​STAAR’s brightest light shone for the last day on September 6, 2021. Jessica BeCraft, one of our founders, passed away surrounded by family 43 months after her ovarian cancer diagnosis. The loss of Jess has been devastating for the ovarian cancer community, as we mourn another Teal Sister gone too soon.

Before cancer, Jess was a career-driven, world-traveling, Chicago-loving woman. In January 2018 during an unplanned C-section to deliver her beautiful daughter, it was discovered Jess had a rare form of stage 3C ovarian cancer, low-grade serous carcinoma (LGSC).

In early 2020, she and two other women in their 30’s, Alex Feldt and Bailey Wolfe, launched STAAR (Survive.Thrive.Advocate.AdvanceResearch) Ovarian Cancer Foundation and dedicated their efforts to funding scientific research.

“We’re doing small things, but hoping to make some level of impact on the more specific part of our cancer,” Jess explained to OCRA (Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance). What began with Facebook Birthday fundraisers and a virtual Teal Turkey Trot has become a national force for LGSC, raising over $250,000.

Jess was excited about STAAR partnering with Cure Our Ovarian Cancer to fund its first research grant to MD Anderson Cancer Center to study how LGSC utilizes estrogen to grow and spread—and ultimately improve treatment options.

A dedicated leader, Jess motivated women to share their story for STAAR’s Thriver Thursday, building camaraderie, awareness and a support system for survivors. After the tragic passing of co-founder Alex Feldt, Jess and Bailey expanded STAAR’s board, choosing dedicated members to join the team.

Nicholas Gilbertson, Jess’ brother and board member, shared, “When my sister first talked about the idea for STAAR, she knew she may not be around to see the difference made through funding research, but that wasn’t her goal. She wanted to give others hope and better odds. That’s why STAAR will continue. I am grateful to be a part of the mission that Jess, Bailey and Alex created and honored to work with volunteers and the badass women on the board. There is still much to be done and with everyone’s help, we plan on doing it!”