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Three local cancer survivors join Women and Wellness keynote speaker Bershan Shaw to share their stories of survivorship

According to the American Association for Cancer Research, 40% of all cancers and 50% of cancer deaths may be preventable. Thanks to advances in cancer research, prevention and earlier detection through cancer screenings, survivorship numbers are on the rise.

This February, during National Cancer Prevention Month, three local cancer survivors — René Bowditch, Jen Clark and Catina Jones — shared their stories, speaking from the heart about what surviving and thriving with cancer means to them. VCU Massey Cancer Center’s 28th annual Women and Wellness luncheon, which was held at The Jefferson Hotel on Feb. 7, 2023, welcomed keynote speaker, Bravo TV’s Bershan Shaw. Shaw shared her story as a two-time cancer survivor, getting the audience onto its feet and, amidst singing and dancing, encouraged her listeners: "Ladies, we need to stop being afraid and step into our power."

Read on to meet and hear more about these inspiring stories of survivorship and how these women’s experiences are impacting other women.

Twenty-eight years and $5 million raised for cancer research

Women and Wellness is a Massey tradition that goes back 28 years. Every February since 1994, women (and men) have come together to celebrate the power of women in the fight against cancer and to raise awareness and critical funds to advance women’s cancer research at Massey. In its nearly three-decade history, Women and Wellness has raised more than $5 million to expand clinical research and clinical trials along with community outreach and engagement to increase access to cancer prevention and screenings for all women. The funds also fuel initiatives like Massey’s Survivorship Program, which is the first of its kind at a U.S. cancer center to focus on patient care both during and following cancer treatment.

Local survivors René Bowditch, Jen Clark and Catina Jones described Massey’s impact on their lives, setting the stage for Shaw, author of The Unstoppable Warrior Woman. Shaw spoke to a sold-out crowd of 385 guests, among them other cancer survivors and Massey donors, as well as Virginia first lady Suzanne S. Youngkin; artist and wife of VCU's president Monica Rao; and Massey deputy director Paula M. Fracasso, M.D., Ph.D. The event raised nearly $200,000 for Massey as part of a year-long Women and Wellness campaign that also includes small gatherings with Massey researchers to raise awareness and funds.

Stories of survivorship and hope

René Bowditch, Jen Clark and Catina Jones are more than cancer survivors – they are thrivers.While each has her own unique perspective on what it means to be a cancer survivor, they share a determination not only to overcome their own illness but to empower others to look out for their own health and wellness.

As special guests invited to share their stories at the 2023 Women and Wellness luncheon event, Bowditch, Clark and Jones inspired a sold-out crowd with their perseverance and honesty about life with cancer – and the importance of continued research that gives them, and others, hope.

Through a series of videos shown at the event, the local survivors shared their stories — from cancer diagnosis through treatment and survivorship, as well as about how Massey impacted their experience. Bowditch and Clark later joined Shaw on stage to talk about what thriving with cancer means to them and how the research performed at Massey is making cancer survivors’ futures brighter. Together, they encouraged the audience to: listen to your body; advocate for yourself; stay up-to-date on screenings; and give yourself grace.

Survivor spotlight: Catina Jones

When you become a Survivor, there’s a responsibility that comes with that, and I don't think it's one to be taken lightly. I'm quite proud that I've been able to survive and persevere and hopefully help other women.” - Catina Jones, breast cancer survivor and advocate

Breast cancer runs in Catina Jones’ family. Both her mother and grandmother are survivors, and her older sister, Erica Scott, died after fighting metastatic breast cancer.

Scott, a mother of seven, had kept her diagnosis from her family because she was so afraid of the cost that her care would require. Sadly, her cancer progressed beyond effective treatment by the time her family knew.

“She was the quintessential big sister — very protective and also a tattletale,” said Jones, founder and principal broker of ICON Realty Group. “She really saved my life. When we lost her, I became adamant that this would not happen to me.”

Jones worked with her doctors to create a screening plan. Ten years later, she received her own breast cancer diagnosis at 42. Faced with that difficult news – and after witnessing the impact of cancer on her sister, mother and grandmother – Jones chose to undergo a double mastectomy.

“My sister unfortunately is the classic example of why education about breast cancer, why information is so crucial,” said Jones. “[Her’s] was a very treatable form of cancer, and had she come in sooner, the likelihood is that they could have saved her life.”

Patient advocacy is one way Jones has honored her sister’s legacy. She serves on the board of directors for Virginia Breast Cancer Foundation and continues to educate others about resources available to help patients access cancer screenings and care. 

“Information and education are just as critical as a cure,” Jones said. “We have a duty to help connect patients in need with resources to help them in their journey.”

Survivor spotlight: Jen Clark

One of the reasons I moved to Massey [is] the quality of care. The attention to the concerns and the information given to me has been completely life-changing.” - Jen Clark

Jen Clark was the epitome of good health. Every doctor visit was routine. At 39, when Clark began to feel mild symptoms, including bloating and bleeding, her doctor, whom she had been with since age 18, diagnosed it as stress. 

The remedy? Vacation. Jen did as prescribed, but the symptoms persisted. 

After her 40th birthday, she returned for her annual physical. Everything came back normal, but Jen insisted on a biopsy. Something wasn’t right and she wasn’t leaving without an answer.

The answer, unfortunately, was suspected stage 2 cervical cancer.

Since then, Jen endured one treatment after another, including chemotherapy and immunotherapy as the cancer spread to her abdomen, lungs and colon. 

Now at 45, Jen is on a new treatment that has resulted in shrinkage. She is thankful she advocated for herself and sought care at Massey. 

While the difficult part of her journey has been moving past the “what-ifs,” she remains positive and sticks to her mantra: “A day at a time, and today is a good day.”

Survivor spotlight: Renė Bowditch

Anyone who's gotten a cancer diagnosis thinks, 'I am going to die.' But, at that moment, my dear husband grabbed my left hand, the Lord grabbed my right, and neither ever let go.” - René Bowditch

Twenty years ago, René Bowditch was walking out of her house to visit a sick friend when she noticed some costume items in her daughter’s room. She donned a tiara, wings and a wand, arrived in full fairy regalia, and saw a much-needed smile on her friend’s face — and the Good Health Fairy was born.

After four years of using her Good Health Fairy persona to comfort friends, family and strangers, René learned it was time for her to battle her own illness.

“They called my husband and I in on a Thursday to tell us I had breast cancer,” she said. “At that moment, my husband grabbed my left hand, God grabbed my right, and neither ever let go.”

After receiving lifesaving care at Massey, Bowditch co-founded Here for the Girls, a nonprofit dedicated to education and support for young women battling breast cancer. The Good Health Fairy is their mascot.

“Devoting time to giving back to others has given me purpose to having had cancer,” Bowditch said. “The young women we’ve been able to help and be there for has been the greatest thing I’ve ever done in my life. It has been a total gift from a really yucky thing that happened.

“When you get a group of women together and you discuss wellness and you give them the tools to know what they need to know, you're not just affecting those women. You're affecting everybody.”

Survivor spotlight: Bershan Shaw

In that moment, something hit me, inside my spirit. My cancer diagnosis taught me to live, taught me to not take anything for granted. It taught me to live for today, because tomorrow just may not come. - Bershan Shaw

Bravo TV’s Bershan Shaw was in her early 30s when she received news that she had stage 4 breast cancer and just three months to live.

At that moment, the self-proclaimed “multipreneur” and author of The Unstoppable Warrior Woman, decided to take a figurative journey into herself, and a literal one around the globe, to gain a fresh perspective and a new lease on life, no matter how long she had. In so doing, the “Real Housewives of New York City” star summoned her inner warrior and defied the odds, beating her illness. As  a survivor, speaker, business coach and advocate, Shaw works to empower others through a wellness-based approach, connecting the mind, body and spirit.

Bershan Shaw (center) with Becky Massey (left) and Reba Hollingsworth (right) at VCU Massey Cancer Center’s 28th annual Women and Wellness signature luncheon event on Feb. 7, 2023.

Watch the 2023 Women and Wellness signature luncheon video recap

The 28th annual Women and Wellness luncheon attracted a sold-out crowd and raised nearly $200,000 for women’s cancer research at Massey. The event was a celebration of survivorship, highlighting the importance of early screenings and prevention, by sharing the stories of three local cancer survivors.

Donate to Women and Wellness

There is still time to donate to Women and Wellness and do your part to help Massey advance research and care to prevent, treat and ultimately cure women's (and all) cancers.