A Big Loss

A Big Loss

Dr. Judah Folkman passed away suddenly on January 14, 2008. He was a pioneer. He was an incredibly compassionate man. He was revolutionary in the field of cancer research. He was criticized early on for his work in the field of angiogenesis research but he persevered and proved his critics wrong. I had the pleasure of hearing him speak several times and I was able to spend time with him when LAF awarded him with a Carpe Diem Award in 2003 (see attached pic). He was a wonderful human being who gave so much to the field. Anyone who has been impacted by cancer should take a moment to honor Dr. Folkman’s work. Our deepest condolences go out to the entire Folkman family.

I thought the Boston Globe piece on Dr. Folkman was wonderful…

I can’t help but also mention the others in that picture. So many close friends of LAF are no longer with us and that saddens me. They inspired me and still do to this day. One quirky thing I do in an effort to constantly remind myself of those who have passed on is I leave their contact information in my contacts list. That way when I am working, emailing, searching for an email address or phone number, I see their names, I think of their faces, I remember my interactions with them…and ultimately, I smile. We fight on in their honor and memory. So much more to do.