The 4th Annual Cedars Run for Ovarian Cancer

Montreal, QC., Oct. 2nd, 2019 - The Cedars Cancer Foundation is proud to announce that the 4th Annual Cedars Run for Ovarian Cancer successfully raised in excess of $140,000. The event took place on Sunday, September 29, at Roosevelt Park in Town of Mount Royal.

In addition to the $140,000, this year’s run also received a significant leadership gift of $500,000 honouring ovarian cancer survivor, avid long-distance runner and Cedars Run for Ovarian Cancer Honourary Co-Chair Dominique Dagenais and the doctor who saved her life, Dr. Lucy Gilbert.

“For more than fifty years, Cedars has become a leader in the fight against cancer,” said Jeff J. Shamie, President and CEO of the Cedars Cancer Foundation. “The Cedars Run for Ovarian Cancer is proud to support Dr. Lucy Gilbert; whose ground-breaking transformative research impacts the early detection and treatment of ovarian and gynecological women’s cancers.”

Founded in 2016 by Dominique Dagenais and her son, Max Joly-Smith, the Annual Cedars Run for Ovarian Cancer raises vital funds and awareness for Dr. Lucy Gilbert’s DOvEE project. DOvEE is a leading-edge ovarian cancer research program, providing eligible women with easy and fast access to specialized medical examinations, advocating for early diagnostic testing, and supporting ovarian cancer patients and their families.

“I am extremely grateful for the support we receive every year from our runners, sponsors and volunteers,” said Dominique Dagenais. “My diagnosis came to us as a shock, but I was very lucky to be treated by Dr. Gilbert and her amazing medical team. Not everyone is as lucky, and I hope to give other ovarian cancer patients a second chance at life!”

With a total of 320 participants, the Fourth Annual Cedars Run for Ovarian Cancer had a big sense of pride, community and comradery as almost 100 new runners joined in on this fun filled day in celebration, remembrance, and support of ovarian cancer fighters everywhere.

Ovarian cancer is the fifth most common cancer for women and one of the most serious women’s cancers. Dr. Lucy Gilbert, Director of Gynecologic Cancer Services at the MUHC and professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Oncology at McGill University, has made it her life mission to find a cure for ovarian cancer. Her and her entire DOvEE team also took part in the run. “If a cancer can be detected early, it can be cured,” explained Dr. Gilbert. “There has been virtually no improvement in the early diagnosis or cure rate of ovarian cancer. It’s just not acceptable.”

Dr. Gilbert and her team recently developed a new test, in collaboration with researchers from Johns Hopkins University, that provides a safe and minimally-invasive method of detecting ovarian and endometrial cancers at an earlier stage than was previously possible. Although it is not yet available to patients, it is a critical step toward improving survival rates.

DOvEE is a world-class, research-based program that is affiliated with the Cedars Cancer Centre of the MUHC. Its main clinic is located at the MUHC and it also operates satellite clinics across the island of Montreal and in the surrounding areas.

The program is committed to raising awareness of ovarian and endometrial cancers, advocating for early diagnostic testing, and supporting ovarian cancer patients and their families. The fundamental goal of DOvEE is to ensure that women have easy and fast access to specialized medical examinations that allow for the earlier detection, diagnosis and treatment of ovarian and endometrial cancers.

With these cancers, improving accessibility to specialized medical tests means the difference between life and death. When ovarian cancer is diagnosed in its early stages, the survival rate increases from 10% to 30% to over 90%.

For more information, please contact:
Rita Latif
Cedars Cancer Foundation
(514) 656-6662
rita.latif@cedarscancer.ca