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La Course OVIE: MUHC Foundation community rallies to strike out ovarian and endometrial cancers
Cancer
September 23, 2024
For one family in Montreal, the time to act was now. The Bouchard-Pelletier family—comprising Johanne Bouchard, Jean-Francois Pelletier, and their daughters Marie-Michèle and Sarah—raised transformative funds to strike out ovarian and endometrial cancers. Their inaugural race, La Course OVIE, highlighted the power of community by raising over $17,000 for Dr. Lucy Gilbert’s DOvEEgene project, a groundbreaking test that can detect endometrial and ovarian cancers early—before they become a death sentence. Thanks to supporters like the Bouchard-Pelletier family, the test is on its way to becoming a standard part of women’s care all over the world and has potential to be one of the most important health discoveries of this century.
The idea for La Course OVIE arose from a simple yet powerful desire to make health care research more equitable. In particular, the Bouchard-Pelletier family wanted to call attention to one critical issue: women’s health research has long been underfunded and overlooked.
“Thousands of Canadian women are diagnosed with ovarian and endometrial cancers each year, and many do not survive. Cure rates haven’t improved in over 30 years—highlighting a critical lack of funding,” explains Dr. Lucy Gilbert, the MUHC’s Director of Gynecologic Oncology.
Ovarian and endometrial cancers are known as ‘silent killers’ because they present with few to no symptoms and are detected only once they have metastasized to other parts of the body. The DOvEEgene test is changing this, making it possible to catch these cancers in the early stages and radically reducing the threat to women’s lives.
Since launching the initiative, the MUHC Foundation has raised over six million dollars for Dr. Gilbert’s research, highlighting the special place that DOvEEgene has in the hearts of our community. La Course Ovie is a touching example of this, uniting over 40 supporters on Nuns' Island who volunteered to walk or run 2.5, 5, or 10 kilometers for the meaningful cause.
Dr. Gilbert, the founder and head of the DOvEEgene project, expressed her deep gratitude to the Bouchard-Pelletier family:
"I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support. The greatest impact will be on the lives of women whose cancers are detected early because of this test, as well as the lives that will be saved in the future because of it," shares Dr. Gilbert.
The MUHC Foundation also thanked the Bouchard-Pelletier family for their transformative support, which brings us that much closer to a world where cancer is no longer a death sentence.
“On behalf of the MUHC Foundation, I want to thank the Bouchard-Pelletier family for leading the fight against these cancers. La Course OVIE is a shining example of the strength of our community, and we’re incredibly proud to be a part of this revolutionary moment in women’s health care and research,” shares Marie-Hélène Laramée, President and CEO of the MUHC Foundation.
For the Bouchard-Pelletier family, La Course OVIE marks the beginning of their fight against endometrial and ovarian cancers. They know their efforts are making a real difference in women’s lives and remain wholeheartedly committed to supporting the DOvEEgene project and being a part of this exciting moment in women’s health.
Learn more about how you can support the DOvEEgene project and transform the standard of care for ovarian and endometrial cancers: https://muhcfoundation.com/works/stop-ovarian-cancer
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