Fit Women and Ovarian Cancer | Meg Wilkinson | TEDxAlbany

I’m going to talk about when bad things happen to good people (a la Rabbi Harold S. Kushner) or in my world, when years of living a healthy lifestyle still leads to a diagnosis of cancer. My question today is why do fit, healthy women like myself get diagnosed with ovarian cancer and how can we use information on these women to inform research and compel people to action. I will provide some background on my own story and ovarian cancer in general, and I will share my observations of the ovarian cancer survivors I have met. Then I will outline my “eureka” idea to draw attention to the under-studied cohort of fit women diagnosed with stage 1 or stage 2 ovarian cancer. Meg Wilkinson is the Invasive Species Database Coordinator for the New York Natural Heritage Program. In 2014, at the age of 54, being an active, healthy woman, she was diagnosed with stage 2 ovarian cancer; she completed surgery and chemo, and has a good prognosis. Meg is committed to making a difference in the ovarian cancer world. Meg grew up in Nyack, NY and has lived in Rexford, NY since 2000 where she and her husband, Tony, raised their son, Tristan, who is now in graduate school studying Physics. Meg enjoys biking, skiing, Tai Chi, and yoga. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx