CT Woman’s Determination to Find a Cure Lives On

Each year 40,000 women in the United States are diagnosed with reproductive cancer.

In 2010, when Beverly Levy was diagnosed with Ovarian cancer, she had an idea that the disease would limit her time on Earth.

So, she was determined to make the most of her time and try and do something to help future generations of women avoid what she was going through.

While in the midst of aggressive bouts of chemotherapy that ravaged her body and sent her in and out of the hospital, she battled on through sheer determination and started a movement that is now called the Discovery to Cure Beverly Levy Walk and is affiliated with Yale University.

The walk came about from Beverly single-handedly calling her friends and family urging them to donate money for research that one day would lead to a cure. In the first year alone, Beverly and 700 supporters who participated in the first walk, raised $150,000 for research.

Sadly, Beverly died in 2014 at the age of 63. Her legacy of selflessness lives on as the walk continues in memory of Beverly’s vision, determination and remarkable energy, according to friends and family.

This year’s fourth annual walk will be held Sept. 25, 2016 at the Yale University campus. (See below for full details on this year’s walk).

“Though she was very ill, my mother poured her heart and soul into this walk because she wanted to find a cure, which would lead to so many future lives saved,” said Perri Levy, Beverly’s daughter. “My mom is my hero and she inspired us to lead us by her unwavering desire to find a cure. We will ensure her legacy of love and selflessness lives on.”

Perri Levy, who has taken on a major role in organizing this year’s walk, said her personal motivation is to find a cure so no one has to experience the feeling of loss she felt when her best friend and mother died.

“My mother was the strongest woman I know,” Perri Levy said. “She always had my back and always stood up for me. She stood up for what was right and always went above and beyond in everything she did. She wasn't a follower, she was a doer. She would always get involved and always help others even during her sickest days. Her main focus was to help other women get through the struggle that she herself was dying of.”

“My mom was just incredible, always putting others before herself and looking out for the greater good. She was a complete hero,” Perri said of her mother.

Dr. John Levy, who was Beverly’s husband, said the disease is not silent. He said the key is awareness and paying attention to symptoms that people may ignore.

“Early diagnosis, early treatment and innovative cancer research can lead to a healthier life. That’s the mission of ‘Discovery To Cure,’” John Levy said.

John Levy said he always knew his wife was special and that is cemented whenever people run into him and say, “I feel better about myself when I (was with) Beverly.”

“Caring, straight forward, very confident about her abilities, Beverly worked hard, trusted her intuition,” John Levy said. “Beverly persisted to overcome any set of obstacles, she persevered and never, ever faltered until her cancer finally won over. Her life with friends and family was with color, with joy, and with meaning, and she was devoted to lay a foundation in the fight against reproductive cancers and to inspire those patients with cancer to lead a fruitful meaningful life. Beverly exemplified these qualities.”

“Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Beverly has stayed in our lives, for a while and has left a footprint on our hearts. And, we are never, ever, the same,” John Levy said.

Details about this year’s Discovery to Cure Beverly Levy Walk

Date: Sept. 25

Registration: 10 a.m. at Yale Woolsey Hall 500 College Street, New Haven

Host: WTNH News 8’s Renee Chmiel

Activities: The Walk, of course, and vendors, performers, a raffle and several gourmet food trucks

About Discovery to Cure: Discovery to Cure was launched in 2003 to provide women with new methods for the prevention, early detection and treatment of gynecologic cancers. The direct connection between the research lab and clinical patient care makes Discovery to Cure the leading center for women’s reproductive cancer research and treatment.

Funds raised through last year’s event enabled Discovery to Cure to provide four research grants
to Yale School of Medicine laboratories undertaking promising research in women’s
reproductive cancers. Cancer research grants from government sources are decreasing, making your support even more important and meaningful than ever.

U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, a survivor of ovarian cancer for 30 years, has been a tireless advocate
for the walk and Discovery to Cure.

Discovery to Cure will be hosting a gala on Sunday, November 13 at the Omni Hotel in New
Haven honoring DeLauro and her doctor Peter Schwartz.

For more information on the walk and to donate click here.

If you would like to learn more about Discovery, call Ruth Ann Ornstein at 203-901-0964 or ruthann@discoverytocure.org

Photo: Perri Levy, Beverly Levy, and Dr. John Levy