ALLEGANY, N.Y. —  Over the past several years, Susan Evans has spoken to at least 100 groups to share her story of defeating ovarian cancer — and to offer hope on battling gynecological cancer.

Evans served as keynote speaker during “A Night Out for the Health of It!” fundraiser to benefit the Kathi Ward Foundation for Nursing Practice at the Allegany Community Center on Wednesday. The foundation was created in 2000 in memory of Ward, a registered nurse who died in 1996 of gynecological cancer. The nonprofit organization provides scholarships to area nursing students, and nurses who want to continue on with their education. To date, the foundation has assisted more than 80 individuals pursue or enhance their careers.

Kathi Marzec, president of the foundation, said the organization is doing well financially and has increased the number of scholarships provided over the past couple of years.

Marzac said she personally knew Ward when the two of them attended Pioneer High School in Yorkshire in the past.

“I knew her for the two years I was there, but we didn’t cross paths again because I was going to go into teaching,” Marzac recalled. “When I came back to Olean, I was a nurse” and Ward was working in a doctor’s office and eventually the two reconnected.

In commenting on her speech, Evans said she calls the presentation her “adventures in health care.

“It’s a humorous look at some of the things I’ve gone through and people usually laugh,” she said. “It’s to show women that ovarian cancer is not the end of the line necessarily, and that’s usually what everyone thinks.”

For Evans, a retired English and remedial reading teacher in Bradford, the 2012 diagnosis from her doctor that she had a 2.5 pound ovarian tumor, and that it was malignant, was devastating. Unknown to her at the time was the doctor told her husband, George, she had only six months to live. As her husband followed behind her in the transfer ambulance, he began to plan her funeral.

Her operation and follow-up treatments were at hospitals in Pittsburgh, her hometown. Evans did six chemotherapy treatments, with one scheduled every three weeks. She said she slept through most of the 18-week ordeal. Following chemo, she was given another drug for 45 weeks as a preventative measure.

Evans, who later wrote the book ““Don’t Write the Obituary Yet” uses 100 percent of the sales of the $16.95 book, found at Barnes & Noble, to benefit the Evans Krivak Gynecological Cancer Research and Education Fund. To date, the book sales have raised $135,000 toward the fund to raise awareness for ovarian cancer, the least funded cancer. Another sad fact is that there are no tests or screenings for ovarian cancer, only bloating.

On another sobering note, Evans said of the 20,000 women diagnosed yearly with ovarian cancer, 14,000 will die.

“That’s not a good percentage, but people need to know there is hope and it is not necessarily the end of the line,” Evans said. “And you need to ask questions — you need to make your own choices.”

Additionally, the patient doesn’t need to go to a certain hospital because they are instructed to do so. Evans said she went to another hospital in Pittsburgh than what was recommended to her, and is glad she did so.

“Too often women will just do as they’re told, but you can’t do this and you have to ask questions,” she advised. “But everybody is not pushy and mouthy like me.”

Evans also advises patients to insist on explanations of their diagnoses and proposed procedures, even if it means insisting the doctor draw a picture of the procedure.

As for her presentation, Evans said she enjoys helping other women through her programs.

“I’ve spoken to over 100 groups, such as Rotaries, Zontas, church groups and retirement groups” in Pennsylvania, New York state, Ohio and South Carolina, she said. “I’m available to speak to any group about this.”

The benefit dinner also featured Linda Manross, of the ReHabilitation Center in Olean, N.Y., who gave a serious, but humorous account on how an individual’s final wishes are met and the family is put at ease if funeral arrangements are handled by the individual beforehand. Dennis Casey of Casey, Halwig and Hartle Funeral Home also provided information on this topic.

For more information on the Kathi Ward Foundation, visit www.kathiwardfoundation.com.