2010 Holiday Address from Komen Louisville Board President

SUSAN G. KOMEN FOR THE CURE-LOUISVILLE AFFILIATE

PRESIDENT’S ARTICLE-DECEMBER 2010

As we celebrate Christmas, Hanukah and Ramadan, during this Holiday Season, they remind us that each of us is part of something bigger than ourselves.  Our universe is immense with trillions of stars, and yet on Earth each human being, all six billion of us, is unique, and are as close to each other as six degrees of separation.  That biological connection truly means, “…that should a clod of earth be washed away by the sea, Europe (all of us) is the less.”

In the Komen Family we are all connected by the common cause of finding a cure for Breast Cancer, and while we are doing the research to find that cure for all the variants of the disease, we are also connected by the common experience of having been touched in some way by this disease.  Our hero’s are all of the Komen Warriors who have confronted their personal Breast Cancer with a firm determination that they will be Victorious.  They fight not as a single person, but as part of the Komen Family, which gives each of them unconditional love, strong fraternal support and boundless hope throughout their journey.  Each Komen Warrior is precious to us for they are persons of character and strength, who draw from the wellspring of their faith tradition to set an example for all of us. 

What is that example?  It is to be positive in the face of adversity; it is to be strong in the face of physical challenges; it is to display true grit of character when hope seems lost; and, it is to see life as precious to be savored and lived with good humor, good friends and good hearts.

Here at the Louisville Affiliate we have been blessed to be able to support so many Komen Warriors during this past year.  It is through the selfless hours of hundred’s of volunteers, donors, and sponsors that resources are raised to bestow grant’s on so many organizations who then deliver Breast Cancer treatment and services to literally thousand of Komen Warriors in our eight county service area.

This Holiday Season, we are all aware of those in special financial need.  Likewise, we of the Louisville Affiliate understand that there are so many who cannot afford health insurance to gain access to diagnostic Breast Cancer healthcare, let alone treatment and after care.  That is why our third party partners, donors, sponsors and volunteers work so hard everyday of the year to make our generous grant’s possible and to imagine a world without Breast Cancer

Faith, Hope, and Charity constitute the Spirit of this Holiday Season, and it is also the Spirit of the Louisville Affiliate.  Happy Holiday’s to each of you, thank you for what you do for so many, and may you be blessed in the coming year.

Robert S. Silverthorn, Jr.

President

Louisville Affiliate

13 December 2010