Greetings from Delaware on a glorious Sunday afternoon. We snuck off to the beach to open up our house this weekend, and used a rainy Saturday afternoon to unpack and rearrange things. On this Mother’s Day weekend we were joined by Dave and his family. We had a blast.
The workweek was dominated by CCSG preparations; the grant is due in 11 days. I am doing last-minute reviews of a few sections. When I think back to all that we have accomplished in the past four-plus years, I am filled with gratitude to the many people who have worked so hard to achieve an important, common objective.
Just before I sat down to compose this blog, I received an email from one of my previous hematology/oncology fellows at Fox Chase, who finished his training about 25 years ago. He and I have not communicated for more than 10 years. Out of the clear blue sky, he was reflecting on his very successful life and career over the weekend and felt moved to reach out with gratitude for my role in his personal and professional development. He worked in my GI cancer clinic for a year, and we got along very well, but I never sensed that he felt especially close to me, and I would not say that we were friends. I was just doing my job, which included being a concerned and involved mentor to my trainees, sharing my pleasure in their triumphs and offering solace during difficult moments.
Naturally, I wrote a warm reply note, and realized that I receive such notes every few months from trainees who have not stayed in regular touch over the years. I am sure that many of you do as well. Though I have enjoyed more professional success than I had imagined could be possible, the note I received today reminds me of the impact I have had to help shape the lives of my trainees and students. When I think about the amplification factor — each mentee creates a penumbra of impact, a cloud of which I am a small part — I am deeply appreciative and more than a bit humbled to know that my example, teachings and perspectives echo through the years in ways that I could not have imagined. What a privilege, and what a responsibility. I wish I’d had the benefit of access to modern tools like those offered by our Cancer Research Training and Education Core. For all the mentoring successes I have had, I wonder how many were left behind?
Many years ago, when my hair was not yet gray, Stan Gerson (now the chair of our EAC) and I were having lunch at some meeting, and we were waxing philosophical about what we wanted to be remembered for in our professional lives. I mentioned something about helping to harness the potential of immunotherapy; he was doing gene therapy, but said that he wanted to be remembered as a great teacher and mentor. As usual, Stan got it right. Most of us will have more impact as mentors than we will as scientists, and that is OK.
In 1945, my mother’s family in Belgium took in a young woman, Etyl, an Auschwitz survivor who had lost her entire family in the Holocaust. My mother and she remained close, and we consider Etyl’s family to be our family. Her oldest daughter, Mimi Leder, is a prominent film director. One of her most famous movies is “Pay It Forward.” I guess that is what I have done, and it gives me great satisfaction.
But now, back to work…
Stay safe, be well, and remember that everything we do impacts the future!
Lou
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