Adrienne

It's amazing how you can feel like you know everything there is to know about someone without ever meeting them. This is how I felt about Adrienne. I saw her picture for the first time on monday. Her eyes were a wonderful shade of brown. They were as deep as the ocean and sparkled more than moonlight on a lost wave. She epitomized femininity. Her pictures oozed grace. You could tell that she was among people like Grace Kelly and Jackie Onasis. Her charm left you feeling like you were in the presence of an angel.
As I looked over her pictures, I saw many excerpts from her life. I saw her as a young debutant, full of fire and life, ready to take the world by force with her southern hospitality. I saw her as a supportive wife to her hard working husband who was one of the pioneers for quality of life research in cancer patients. I saw her as a loving mother, who helped all 3 of her children accomplish their life long dreams. I saw her as a comforting friend, whose words and faith could put a smile on the grumpiest and most depressed spirit. I saw her as a progressive career woman, who fought for her cause and gave her all in each endeavor and project she worked with. I also saw her as a cancer survivor, who exibited so much strength, joy, and love you would think that she had never had a hard day in her life.
Adrienne is the role model I never met.

As I sat down at her memorial service. I began to listen to all that was said about her and how much she contributed to today's research and thus our knowledge about cancer. Unfortunately succumbing to kidney cancer herself, Adrienne's legacy will forever live on. Her dedication to helping "cancer survivors" through emotional support and research serves as inspiration to me. I've always realized how important my job here at American Cancer Society is, but Adrienne put things into perspective for me. It's not about a 8:30 to 5, or how much work they pile on me... or even the 2-3 hour traffic I sit in each day b/c of work. It's about the lives I touch....the families I can help...the survivors who need us.
Adrienne touched my life even though we never met....
When my day comes, I hope that someone will be able to say the same about me.

R.I.P.