In 2011, my mother’s gynecological oncological surgeon, Dr. Stephanie King, passed along the Sandy Sprint information to my aunt, Annmarie Greenberg. Since then Mary Jo’s Dragonflies have participated in the Sandy Sprint in memory of my mother, Mary Jo Smith. Mary Jo was a strong woman who wore many hats: sister, wife, mother, cousin, teacher, tutor, and friend. She was always connecting with others and trying to make the world a better place. Mary Jo was diagnosed with ovarian cancer on December 26th 2006 and after fighting hard for years passed away on July 10th 2010. I first formed the team in her memory. While the team is still formed to remember Mary Jo, it has also become a way to physically do something to continue her fight against ovarian cancer. Personally, my favorite thing about the race is the positive energy and immense feeling of support. Hope is a powerful feeling and you can see it here in a sea of teal. We are all in this together; survivor, caregiver, friend, family, etc. The team is made up of friends and family members. Unfortunately, not everyone that wants to help can walk. These people are instrumental in donating and fundraising for the cause. Specifically, I would like to give a shout out to my dad who raises more than $2000 each year. I do send emails and make at least one post on Facebook. I’m low pressure through so response is usually only from people I see or talk to on a regular basis. Although occasionally I will get a surprise donation from a Facebook post. I do not have a goal in mind for recruitment numbers. We will likely have anywhere from 3 to 15 members. My brother and Aunt Annmarie have been the main drivers of the team and have yet to miss a year. We have also had people walk from locations requiring travel (Boston) and before important events (wedding day!). This year it may be less than 5 with the events going on right now. The number of people on the team often fluctuate based on other factors. Everyone that wants to participate does, I just try to make it as easy as possible by disseminating plans and information. We do not dress as superhero. Or do we? A case can be made that everyone is a real-life superhero in their own way. We have teachers, nurses, and scientific researchers on the team. In my book, we are dressed as real-life undercover superheroes. Everyone that raises awareness and funds for cancer is a hero in my book. Many of the ovarian cancer patients have similar stories. In my opinion, the best way to treat ovarian cancer (really any cancer) is to have early detection. Currently the best way for ovarian cancer early detection is awareness. My mother had symptoms for weeks before she went to a medical professional. I don’t know what those extra weeks meant in terms of the spread or growth of the cancer but in general the earlier you detect the sooner you can treat. Furthermore, as someone who works in cancer research, I know that research is expensive. There is a lot we don’t know about cancer. Because of this there is a lot to be desired from cancer treatment. Another hallmark of a cancer patient’s story is that mutations cause reoccurrence and treatments work differently for different mutations. Most second line treatments are trial and error. Try once, fail, try better. We have made strides in this area though. Personalized medicine and gene analysis of individual tumors can lead to a more guided treatment plan. I am happy to see the steps we have made toward decreasing cancer deaths. We still have work to do. Raise awareness, donate if you can, and stay hopeful. Let’s do this.