Did you know ?
1 IN 78 WOMEN will develop ovarian cancer in their lifetime.
94 PERCENT of women
diagnosed in early stages survive five years. About 20 percent of cases are diagnosed early. Research shows that women with ovarian cancer experience symptoms. However, without increased education, many women and their doctors ignore or misinterpret symptoms.
put their memorial gifts to us,” Nicole said. “That’s bittersweet. There is no greater honor than a family calling you and saying, ‘My wife loved you all so much she wants to help continue with your mission.’ On the one hand, you want to be thankful, and on the other hand, you apologize because you couldn’t do enough for them.” That’s why Colleen’s Dream will continue its work. To date, the foundation has given out $1.7 million for research on the cutting-edge of modern science. The hope is to find a screening tool — be it a urine test, blood test or something else — that is scalable, affordable and that women can access easily. Though the journey has been difficult, the sisters agree that having a way to make sense of losing their mom has been a gift. “Colleen’s Dream has been an incredible place to do active grieving and put our time and energy and be able to be together and have that shared experience. And to watch people rally around us has been extremely humbling,” Michelle said. Though Colleen has been gone for close to seven years, the family says they still feel her presence. When things are hard, and the sisters start to consider putting their time and energy into other
things, a door will open. “I can’t help but think that it’s her opening that door,” Nicole said. “The coolest things happen, and it reminds me how important this work is and the promises that we made her.” The whole family agrees that Colleen was the star of the family. “People gravitated towards her,” Billy said. “She was magnetic.” Colleen used to call the girls her “penguins” because they would follow her around. “We just loved being with her, which is part of why we are the way that we are together,” Michelle said. “We could have just crawled up in a ball and been done with it. But to take the experience and do something with it keeps us close. It turned something that is awful into something amazing.” And so the sisters remain close and enjoy the constant laughter and easy rapport they’ve had since they were young girls. Their mom used to tell them, “Attitude is everything, so pick a good one,” and they’ve done just that. “Putting positivity out in the world, especially when you’re sad, helps shift your perspective off the negative things that are happening in your life,” Billie said. “Philanthropy was very important to her, and she dedicated a lot of her life to it. So I think watching her daughters live on that legacy is something that makes her very proud.” To learn more, go to colleensdream.org. JANUARY 2020 | FRONTDOORS MEDIA 27