On Feb. 6, 2020, I was diagnosed with stage IIIc ovarian cancer. The abruptness of it all was shocking. In an instant, I was snatched from the warm, comfortable life I’d been enjoying and dunked into the icy cold waters of a nightmare. I felt unable to breathe.

My family doctor, as well as the gynecologist who diagnosed me, seemed equally shocked. Few words were exchanged between us, but their faces spoke volumes. I was convinced...