The Cowgirl Cure Foundation

def: v. To cowgirl (or cowboy) up is to draw upon the core of the human spirit in times of adversity. When faced with a hard chore, it is a shift in attitude from "can't" to a positive, confident, contagious "can-do” spirit.

Announcing The Cowgirl Cure Foundation

Takin’ A Stand Against Ovarian Cancer

Cowgirl Up! A Primer, Y’all....

New York, June 2008. An unlikely place for the birth of a cowgirl. But for me, it started with the gift of a little silver ring engraved with that very word.

I was diagnosed with late stage ovarian cancer and in the grips of fear and despair. After my surgery, I laid in my hospital bed in a daze, facing chemotherapy, trying to find a way to harness the strength to fight for my life.

A wise friend came to my side with the cowgirl ring. “Cowgirls are fierce,” she told me, “You need to put this on and cowgirl up so you can beat this!”

Huh?

She wanted me to take a cowgirl stand to fight my cancer, but as a city girl, I didn’t understand what that meant. I hop a subway instead of a horse, I’ve never twirled a lasso, and I’m pretty sure I can’t successfully wear fringe. Some hasty research was required.

I finally found my answer from the original American cowgirl, the late Dale Evans Rogers, who described the cowgirl way perfectly:

"Cowgirl is an attitude, really; a pioneer spirit, a special American brand of courage. The cowgirl faces life head on, lives by her own lights, and makes no excuses. Cowgirls take stands. They speak up. They defend the things they hold dear. A cowgirl might be a rancher, or a barrel racer, or a bull rider, or an actress. But she's just as likely to be a checker at the local Winn Dixie, a full-time mother, a banker, an attorney, or an astronaut."

I got it! Cowgirl is about the spirit and strength that lies within any woman, and it was time for me to call upon mine.

That little cowgirl ring became my talisman, accompanying me to the doctor’s office and chemotherapy treatments. I’ve never taken it off, except for one frantic day when a plumber eventually retrieved it from the pipe under my bathroom sink. I twirl it around my finger when I need a dose of courage and determination to stand down my fear.

So yes, I am a fierce New York City cowgirl, a chef, an author, a daughter, a sister, and a friend. I’m just like the woman you are, the woman you know, the woman you love.

It’s time to have a national conversation about ovarian cancer, the leading cause of death from gynecologic cancers in the United States. Right now, there is no cure, and no standard screening test for early diagnosis. That’s why I am starting The Cowgirl Cure Foundation, and asking everyone I can to take a stand with me, spread the word, and mobilize for change. The cure is out there. It will take a monumental push to make it happen.

We’re rounding up our team to swing into action.

And we can use your help!

If you are interested in making a donation to The Cowgirl Cure Foundation, you can do so by clicking on the button below:

Thanks for all who joined me for my first Fundraiser! On Monday, May 18th, over 100 honorary Cowgirls and Cowboys, gathered for a rockin’ party at Jim Lahey’s super cool pizza joint, Co. There was plenty of pizza, wine, fun and raising funds for ovarian cancer research at The Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York.

You can read all about it here