educated physicians like Dr. Hayes here at UF working with people like you and other students around the world who ask, ‘What if?’ It will be technology merging together. It will not be just one person in the lab yelling ‘Eureka!’ It will be a combined effort.
“In my practice, I have found that the love of a son who has lost his mother, or a husband who has lost his wife, is a powerful force to be reckoned with. And it can do so much for others, for humanity. In our struggle to find a cure, we look to all of you because the answer to the problem of cancer is in tomorrow. And that’s exactly where all of you are now. You are our hope. And my job and that of Dr. Hayes is to help make that discovery happen. So I want to thank you for listening and tell you I truly admire every one of you. If there is anything I can do to make you more successful, please don’t hesitate to ask.”
Barry walked to the front of the room as students began to applaud, then stand. She looked at Nick, who gave her a thumbs- up.
“Thank you, Dr. White,” Dr. Hayes said, clapping along with his charges. “Now if you’ll take your seats, I believe the good doctor will take any questions you have. And I believe Mr. Harris will also answer questions as well.”
Half of the students’ hands jutted into the air.
“Betty?” Dr. Hayes called on a petite brunette in the front row.
“Dr. White, I read an article about you in News and World Report, and I read about you beating cancer as a child. Can you tell me what it’s really like to be a patient who has survived cancer? Emotions, everything?”
Shelly paused for a moment. She had been asked this question so many times in the past thirty-plus years, she needed to be sure she didn’t sound matter-of-fact with her answer.
“To tell you the truth,” she began, “I am just a very lucky person, and I had a doctor who was so extraordinarily dedicated to taking care of me at St. Theresa’s. If you follow our Foundation, you’ll see what a vital part Dr. Wall is to its successes. He is like a father to me. I consider myself very fortunate that I was able to beat cancer because, quite honestly, no one knows why it went away. I firmly believe it was the work of Dr. Wall—a passionate man who saved my life.”