TAMPA, Fla. — September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. On Saturday, people from across Tampa Bay personally affected by the disease will gather together for a fundraiser that makes you pedal for every penny.
The event is happening at CycleBar in Tampa, where they are putting a positive spin on a serious issue.
“I'm excited. I’m not a spin class girl, but I come into this every year, I prep for it, I’m ready for it, I’m on that bike for 60 minutes, people are donating, and I give everything I have because it means so much,” said Roslyne Seupaul.
Seupaul is a survivor. Every pedal she takes, she thinks back to her cancer diagnosis and how lucky she is to be alive.
“I have a responsibility to awareness and research because there (are) so many ovarian cancer patients who aren’t in the position of claiming the title survivor,” said Seupaul.
One of those victims is Franci Rudolph, who died after a seven-year battle with the disease. Her son started the Ovarian Cycle Tampa fundraiser in 2013. Gail Holtzman fights through the sweat and soreness every year in her sister’s honor.
“Every time I thought about giving up, I thought about my sister and how she never gave up. She continued to fight every day, hoping that there would be a new drug, a new treatment,” said Holtzman.
In the past decade, they’ve raised more than $370,000 for the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance.
“This disease is a silent killer because you really don’t know that you have this often until it’s too late,” said Holtzman.
Anna Deeds survived the disease purely by chance. She found out something was wrong during childbirth.
“I thought that my son was going to grow up without a mother,” said Deeds. “I remember every single night being in the shower, crying, because I didn’t know how my son and my husband were going to survive without me, and so I’m just so thankful that I’m OK. My son is my halo, and without him, I really don’t think I would be here.”
Even instructor Lisa Chillura has a personal connection. She lost her best friend’s mom to ovarian cancer.
“This will be something I do every year. I am in all the way, and I’m happy to be a part of it, and it is so special to me,” said Chillura.
If you are interested in helping to raise funds by sponsoring one of these OCRA Heroes, go to https://ocrahope.org.
“Research is the only way there will be more survivors,” said Seupaul.
