SEA ISLE CITY — The Sandy Rollman Ovarian Cancer Foundation’s 10th annual Sandy Sprint Sea Isle event July 18 raised a record $90,278.
The 5k race and 2-mile family fun walk are the foundation’s yearly fundraiser that began in 2004 in Philadelphia to raise money and awareness for ovarian cancer. After more than 10 years of the popular event, the Sandy Sprint began in Sea Isle City in 2016.
The race is now an annual event that island residents look forward to and attend every year to be a part of the SROCF community and honor ovarian cancer patients. More than 500 attended this year.
“It’s a great morning, and you get a workout in early with several hundred of your closest friends,” foundation co-founder and CEO Robin Cohen said. “It’s that feeling of being with people who understand. Whether you’re impacted or not, there is strength in standing together no matter who you are.”
The day began with a ceremony to honor ovarian cancer survivors who attended the race, and a memory table to honor women who have lost their lives to the disease.
People were led through a warm-up from Stride Fitness before the race began. Refreshments and face painters added to the day’s excitement, and after the race, participants gathered at the Oar House for a post-race celebration.
SROCF 25th anniversary
On top of the 10th anniversary in Sea Isle City, the Sandy Rollman Ovarian Cancer Foundation is celebrating its 25 years of advocating for cancer research and treatment.
Cohen, an oncology nurse, founded the nonprofit to increase the conversation around ovarian cancer and to find more treatment options for patients and families experiencing the life-threatening diease.
For more than 25 years now, Cohen has been creating a tight-knit community that didn’t exist when she first began her career.
The organization sprouted from Cohen’s experience as an oncology nurse when she realized the limited options patients had after being diagnosed with ovarian cancer.
Patient Sandy Rollman’s journey and experience inspired Cohen to found the organization.
“It’s so interesting realizing 25 years ago we started on what wasn’t available for women and the lack of support they had,” Cohen said. “I provided care guidance, and I realized after all these years that the foundation is all about being there for women and their families during the hardest time of their lives.”
Cohen explained that a leading force in developing the foundation was how little research there was on ovarian cancer and how there were very few options for women such as Rollman.
In 2000, when Rollman was diagnosed, there were only two treatment options and one clinical trial. Now, there are more than 100 targeted therapies combined with chemotherapy drugs.
“If people aren’t talking about it, people aren’t funding it,” Cohen said. “Ovarian cancer was in the shadows, and for so long, no one wanted to talk about it.”
For Cohen and the foundation, speaking about ovarian cancer was one of the first steps to gaining resources and treatment.
When Cohen began researching her nonprofit, she said there were no other similar organizations in the area.
Now, the foundation has spread nationally, and Cohen is the chair of the World Ovarian Cancer Coalition, a global organization that advocates for ovarian cancer patients.
Her work has focused on advocating for cancer treatment for women who are still struggling to find support not just in the United States, but also outside the country.
Cohen shared a recent study, she said, that found that 40 percent of ovarian cancer patients are diagnosed in emergency settings.
“Who you are determines the care you will see, and that means where you live, what you do, your age, and what insurance you have,” Cohen said. “In many ways, it’s become more obvious and glaring how apparent the health inequity is.”
Families affected
SROCF member Victoria Price experienced this health inequity with her late mother, Terri.
Price’s mother was diagnosed in 2017 with Stage 4b ovarian cancer after being dismissed by doctors for gastrointestinal issues.
After adamantly advocating for herself and having to beg for additional tests, Price’s mother was finally properly diagnosed.
“At the time, doctors were not giving her the time of day,” Price said. “She was always in tune with her body, and because of that, she got her diagnosis, but she had to fight for it. Ovarian cancer symptoms are what we deal with as women frequently, and people write that stuff off a lot.”
Price, her mother and her family joined their first Sandy Sprint walk in 2017 and have been attending the race ever since.
Her mother died three years ago, and the family now uses the walk to honor her. “The Sea Isle walk was the first walk we’ve done,” Price said. “The shore has always meant so much to my family, and once a year, we know we can go for a walk and be surrounded by so much love and community.”
The foundation provided a community for Price’s mother when she was diagnosed and also for Price after being a caregiver for her mother.
“During her disease and cancer journey, she found camaraderie and sisterhood from women who knew exactly what she was going through,” Price said. “I also had this community as a full-time caregiver because I was able to meet daughters who knew exactly what I was going through.”
Price explained that now, after her mother’s passing, she has still found community from the foundation by connecting with other women who lost their mothers. Price is working with Cohen to create a support group and community that connects motherless daughters.
People interested in supporting SROCF can attend and donate to an annual Sandy Sprint, volunteer at local events or donate at any time of the year.
– By JULIA DIGERONIMO/For the Sentinel