Bonnie Gurwicz, Ovarian Cancer Advocate, Dies

Bonnie Gurwicz, an advocate in the fight against ovarian cancer, died on Saturday, but the Coalition for Women’s Cancers at Southampton Hospital has vowed to carry on her mission.  

According to the coalition, Gurwicz was first diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2012.  After surgery and chemotherapy, she found the CWC and took advantage of the free counseling and wellness programs, the nonprofit stated.  

Gurwicz became a coalition board member and led the “Teal Reveal: Ovarian Cancer Awareness Campaign,” which is aimed at raising awareness of ovarian cancer and the coalition’s services. The campaign just began on May 16, when a panel with Gurwicz, Dr. Michael Pearl and Dr. Geri Schmitt was planned. Gurwicz’s health took a turn and she could not attend, according to the coalition.  She was admitted to Lucia’s Room, a patient room at the hospital supported by the coalition and designed to bring comfort to cancer patients and their families.  

Dr. Pearl had remarked at the lecture that most women with ovarian cancer are diagnosed at stage four. “There are not a lot of survivors to organize a support network,” he said. “This community is lucky to have the CWC in place.”  

“We’re not stopping now,” coalition President Susie Barry Roden said. “Bonnie wants us to continue the mission and we’re more determined than ever to do so and honor her in the process.”

Before her diagnosis, in 2011, Gurwicz began to produce and host a show on LTV in Wainscott. Named "Metamorphosis," the show included interviews with people who have transformed their lives, according to Gurwicz's LinkedIn page.

"They share when they knew it was time for a change and what steps they took to make that happen," her LinkedIn profile stated. "The show acts as an inspiration and motivator for finding your passion and incorporating that passion into your life."

She was a business and life coach and in the past she hosted "Coach World TV" on Manhattan public access television.