This October, our family will get behind the wheel of my late wife Joan’s beloved Jaguar F-Type to embark on an epic journey: the legendary Cannonball Run.
This October, our family will get behind the wheel of my late wife Joan’s beloved Jaguar F-Type to embark on an epic journey: the legendary Cannonball Run. Over 2,200 kilometres, from Bar Harbor, Maine, to Nashville, Tennessee, we won’t just be driving; we’ll be carrying a message of hope and raising funds to fight the disease that took her from us too soon: ovarian cancer.
We established The Joan Rotondi Hope & Empowerment Foundation (JRHEF) to ensure her incredible spirit lives on. Joan was a lifelong Sarnian, a loving mother to our daughter Mia, and a friend to many. She faced her diagnosis with courage, and her deepest wish was to help others know they are not alone in their fight.
Donate today: www.jrhef.org
The Cannonball Run is more than a race; for us, it’s a mission. Joan loved cars, especially her Jaguar. She used to say, “I feel alive when I drive this car.” By taking her dream car on this journey—wrapped in teal, the colour of ovarian cancer awareness—we are keeping her spirit alive and transforming it into a moving billboard for awareness and action.
But awareness is only the first step. Our true goal is to fund tangible change for women battling this disease.
Your donation will help us:
Support breakthrough detection. We’ve partnered with Aspira Women’s Health, developers of OvaWatch, a test that helps assess the risk of ovarian cancer. Your support helps us bring this technology closer to patients in Canada.
Expand access to clinical trials. Through Joan’s care at Princess Margaret—one of the world’s leading ovarian cancer hospitals—we saw the critical importance of clinical trials. We’ve partnered with a Swiss company that uses AI to match patients with trials, a resource many smaller clinics lack. Donations help close this gap, giving more women access to potentially life-saving treatments.
Joan’s experience taught us that when facing ovarian cancer, “you need to fight for yourself just as fiercely as the disease fights against you.” Every dollar raised empowers us to stand with women in that fight and brings us closer to a world where fewer families have to say goodbye too soon.
Here’s how you can make an immediate impact:
Donate today: Please visit www.jrhef.org to make a secure donation and become a vital part of our team.
Follow our journey: We’ll be live-streaming as much of the Cannonball Run as possible. Follow us on our website and social media to see your support in action, share our posts, and help spread the word.
Spread awareness: September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. Talk to your friends and family about the subtle symptoms—like bloating, abdominal pain, or changes in appetite—and the critical importance of self-advocacy in healthcare.
Our goal is simple: to inspire hope. With your help, we can transform our family’s journey of love and loss into a powerful force for good—honouring Joan’s legacy by giving others strength, possibility, and a fighting chance.
