Today, Ovarian Cancer Canada launched a new brand, which you will see on its website and social media channels: Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram. The bold new look reflects the organization's resolute vision, mission and manifesto:

VISION:

A future where ovarian cancer is preventable, curable, and ultimately eradicated.

MISSION:

To boldly and unapologetically take action against ovarian cancer until the number of deaths from this disease is zero.

MANIFESTO:

At Ovarian Cancer Canada, we reject the notion that ovarian cancer can't be eradicated. We are here to demand action, deliver change, and transform lives. We stand hand-in-hand with the people experiencing, affected by, or at risk of the disease. We will not rest until women are able to live their lives freely, fully, and uninhibited by ovarian cancer.

I am one of those people directly affected by this disease. I am one of the approximately 3000 individuals diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2020. Three thousand more Canadians received this same devastating news in 2021, 3000 more in 2022, and before 2023 is out, another 3000 people will have heard the frightening statement "You have ovarian cancer." Many more people were diagnosed before me and, unfortunately, thousands more will be diagnosed every year.

When I was told of my ovarian cancer in 2020, I knew no one who had had this disease. It was not on my radar screen at all. I didn't know the symptoms (though I subsequently described them here, here, here and here). I certainly didn't know that I carried a mutation in my BRCA2 gene that predisposed me to the illness. I have learned a lot since then, helped in no small part by the advocacy and awareness work carried about by Ovarian Cancer Canada. I reached out to them in 2020 and received a hard copy resource guide developed by Ovarian Cancer Canada to provide information and support to people diagnosed with the disease. The introduction to By Your Side reads:

By Your Side was developed to support and inform you throughout your ovarian cancer journey. The women that contributed to By Your Side are part of a community whose lives have been touched by ovarian cancer and who have experienced what you are now going through. Each chapter will walk you through information they found helpful in order to provide you with support during a time when you may need it most.

In my early days of turning to Ovarian Cancer Canada, I saw mainly its work to support people affected by the disease. I was less aware of its advocacy efforts to raise awareness among politicians and decision makers of ovarian cancer and to lobby for investments to address the disease. And I knew almost nothing about the organizations' commitment to funding research into the disease.

The infographic of Ovarian Cancer Canada's Strategic Plan 2023-2029 succinctly presents the organization's directions. In addition to the vision, mission and manifesto shared above, the plan includes:

ASPIRATION:

To be the ovarian cancer research engine that sustainably drives health outcomes, influences system changes and improves the quality of life for women with ovarian cancer and those at high risk of the disease.

Among its strategic directions are these ones:

I am proud to use my voice to draw attention to the work of Ovarian Cancer Canada and to elevate the voices of people in this community: those with the disease and those at risk of developing the disease as well as everyone who loves them.

At my first meeting as a new Director on the Ovarian Cancer Canada Board of Directors in October, I got a sneak peek at the organization's new look and an explanation of how it would bring to life an equally bold direction. Not having been part of the development of the Strategic Plan nor the accompanying brand, I'll admit to thinking, "Can we really eradicate ovarian cancer?" And then I thought, "That has to be the aim. Anything less than this aspirational goal is insufficient."

As I have listened to the stories of other women who have faced or are facing this disease—as I did over the last two days during Ovarian Cancer Canada's National Symposium—I have been struck by how lucky I've been. My diagnosis came the very day I first sought medical attention. My surgery occurred within a month of that initial diagnosis. My chemotherapy proceeded on a textbook schedule with few side effects. Because of my BRCA2 gene mutation, I have access to a life-prolonging drug (called a PARP inhibitor) to which I have adapted well and which, to date, has kept my ovarian cancer at bay.

Others are not so lucky.

And so if the faces you see in Ovarian Cancer Canada's new look seem a little more serious than you're used to, it's because they reflect some of the harsh realities many people with this disease encounter. That doesn't take away from the hope, optimism and gratitude that many of us feel despite everything we've been through. It doesn't diminish the real progress that has been made in ovarian cancer research. And it doesn't negate all the love and support that people affected by this disease express for each other—love that was on full display in the comments during last night's reveal of the new Ovarian Cancer Canada brand at the conclusion of its National Symposium.

Ovarian Cancer Canada's vision is courageous, its brand is bold and its optimism is high. I am hopeful that it will achieve all its goals, but especially its aim to reduce the number of deaths from ovarian cancer to zero.