TAMPA, Fla. — September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, and right here in Tampa Bay, people are coming together to fight the disease.
This is the 12th year that survivors and supporters have jumped on stationary bikes and cycled to raise money and awareness. So far, the event, Ovarian Cycle Tampa, has raised more than $27,000.
The riders said 60 minutes of sweat, strength, and sacrifice on the bike could lead to life-saving progress when it comes to ovarian cancer.
“They now have this event in over 40 cities. They've raised $7 million for awareness and research for ovarian cancer,” said Richard Rudolph.
Richard’s family introduced the fundraiser to Tampa after losing his wife, Francee, to the disease in 2010.
“Its gratifying to me that other people who have been touched by Ovarian Cancer will be participating, so it’s wonderful that we are going to fill this room,” said Richard.
“This day is a constant reminder of her fight, all she went through, the impact she left on the community,” said niece Whitney Holtzman. “And hopefully, a day to make sure in her honor no one else, no other family, has to suffer moving forward the way that we did.”
Then there is Anna Deeds, who had no idea she had cancer until she went through childbirth. It’s why she is so adamant about spreading the word about the importance of early detection.
“During that c-section, they found a tumor on my right ovary and had to remove it, and after testing, they found that it was actually ovarian cancer,” said Deeds. “So I call Chase my son, my angel baby; without him, I could have had a very different outcome.”
Anna said she looks forward to reuniting with fellow survivors like Roslyne Seupaul every year. You can call them pedal partners.
“So this is the 5th killer of women, and that’s a big deal when you think about how many women are in this world, and this is number five, and it’s the actual top cancer killer. This is critical. We have to continue this path. There is no other way that women get ahead of this without doing this,” said Seupaul.
Union Three in Channel Side is hosting the September 7th event, and all money raised will go to the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance.
“I went to high school with someone whose mom fought this battle for quite some time, and the more I learned about OCRA and the more I learned about this event, the more excited we were to host them,” said Danielle Nicholas with Union Three.
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