Ovarian Cancer, Confessions, and My Sister

This article was written by Gogs Gagnon in memory of his sister, Joanne. Gogs opens up about the impact of losing his sister to ovarian cancer and his hope for those diagnosed today. “Ever since I can remember, Joanne was always there for me.”

In this article, I share a confession to my sister Joanne who passed away from ovarian cancer at the age of 56. She was my best friend, and I miss her deeply. Please don’t avoid or be embarrassed to see a doctor about any health issues or concerns. No one wants to face a cancer diagnosis. Until treatments improve to save all lives, the best hope is early detection.

To read the article, please visit Ovarian Cancer, Confessions, and My Sister Joanne.

A PDF copy is also available: Ovarian Cancer Caregiver Stories Coping with Loss.


I’m grateful for the opportunity to share my prostate cancer diagnosis and lessons learned. You can read all my article posts under Articles.

I’m proud to be a content contributor for Health Union. You can read all my published articles on ProstateCancer.net under Gogs’ Articles and my guest post in the Community Spotlight.

If you’re newly diagnosed with prostate cancer and live in Canada 🇨🇦 please request a free Reef Knot Kit from Prostate Cancer Foundation Canada. Each kit contains a copy of my book, Prostate Cancer Strikes: Navigating the Storm. For more details, please read the Announcement in my local paper.

12 comments on “Ovarian Cancer, Confessions, and My Sister

    1. Thank you, Cheryl. I’ve meant to write this article for some time now. But it wasn’t easy to relive some of the memories. It’s such an emotional release, and I’m glad I finally wrote it.

  1. Hi Gogs

    I lost my baby sister, Fiona, to breast cancer. She was only 53! Watching her die was awful and it also reminded me about my own mortality. Like you I miss her every day

    1. I’m so sorry about your sister, Tony. It’s so hard to say goodbye and then continue to move forward. It’s good to have friends like you to share similar experiences.

  2. Oh Gogs, loss in our lives seems to be too much sometimes. I’m having difficulty lately reading about women who have died from gynecological cancers – Abigail wrote a great post on triggers – it saddens me so much for you. But you face all things with grace and love and compassion. How can I expect any less of you. As I’ve lost my dad to brain cancer and have only opened the door slightly in my writings even though it was eight years ago just a year or so before my diagnosis it’s still raw. He was only 71. My moms death three years later at 74 from Alzheimer’s wasn’t even available to me – no one wanted her to know I have stage 4 breast cancer. It’s inevitable but so young is not fair. Much love and hold onto the good memories as all things time is a great healer of hearts.

    1. I’m sorry to hear about your dad. It’s so tragic that cancer takes the lives of many people way too young. I understand how difficult it is to speak of it. I’m sad to hear you couldn’t share your cancer diagnosis with your mom and that she also died too young. Time is a great healer of hearts. Thank you for being such a good friend — much love to you.

  3. And this is indeed a very beautiful post that I hope will remind people to be staunch with their loved ones especially the stubborn ones. Craig had to literally carry me to the car kicking and screaming to the hospital- I hadn’t been myself for some time more fatigued than the usual energizer bunny I’d always been. Your sister was such a gift to you and I’m so sorry you lost her to that silent killer. So many women lose their lives to ovarian cancer because the symptoms aren’t really there until it’s too late. May she be with you always by your side and I believe our energy never dies just like all energy it can never be destroyed and she remains with you on your journey to help others with cancer. You’re a good soul, Gogs.

    1. Thank you, Ilene. My sister Joanne always put the needs of others before herself, and I wish that I forced her to see a doctor sooner. I wasn’t familiar with the signs of cancer at the time, and it never entered my mind. I love your message that energy never dies, and she remains with me! Thank you so much for that message! You have the soul of an angel.

  4. Such wonderful reminders. Thank you for sharing such a wonderful person with all of us. As we talk about the amazing people we have lost, their lives and memories are kept alive. ❤️

    1. Thank you, Abigail. I have so many wonderful memories of my sister. I love what you say about talking about them keeps their lives and memories alive.❤️

Leave a Reply to Gogs Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *