This reflection was written by Janet E. Fine M.S., a founding member of the TCF Board of Directors.
Having just marked the 16th anniversary of the founding of TargetCancer Foundation, I felt moved to reflect anew on the seeds which were planted by its founder, and which have continued to bear fruit each year since then. Paul Poth was a dear friend and cherished colleague; we shared much about all that filled our lives both personally and professionally. And we shared a commitment to doing all that we could in our respective roles to help people cope with adversity and hold onto hope while pursuing healing and building resilience. Once diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma, his energies were focused on his own health and well-being, with a steadfast embrace of life’s gifts – his family most of all. At the same time, he could not abide the lack of equity in research funding and targeted treatments for such a rare cancer, and his core sense of fairness and justice propelled his bold vision for TargetCancer Foundation. Even as his own life was waning, his remarkable courage and tenacity ensured that the seeds he planted would allow his vision to firmly take root.
None of the countless people who knew and loved Paul will ever recover from his loss and the void he left in our lives. So rather than focusing on “recovery” from such a profound loss, it seems helpful and hopeful to focus on “discovery” – that is, discovering new ways to advance Paul’s vision for equity and accessibility of rare cancer research and treatment.
I have been honored to serve as a Board member since TargetCancer’s inception and to have the privilege of working with the Foundation’s exceptional leadership, staff and fellow Board members. And I am ever grateful and heartened by the growing number of supporters who help ensure that all those impacted by a rare cancer diagnosis will have the benefits of TargetCancer’s groundbreaking research, multidisciplinary expertise, accessible clinical trials and treatments, and vigorous patient advocacy.
Those of us whose lives have been impacted by cancer have learned all too well that we are not promised anything tomorrow. Yet, I have also learned that one person’s humanity and hope for a better world can, indeed, make an enormous difference and be an agent for good. And TargetCancer Foundation gives us all the opportunity to do just that – to be significant partners in its innovative, life-affirming work.