Ovarian Cancer Survivors and Supporters Cycle for the Cause

TAMPA, Fla. – September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, and here in Tampa Bay, people are coming together to fight the disease.

This is the 12th year that survivors and supporters have hopped on exercise bikes and cycled to raise money and awareness. So far, the Ovarian Cycle Tampa event has raised more than $27,000.

The riders said 60 minutes of sweat, strength and sacrifice on the bike could lead to life-saving progress in the fight against ovarian cancer.

“This event is now held in over 40 cities. They have raised $7 million for ovarian cancer awareness and research,” said Richard Rudolph.

Richard's family started the fundraiser in Tampa after his wife Francee died of the disease in 2010.

“I’m really excited to see more people affected by ovarian cancer participating, so it’s wonderful that we’re going to fill this space,” said Richard.

“This day is a constant reminder of her struggle, of everything she went through, of the impact she had on the community,” said niece Whitney Holtzman. “And hopefully a day where we can make sure in her honor that no one else, no other family, has to suffer like we did.”

Then there's Anna Deeds, who had no idea she had cancer until she gave birth, which is why she's so adamant about spreading the word about the importance of early detection.

“During that C-section, they found a tumor on my right ovary and had to remove it. After further tests, they determined that it was in fact ovarian cancer,” Deeds said. “That's why I call Chase my son, my angel baby. Without him, things could have turned out very differently.”

Anna said she looks forward to reuniting with other survivors like Roslyne Seupaul every year. You could call them cycling buddies.

“So this is the fifth leading cause of death in women, and that's a big deal when you consider how many women there are in this world, and that's number five, and it's actually the leading cause of cancer death. That's critical. We need to continue down this path. There's no other way women can get ahead of this than to do this,” Seupaul said.

Union Three in Channel Side is hosting the event on September 7th and all proceeds raised will go to the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance.

“I went to high school with someone whose mother had been fighting this battle for quite a long time, and the more I learned about OCRA and this event, the more excited we were to have her with us,” said Danielle Nicholas of Union Three.