Published November 24, 2013 By the Foundation
Dr. Susan Love
This Thanksgiving is a special one for me. I am so thankful just to be here, alive and kicking and thankful for all the people who helped get me here: my wonderful wife and daughter, my sisters and brother who made sure there was always someone with me through the many weeks of hospitalization last year. And of course, I’m thankful for my medical team at City of Hope and their dedication, wisdom and caring. I am thankful to all of you who prayed, wrote and sent me messages of hope and healing.
As all of you who have battled a life threatening disease know all too well, you are not left untouched by the experience. When I was stuck in City of Hope for almost 12 weeks, the thing I missed the most was hearing the birds! To keep me going, my wonderful brother brought me a tape he made in Paradise (a real place in the coastal mountains above Santa Barbara, CA) of the birds waking up in the morning. Even today, it is the birds outside the big panoramic windows of my office that are my keystone. I watch them swoop and fly, sometimes together and sometimes alone, sometimes just sitting on a telephone pole watching for the next opportunity. They inspire me to find ways to collaborate, push ahead alone, or just take a minute to scan the horizon for the right path.
While I am NOT thankful that women are still being diagnosed with breast cancer and still dying, I remain convinced that we can be the generation that ends this disease. Which makes me very thankful for the help of my staff, Board of Directors and most importantly, you: our supporters, large and small, who invest in our (im)patient science by participating in studies, by being involved in our activities and by giving monetary gifts as we push harder to find the cause, document the cost (collateral damage) and work towards the day when no one has to die of breast cancer. Thank you for all you do now, and all you will do in the future, to help us achieve this goal. Have a warm and wonderful Thanksgiving.
Honor someone special in your life by making a Gift of Thanksgiving in their name to help create a future without breast cancer.
