My sister, Karene, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2005. She is the middle of three sisters and has one brother. We were both sisters and best friends. She is on the right in the picture and I am on the left holding the camera.

The symptoms were small but she did not ignore them, she did go to the doctor. Initially when she first began to feel ill, she was told she had an overactive thyroid and she was put on medication to control that, then she started with the bloating and urinary inconsistency and she had surgery to correct her bladder issues. After surgery she began to feel a lump on her side when she would lie down and the third time she visited the doctor they did a scan and found the tumor on her ovaries.

She had the surgery to remove the tumor and began to live her normal life again, working everyday and taking the chemo weekly. I brought a new wig every time she needed a new one. Wearing our wigs became a fashion statement, not a necessity! She was so courageous throughout her illness, never really telling anyone that she had ovarian cancer, other than family members. She loved to get the family together for the holidays, especially Christmas, and there are over 30 of us living here in Atlanta.

In March of 2009 she started feeling ill again and in May 2009 her colonoscopy revealed that the ovarian cancer had moved to her colon. We went to see a different doctor that specializes in colon issues to see what could be done.

My sister loved life! She loved eating at nice restaurants, barbecuing out on the patio, having super bowl parties at her house, shopping and traveling; she had a chance to see her two great-grandbabies be born and she worked right up until she was hospitalized in June, 2009. She had cancer, but cancer did not have her!

After a very courageous battle, she succumbed to ovarian cancer on October 20, 2009. She was 59 years old.

Submitted by Carolyn Rucker