st. louis ovarian cancer awareness: SLOCA is committed to impacting ovarian cancer survivorship by promoting awareness about early warning signs and standards of care, funding ovarian cancer research award winner and supporting survivors.
Q| How long have you been a volunteer?
A| I got involved in 2007.
Q| What made you interested in this particular cause?
A| My sister Sue was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2006, a year before I was. I became her caregiver because she was a single mom. I took her to every doctor and chemo appointment. When she tested positive for the BRCA 1 gene, my siblings and I all got tested, and I was the only other one who had the mutation. I was 52, and my husband and I decided I would have a prophylactic hysterectomy. There is no diagnostic test for ovarian cancer, but my Ob-Gyn did every test possible to try and determine whether I showed signs of the disease when I told her my decision, and my results came back great. When they opened me up 10 days later for my hysterectomy, they found cancer. I never had any symptoms. My sister truly saved my life. When she was diagnosed, she got involved with SLOCA ; we started going to things together after my diagnosis. When she was in hospice, she said to me, “Beth, you always say I saved your life. I want you to get really involved in SLOCA and save somebody else’s life.” That was my inspiration. I wanted to do this in Sue’s memory.
Q| What kind of volunteer work are you involved with?
A| I started out just helping with the gala and at health fairs, but at the time, the organization was ready to make some major changes. I had been a preschool teacher for more than 20 years, but I stepped in as president, not knowing what I was doing. I had the time and the passion, which is what drove me. I never considered it work. SLOCA was founded in 2002 and up until I was president, we worked off our kitchen tables because we had no office and no outside professional help. I knew we needed to hire a professional grant writer, develop a strategic plan and get office space. I often say that I kept receiving pennies from heaven and people from heaven because things would just fall into my lap. With the right people helping us, our gala went from grossing $70,000 to $200,000. We moved into an office space in Des Peres and hired an executive director and community relations manager. Once we established a strategic plan, we were able to focus on getting out in the community rather than just fundraising. It consumed my life, but I never considered it work. Now, I’m still on the board and the gala committee, and I still talk to the office every day! I also have always been involved with Survivors Teaching Students, a program where we tell our stories about diagnosis and survival to medical and nursing students at local schools. I will always be involved and committed to SLOCA ’s mission.
Q| If you could do anything for the organization, what would it be?
A| I want to raise more awareness, to let every woman know the signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer and what to do. At health fairs, women tell us they’re fine because they just had a Pap smear. But I only know of one person who got diagnosed through a Pap. There is no true test, and it’s often misdiagnosed. The ultimate goal is for our organization to no longer be needed. In the Words of sloca: “Out of gratitude to her sister Sue for alerting Beth to the disease at an early stage, Beth threw herself into working for SLOCA. She approached her job as president with the fervor of a missionary and the clear eye of a visionary. She formulated a plan that brought more opportunities for community outreach, tripled our research grant funding and formalized our outreach to women. Her hard work has resulted in more people becoming involved.”
in the words of SLOCA: “Out of gratitude to her sister Sue for alerting Beth to the disease at an early stage, Beth threw herself into working for SLOCA. She approached her job as president with the fervor of a missionary and the clear eye of a visionary. She formulated a plan that brought more opportunities for community outreach, tripled our research grant funding and formalized our outreach to women. Her hard work has resulted in more people becoming involved.”
[meet the SLOCA board]
From left, seated: Beth Hudson, president Lisa Sienkiewicz of Union United Methodist Church, Cary Renz. St anding: Karen Scheible, Ellen Levine of Graybar Electric Company, David Hennen of Ameren, Lisa Price of Price Technology Group, Carol Nachtweih. Not pictured: Michele Pechauer of Anheuser-Busch, Jonathan Becker of Becker & Rosen CPAs, Alene Becker, Donna Dombrowski of Saint Louis University, Nancy Larson Vomund of Washington University, Elizabeth Mannen of Wells Fargo
Photo: Colin Miller of Strauss Peyton
[Know a standout volunteer? Nominate them to be featured at townandstyle.com/reachingoutawards or email tellus@townandstyle.com for more information.]
