Meghan Patricia McGrady
August 1, 1985 - October 22, 2007
Meghan's story
I was born in on August 1, 1985. At the age of 2½ my mother & I went to live with my grandparents. Two weeks later my brother, Dan, was born. My parents got divorced when I was 7. My brother and I attended and Honiss & Dumont High School. I went to Rutgers University in New Brunswick. While attending, I was on the Dean’s List several times, I served on the Executive Board of RHA for 3 years. All four years at Rutgers I was worked as a fundraiser and did volunteer work for Children with Cancer and Blood Disorders. Then in my Jr. year I joined Alpha Chi Omega and by senior year I was the Vice President of Risk Management. I was accepted at Rutgers Graduate School of Education for my Masters in Education, my future was bright. I had been a substitute teacher for the Cresskill Board of Ed. for 3 years. I was a happy Rutgers senior, finishing up with college, hanging out with my sorority sisters, roommates, and my brother, who followed me to Rutgers. I was looking forward to my college graduation and starting Rutgers Graduate School of Education in September. That's when my nightmare began.....
In the end of February, they found a growth in my left ovary. In March, we went to see a gynecological encologist, who thought that since I was only 21, it probably was not cancer. The recover time for the debulking surgery would be 6 weeks, there was no way I could have the operation and get back to to take my finals and graduate. The doctor said that 3 weeks would not make a difference, he gave me 3 weeks to finish up school and take all my finals so that I would be able to graduate. My operation was scheduled for April 23rd. I finished school in 2 1/2 weeks with a 3.7 GPA. A few days before the surgery we got the results of some blood tests and found out that I had ovarian cancer. On May 17, 2007, my wish came true and I was able to walk to the podium to receive my diploma.
Right before Meghan passed away she was preparing to go and speak at Sororities to spread the word about the disease. Now that she is gone her family and friends are doing that for her. Awareness is the key. Because ovarian cancer does not have many survivors ( 78% of women who are diagnosed are diagnosed late when the chance for survival is low), we need you to get involved. Speak up. Speak Out. Just a simple email of the information below will raise awareness. Be a myth buster – make sure all your friends know the symptoms of this disease. Ovarian cancer is not an uncommon disease. It is the fourth leading cause of cancer death among women and kills more women than all the other reproductive cancers combined. Ovarian cancer is hard to detect early. It's cause is unknown. It is the silent killer. Only 24% of ovarian cancer is caught early. Together we can save lives.
