drugs approved for the more common high-grade serous ovarian cancer.
Lucky for me, ovarian cancer researchers have been keeping an eye on breast cancer research and Dr. Brian Slomovitz studied whether LGSOC patients might respond to a combination of the breast cancer drug Kisqali and the hormone blocker Letrozole.
I’ve been on this combo since July, with the hope that it will prevent my cancer from returning. If my CT scans stay clear, I’ll be on it the rest of my life. If my cancer returns, I’ll need to try something else.
That’s where you come in. While I am grateful for the breast cancer research that led to Kisqali, ovarian cancer research is desperately underfunded. All the breast cancer drugs in the world won’t save my life unless someone funds the research to see if they’ll work on me.
To support potentially life-saving research, please donate to the Fred Hutch Cancer Center and direct the funds to ovarian cancer research as shown.
Paddling for a cure in Bellingham Bay
From 2022-2025, I organized a paddling fundraiser to support LGSOC research.
When we started planning the inaugural Paddle for a Cure on Bellingham Bay in 2022, to raise awareness and research funding for low-grade ovarian cancer, I reached out to all the low-graders I knew of in the region. One of them was Jill Scott, who happened to live just a county away from Bellingham and also was receiving treatment at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. Unfortunately, Jill had ongoing complications following her surgery and was unable to participate. She promised to “share the hell out of it” anyway.
A few weeks after the event where we had hoped to meet Jill in person, she passed away from this relentless disease. Our hearts are broken and we send our love to her family, knowing that she deserved more time. She died within a year of her diagnosis.
Learn more about the symptoms of ovarian cancer and why it’s mislabeled a Silent Killer.
Kari Neumeyer 