By: Taylor Christensen | Royal Oak Review | Published January 27, 2026
ROYAL OAK — Ovarian cancer is a silent killer and affects nearly 21,000 women each year, according to the American Cancer Society.
In Royal Oak, a special support group has been helping those affected by this disease for 29 years. The group is called the One to One ovarian cancer support group. One to One meets monthly at Gilda’s Club, 3517 Rochester Road in Royal Oak.
The cancer can appear in many different ways, starting in the ovaries, fallopian tubes or peritoneum. Common symptoms can include bloating, difficulty eating or feeling full, pelvic or abdominal pain, and or urinary symptoms, according to lead group facilitator Marilyn Brozovic.
Brozovic is a two-time breast cancer survivor and a 28-year survivor of ovarian cancer stage IIIC.
The group was founded in March of 1997 at Beaumont Hospital following an anonymous donation, according to an informational packet provided by Brozovic.
“Our goal is to support and help people during their journey, whether they are a new diagnosis, recurrence or dealing with remission and they are scared to go back into recurrence,” Brozovic said. “It’s all about supporting each other.”
Every other month the group tries to have an educational speaker attend to share information and insight into ovarian cancer.
At 4 p.m. Feb. 12, the group will be hosting Dr. Maureen Anderson, corporate medical director of integrative medicine at Corewell Health. This will take place at Gilda’s Club.
“She is going to talk about the difference between functional innovative medicine versus conventional medicine,” Brozovic said. “It’s going to be an informal meeting where she can educate us and the group can have an open dialogue and meet and greet with her.”
Patty Kurpinski, a 17-year ovarian and endometrial cancer survivor, serves as the group’s patient advocate by keeping current in new drugs and clinical trials.
Kurpinski said that the group provides a safe space for those struggling with the disease, and it is even more personable given all the leaders of the group have survived ovarian cancer.
“Ovarian cancer is known as the silent killer, silent disease, because the symptoms can be very vague,” Kurpinski said. “Unlike a lot of cancers, there is also a very high recurrence rate in ovarian cancer, so it has a very unique psychological as well as emotional aspect associated with the disease.”
Kurpinski said that the group is a place for women to share their feelings and fears with people who have gone through the same experience.
“We (the group) are unique in a way that we are all survivors as well, so we have kind of walked the path already and we can hold their hands through what we already know they are going through before they go through it,” she said.
Kurpinski said her first meeting was 18 years ago, and she walked into the meeting very scared, but she was able to find a sense of community within the group.
“I was dealing with a lot of side effects, there were a lot of appointments, a lot of scheduling, a lot of testing going on, and through Marilyn and the other long-term members calling me, assuring me that I was going to be able to get through the treatments, they gave me practical advice on how to get through the side effects, and I was able to get through it, and I realized there is life after cancer,” she said.
The group does a variety of fun events that bring the group closer together, including an annual retreat.
Members of the group are also a part of Survivors Teaching Students, a national program sponsored by the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance and offered at more than 400 medical schools, according to the informational packet.
One to One members volunteer their time in the program to share their ovarian cancer journey with the students. Twenty-two presentations have been given at 10 schools reaching 745 students, according to the packet.
Anybody is welcome to join the group, and more information can be found at onetooneovariancancersupportgroup.com. The group provides both in-person and online meeting options.