When Joan McAree went for her annual gynecologic checkup in 1997, her greatest worry at the time was whether she and her identical twin Jean Christ could train hard enough to win their next 10K race.

"I thought I was a healthy person," McAree said. "I ran, I was a ski instructor, I watched what I ate. But as I found out, cancer doesn't play by the rules."

During the exam, McAree's doctor noticed that one of her ovaries felt enlarged. When she also complained of indigestion, bloating and fatigue, her physician ordered an ultrasound test, which revealed a solid mass. It was a tumor that turned out to be early-stage ovarian cancer.

To read on, see this issue's cover story.