Barbara T. Ferraro was a woman of faith even before she received the life-altering diagnosis of stage 3C high-grade serous ovarian cancer in October 2016. Trusting in, depending on, hoping in, and giving up control to God were not concepts of Christianity that were new to Barbara. Her praise and worship life were steeped in them. Yet in one instant, the faith Barbara relied on became more than concepts – they became touchstones for the journey to the end of her life. God used Barbara’s illness to show her what real dependence on Him means. In the end, her trust, dependence, hope, and total submission of her life in God filled her being.
Why take pains to emphasize this component of Barbara’s story? Because her faith is what truly defines Barbara. Too many times throughout the six years and four months of Barbara’s battling ovarian cancer, she found herself tempted to be defined by the disease itself, stripping her of her true identity. During the lowest and worst moments in the grip of the disease, it sometimes overwhelmed her self-image, reducing her to only and merely a cancer patient. But in those moments, she also seized the way of faith. She knew faith was often most tested through the corridor of suffering, and she would always emerge with a knowing deep in her soul that she was more than a diagnosis: she was a woman on a unique path who was reflecting the image of God at a particular moment in time. It gave her hope. It gave her meaning. It gave her a faith that she wanted to share with everyone.
All women with ovarian cancer know the roller coaster of waiting, treatments, exams, tests, results, and side effects. On that roller coaster, Barbara continuously lived with the belief that the more you loved, the more love you had to give. She was always looking beyond herself, often putting her own struggles aside to support others with cancer. As friends old and new sought her out after their own cancer diagnoses, she gladly welcomed them. She would take time out to talk to, pray for and encourage even as she was struggling through the darkest days of her own treatments.
Sadly, Barbara died on February 20, 2023, at the young age of 61. Her last wish was for her family to raise money to be given directly to ovarian cancer research, so women in the future would not have to suffer and die from ovarian cancer. Barbara’s husband and children vowed to honor that wish and created the Barbara T. Foundation with a mission to focus 100% of its time and resources on the prevention, detection, and cure of ovarian cancer. While funding the most urgent pathways to a breakthrough and drive strategic advocacy in service to fast-tracking survival rates and a cure, Barbara’s faith, love, and passion to put an end to ovarian cancer will live on.
Why it Matters
The Barbara T. Foundation was founded in 2023 as one of the last wishes of our namesake, Barbara T. Ferraro. Barbara’s legacy is one of total devotion to God, her life, her family and, ultimately, to her fighting ovarian cancer.
That’s why we’re all in when it comes to our work in her name. By focusing 100% of our time and resources on the prevention, detection and cure of ovarian cancer, we are funding the most urgent pathways to a breakthrough. We do so while driving strategic advocacy in service to fast-tracking increased survival rates and a cure. We are also 100% practical. We seek to advance solutions that stem the tide today while advancing to a cure as soon possible.
In all of it, we are committed to directing 100% of donations to those doing the work. To that end, we are a 100%-volunteer organization.
