“To those whom much is given, much is expected.”
― John F. Kennedy, Uncommon Wisdom of John F. Kennedy: A Portrait in His Own Words
St. Jude Children’s Hospital
“The mission of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is to advance cures, and means of prevention, for pediatric catastrophic diseases through research and treatment. Consistent with the vision of our founder Danny Thomas, no child is denied treatment based on race, religion or a family’s ability to pay.”
St. Jude is the magnificent hospital where my daughter was treated for brain cancer and continues to receive her follow-up care. I have made a personal vow to help St. Jude in as many ways as I can for the remaining days I spend on this planet. My daughter is a six-year cancer survivor and I believe her survival is due in large part to the extraordinary care, compassion and hope that its staff provides.
I am currently Co-Chairing (with my husband) a committee and working on our 3rd Annual “Red Carpet for Hope” Gala in Minneapolis, MN. It will be a Golden Globes Viewing Party in January 2015.
The 2014 Minneapolis Gala was successful enough that St. Jude has expanded this Gala to both the Chicago and Miami communities. If anyone reading this is interested in helping by volunteering or donating their services or resources, kindly let me know.
______________________________________________________________________________________
Caring Bridge
CaringBridge enables healing during a time of need through the support of family, friends and caregivers.
- Free websites for those experiencing a time of need.
- An ad-free environment to all users and visitors.
- Your personal information and data is not shared or sold.
- The ability to control the privacy levels on a personal CaringBridge site.
After utilizing this service through treatment and on an ongoing basis, I was asked to join The CaringBridge Advisory Board. I am currently an active advisory board member.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Abbott Northwestern Hospital
Our Mission: “We serve our communities by providing exceptional care as we prevent illness, restore health and provide comfort to all who entrust us with their care.”
I am currently on a “Medicine Ball” committee for Abbott Northwestern Hospital which is raising funding for a new neurological unit. The brilliant, gifted and compassionate surgeon (Dr. Mahmoud Nagib) who removed my daugther’s brain tumor is Co-chairing the Gala with his lovely wife Nancy. It will take place on October 25th, 2014.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Brave Miss World
I was honored to participate both financially and in film for a brief few seconds on this extraordinary film. As a sexual assault survivor, I welcome any opportunity to share my personal journey and wish to advocate for survivors as long as I live.
Miss Israel Linor Abargil was abducted, stabbed, and raped in Milan, Italy, at age 18. She had to represent her country in the Miss World competition only six weeks later. When to her shock she was crowned the winner, she vowed to do something about rape. The film follows her from the rape, to her crowning and through her crusade to fight for justice and break the silence. During her travels to speak out and meet with other rape victims, her own trauma begins to resurface. Her serial rapist becomes eligible for parole, and she has to hunt down his previous victims in order to help keep him behind bars. The film explores the trauma of sexual assault through one young woman’s journey from teenage rape victim to Miss World to empowered lawyer and activist.
LINOR’S HOPE:
“Since my rape was reported in the international media, wherever I go in the world, for work or otherwise, people approach me and confide that they too were raped, and that I was a role model for them. “You gave us the courage to tell someone, to press charges. You helped us recover.”
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Love, love, love this blog. Hope to see you and get a hug when I’m in Mpls next week for the St. Jude “Fall Festival of Hope” event.