this room know what it is like to be touched by the death of a loved one from cancer, a disease that reaches out and destroys young and old, families and friends, and legacies and heritage in its devastation.
“So, this amazing man I was talking to asked, what if there was an incentive to find a cure to cancer? A reward, if you will. Dangle money before the world and see if it gets their attention. The incentive would have to be an extraordinary amount of money, Something that would make people stop and say, Wow! Yes, more than millions, it would have to be at least a billion.
“Now, when I heard this idea, I was with my good friend, Jerry Lamont, and we asked ourselves where we could come up with that kind of money? Then it hit us. Every year, the people in this room spend a collective one trillion dollars to treat cancer patients. You know how much it costs to keep people alive and put them into remission. And despite what trial lawyers may say, it is you who pay the majority of those costs. And you can imagine the costs and the feelings of family members after going through everything a patient and their family has to go through, only to hear that expression we all hate: ‘There is nothing more we can do.’
“Well, tonight, ladies and gentlemen, there is something more we can do. Because we have an idea that in itself will not cost you a dime, but will make everyone in this room into heroes. And here it is.” Nick paused to take a sip of water and returned the glass to the lectern. He inhaled deeply and continued.
“Working with the Kristen Foundation, associated and overseen by Dr. Gregory Wall and Dr. Shelly White at St. Theresa’s, we are looking for a pot of gold. We are looking for one hundred companies in this room to pledge ten million dollars apiece to the Kristen Foundation Project. And the great thing is, we don’t want your money right away. But if a hundred companies pledge ten million, we could create a one-billion-dollar incentive. That might motivate some pharmaceutical company, chemist, organization, or student to come up with a magic bullet.
“Now think for a moment about what would happen if this wild idea works. What happens if we find the cure for cancer? And what would happen if the cure for cancer were discovered and funded by the dreaded, horrible insurance industry?”
The crowd chortled.