Stage III BRCA Ovarian Cancer: Mimi's Survivor Story
This ovarian cancer diagnosis at a glance
- Stage at diagnosis
- Stage III
- Biomarkers
- BRCA-positive
- Treatment
- surgery and chemotherapy
- Outcome
- Cancer-Free / NED
Treatment course, step by step
- She underwent more than 9 hours of surgery to remove all visible cancer.
- She then received 4 months of intraperitoneal chemotherapy and finished active treatment on December 12, 2012.
What happened, in summary
Mimi Gallagher was 46 when bloating, constipation and lethargy led to several medical visits in July 2012. A vaginal ultrasound eventually confirmed Stage III ovarian cancer. Within days, she went from being an active stay-at-home mother of two to preparing for surgery that lasted more than 9 hours and removed all visible cancer. Mimi then received 4 months of intraperitoneal chemotherapy, with treatment delivered directly into the abdomen through a catheter. She completed active treatment on December 12, 2012. Afterward, Mimi pursued genetic testing to better understand why the cancer had developed and learned that she was BRCA-positive. The result also raised concerns about breast cancer risk and what the inherited finding could mean for her two teenage daughters. She later underwent a preventive mastectomy to reduce her breast cancer risk, but that procedure was separate from her ovarian-cancer treatment. By the time of the story, Mimi was cancer-free and had become an advocate for ovarian-cancer research and earlier detection, motivated in large part by concern for her daughters’ future.
Where this story comes from
This is a lay summary of an account first published by Dana-Farber. Read the original in full
How we source and attribute stories Accuracy and limitations
These are lay summaries of published cancer stories, for information only. No two cancers behave the same way, and nothing here predicts your own diagnosis or replaces advice from your oncology team. Read the full disclaimer