Remembering Stacey
On January 3, 2009 Stacey Hartmann passed away after an eight-year battle with ovarian and breast cancer. Stacey advocated tirelessly for ovarian cancer awareness and founded Comedy Night. Stacey was the epitome of fortitude,"She wasn't one to talk too much about her own personal (problems). She was about education and bringing awareness. Through the show, Stacey, who was known and respected for her frank, positive outlook, promoted the idea that laughter is the best medicine for cancer. Stacey emceed the most recent Comedy Night in August 2008, the same as she has every year since the show began eight years ago. "She never looked sick . . . No one would ever guess that this was a woman walking around with ovarian cancer." Hartmann worked closely with the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition, serving in 2003 on a special Congressional committee of cancer survivors formed to help scientists decide how money for ovarian cancer research should be spent.
In December 2008, Danville honored her with an Award of Special Recognition -- the first to be given in 13 years. Until her death, Stacey pushed for the development of an early detection test for ovarian cancer, which kills an estimated 15,000 in the U.S. annually but usually doesn't show up in routine gynecological exams. Though the disease can be contained if caught early, most women aren't diagnosed until it is too advanced to treat effectively. Through her work, Stacey urged women not to ignore early warning symptoms, which can include abdominal pressure, bloating, nausea, gas, fatigue and extreme weight gains or losses. Only 39 when she was diagnosed with Stage three ovarian cancer in July 2000, Stacey frequently referenced her own personal story to shine a spotlight on the disease, known as "the silent killer." After months of vague, nagging symptoms, it was only during surgery that doctors discovered the disease had spread beyond her ovaries. Despite the dire prognosis -- half of all women with ovarian cancer die within five years of their diagnosis -- Stacey remained upbeat, achieving remission for several years. She then was diagnosed with breast cancer, from which she also achieved remission. Her ovarian cancer returned in 2004. Since then, she had been on and off chemotherapy. The disease took a turn for the worse in the fall 2008. Through it all, advocacy remained her "passion," who used her media expertise to drum up publicity for Comedy Night. The show, which began as a small affair at the Danville Village Theater, grew to a following of more than 300 attendees, raising more than $35,000 for the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition during its eight-year run. In September 2008, Stacey gave the keynote speech at an annual fundraiser gala of the Walnut Creek-based Wellness Community, a cancer outreach organization with which she was active. In her speech, she said, "I have much to celebrate ... and at the top of my list is being an eight-year survivor of late stage ovarian cancer.", "Publicly and privately, she bore (her) experience gracefully and with strength. I think that's part of the reason why so many people cared so deeply about her -- that she was forthright at the same time that she was loving and caring.", "In my heart of hearts, I really didn't believe she would ever die . . . She was a tough cookie with a great sense of humor."