Windsor-area event seeks to raise awareness about ovarian cancer

Twice in the past five years, Andrea Bodchon has received some distressing news.

First it was when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. The second time was that it had recurred.

Bodchon had gone into the hospital for surgery for something else when it was initially discovered that she had cancer.

"It was very scary," Bodchon told CBC Radio's Windsor Morning on Monday.

"You go into surgery thinking one thing and you come out and two weeks later they tell you that you have cancer."

Nearly two years after that first occurrence, Bodchon learned her cancer had come back.

That meant more surgery and more chemotherapy for Bodchon.

'My feet are on this side of the dirt'

Today, Bodchon said she's doing well. Her perspective has been informed by what she's been through.

"Every day is a new day. My feet are on this side of the dirt," Bodchon said.

Her experience also motivated her to give back.

Bodchon is one of the co-chairs of the local Ovarian Cancer Canada Walk of Hope, an event that raises money for research into the disease that kills more than 1,700 women in Canada every year.

The same event, which also raises awareness about the disease, takes place in 45 cities across Canada.

The Windsor-area event is being held at the Vollmer Recreation Complex in LaSalle on Sept. 13, rain or shine.

Bodchon said the event's participants will include many cancer survivors, along with their family and friends. But anyone who would like to get involved can go to the Ovarian Cancer Canada Walk of Hope website.