When I finished Lisa’s Story last summer, my hopes for the work were rather modest. Maybe it would serve as a cautionary tale about the importance of early detection, or perhaps as a cathartic or inspirational tale. If I really let my imagination run, I’d think that some small community somewhere might actually inaugurate a Lisa’s Legacy Walk to help raise money for cancer research. That would’ve been cool.
Nowhere on the radar screen was a national fund to raise money to help find a cure and increase knowledge in the fight against cancer. So when University Hospitals of Cleveland and home of the Ireland Cancer Center came forward with the idea of incorporating Lisa in a fund to raise money for cancer research and education.. well, let’s just say that I haven’t stopped smiling for days. To know that even once she was gone from the comics pages that Lisa would continue to live on in the real world fight against cancer was more than this story teller could imagine. From this point forward, Lisa will be telling the story, and I’ll be looking forward to following it with interest.
So I’d like to take a moment to thank University Hospitals for creating the Lisa’s Legacy Fund for Cancer Research and education, and also King Features for joining me in contributing the royalties from Lisa’s Story: The Other Shoe to the fund so that her story can continue to help others.
And while I’m thanking people, this week has brought another outpouring of response from you readers that has outstripped my ability to keep up. Rest assured that I am reading them all, and I appreciate the kindness and courage of everyone who has taken the time to share their story and to let me know what Lisa’s story has meant to them. For those of you missing Lisa today and wanting to do something, in lieu of flowers…
Stay well.
