Minnesota Woman Beats Cancer With Treatments Her Friend Didn't Have

Becky Drexler watched her best friend Connie Dahl fight stage 4 ovarian cancer with everything available in 2015. Two years later, Connie was gone, and Becky turned her heartbreak into action by volunteering with the Minnesota Ovarian Cancer Alliance.

She never imagined she'd need those same treatments herself. In 2018, at age 57, Drexler received her own diagnosis: stage 3B ovarian cancer.

But something remarkable had changed in the year since Connie's death. New targeted therapies that didn't exist during her friend's fight were now FDA-approved and waiting.

Drexler underwent surgery and chemotherapy, drawing strength from Connie's promise to "be positive, and to live, laugh and love to the fullest every day." By January 2019, she had no evidence of disease.

When her cancer returned in 2020, Drexler had even more options. She chose targeted radiation followed by Lynparza, a PARP inhibitor maintenance drug that kept her cancer-free for five years. Connie never had access to any of these treatments.

"It does make me think back to when Connie was dealing with her cancer and the treatments that were not available to her but are now available for me and other women," Drexler said. Through volunteering with MOCA, she's helped review grants for ovarian cancer research and supported other women facing the same diagnosis.

Even as Drexler faced her second recurrence in 2025, another new treatment option emerged. Antibody drug conjugates, a recently approved targeted therapy showing exceptional results, became her next line of defense. By mid-2026, her PET scan showed the treatment was working.

The Ripple Effect

Drexler's story shows how fast cancer treatment is advancing. Every clinical trial, every research grant, and every advocacy dollar is shortening the gap between diagnosis and cure.

The Minnesota Ovarian Cancer Alliance, where both Connie and Becky found community, continues funding research that turns terminal diagnoses into chronic conditions. Women diagnosed today have treatment options that didn't exist five years ago.

Drexler now serves on MOCA's board of directors, ensuring the next generation of patients has even better odds than she did. She often sees dragonflies in her garden and thinks of Connie, who nudged her to get checked when symptoms first appeared.

"I believe I am still here because of the advancements in treatment," Drexler said.