Greetings from Florida, where Harriet and I are celebrating our anniversary with a brief trip. We read just now that it is about to start snowing in DC. Not happening here! It was a very busy few days before that; I am chairing a cancer center site visit later this week and had a lot of work in that regard. Plus, I revised my R01 grant revision in response to internal review and have sent it out for another round, with a couple of new readers.
Longtime readers of my blog may remember an entry from September 2019, where I wrote about our friend Sandy, who was quite suddenly diagnosed with metastatic adenocarcinoma of the GE junction. I mused about the value of showing up for the people we care about, and marveled at her unusual and inspiring blend of optimism and clear-eyed realism. She has had a remarkable life since then, inhaling life with gusto, traveling around the world with her husband and an ever-shifting coterie of friends and family — all while receiving various standard and investigational chemotherapy regimens. Plus, she scored a hole-in-one (presumably when she was not wearing a pump)! Just a few months ago, we all were together in New York to see our niece’s off-Broadway show. She has been a model of how to live with cancer, on her terms, with joy and determination. Her disease has worsened, she has run out of therapeutic options, and she does not feel well. Sandy knows what this means, accepts it and somehow is maintaining her upbeat style, all the while understanding what is going to happen. I am in awe of her.
She will be starting home hospice in the next week or two. Many people with the same disease would have traded places with her in a heartbeat in 2019. She has outlived any and all reasonable expectations. It has been a great run. She knows it and is appreciative, but I must say that I and everyone who knows her and cares about her are not content. We talk about how we can help people live with cancer, but quite frankly, Sandy’s experience reminds me that I want to beat cancer, not just control it.
That is what we are going to do. Fortunately, there are many people stepping up to help in our mission to end cancer, including the owner of Alexandria Hyundai, Kevin Reilly. This weekend, Kevin led the popular and fun Hyundai Hands On Hope Contest at the Washington, DC Auto Show, where three of our Georgetown Lombardi colleagues competed to win a new car. You can read about the outcome elsewhere in this newsletter. We are so grateful for Kevin’s energy and enthusiasm, and the financial donation made to Georgetown Lombardi on behalf of the Washington Area Hyundai Dealers.
Finally, this should be a time of joy for many in our community as the Lunar New Year observances began on Sunday. Sadly, though, a deadly mass shooting over the weekend at a Lunar New Year celebration in California has dampened the happiness. If you or someone you know needs support coping with this tragedy, you’ll find mental and emotional health and well-being resources on Georgetown’s Every Hoya Cares website.
Stay safe and be well.
Lou
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