Today we’d like to introduce you to Roslyn Turner.
Roslyn , can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
The Rolfe Foundation Young Professionals Board (YPB) is made up of individuals in our 20s and 30s who have felt the heartache and personal impact of pancreatic cancer, along with friends and allies. We launched in April 2010 with a youthful vision, personal stories and a lot of hope as we fight against pancreatic cancer. We have a concrete resolve to find an early detection pancreatic cancer test and dramatically change the face of this horrible disease.
Has it been a smooth road?
Within four years, I lost both of my parents to pancreatic cancer. In July of 2001, just two months after my 16th birthday and one month after my sister’s Bat Mitzvah, my dad was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Our family had never had anyone diagnosed with cancer so we did not know what to expect. We had hoped for more family vacations, more memories, more time. But sadly, my dad lost his battle only three weeks after being diagnosed. There was barely any time to say goodbye.
Time passed and things got a little bit easier every day. We were trying to rebuild our lives as now being a family of three. We finally started getting into our groove when my mom came down with what we thought was the flu in December of 2004. After a couple weeks of not getting better, many tests and a hospital admission, we were given the news that my mom now had stage IV metastatic pancreatic cancer. I still cannot find the words to describe what we were all thinking and feeling. We hoped for the best but prepared for the worst. Only 10 shorts months later, my mom also lost her battle with pancreatic cancer.
As the years went on, I graduated college and moved into the city. I was trying to be a young adult enjoying living in Chicago but there was still a huge void that could not be filled. I wanted to honor the memory of my parents in a way that would really make a difference in the fight against pancreatic cancer. I was put in touch with Jim Rolfe who explained that the Rolfe Foundation was looking for younger individuals to get involved with their mission of early detection, and in January of 2012, I attend my first meeting with what became the YPB.
There we were, a group of young adults all touched by the same disease, needing to find a way to make sense of our losses. We struggled at the beginning navigating the best way to spread awareness – but almost eight years since its inception, the YPB has tripled in size and raises over $100,000 each year with the hope that no one else will ever have a story like ours
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Rolfe Pancreatic Cancer Foundation Young Professionals Board – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
The YPB has grown in ways that I am not sure most of us even imagined would happen. As I lead board meetings now of close to thirty people, I am reminded of our early days where we were lucky to get 10 people at a meeting. Our events now sell out just weeks after tickets go on sale. Our mission of early detection and prevention is being spread by our hundreds of supporters. Why? Because through the darkness of our tragic losses are stories of hope and excitement for all the early detection research the Rolfe Foundation helps to fund. (The Rolfe Foundation funds medical research at leading clinical and academic centers and provides resources for pancreatic cancer patients and their loved ones.)
There are numerous opportunities to contribute to the YPB’s efforts: You can sponsor an event, sit on a committee, sign up to be an Ambassador or apply to join the board itself. If you’re enthusiastic about supporting our efforts, we urge you to reach out and tell us how you’d like to get involved. http://www.rolfefoundation.org/index.php/about-the-young-professionals-board
Coming up on Saturday, July 28, is our sixth annual signature event, the Cruisin’ for a Cure boat party, where we’ll set sail on the luxurious Anita Dee II for an evening on Lake Michigan to enjoy the beautiful sites from the water while supporting the cause of early detection research. Be ready to dust off your dancing shoes, savor a craft cocktail (or two), and commemorate the critical work of the Rolfe Foundation as our live band rocks the boat and fireworks flood the sky. We hope to see you there! http://www.rolfefoundation.org/index.php/events/90
Do you have any closing thoughts?
While many of the YPB members have been personally touched by pancreatic cancer, we also have some incredibly dedicated board members who joined simply because of the importance of this cause. I think that speaks to general comradery and hopeful vision of the YPB. Through our unique events, fundraisers, and word-of-mouth, we regularly welcome new young professionals to our Rolfe Foundation YPB family. That’s exactly what we are, a family who supports each other through our losses while hoping for a better tomorrow. Together, we harness our personal connections to pancreatic cancer and desires to increase awareness while raising money to fund critical early detection research.
Contact Info:
- Address: 4809 North Ravenswood
Suite 326
Chicago, Illinois 60640 - Website: http://www.rolfefoundation.org/index.php/about-the-young-professionals-board
- Phone: 773-989-1108
- Email: YPB@rolfefoundation.org
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/rolfeypb/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RolfeYPB?fref=ts
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/RolfeYPB
- Other: http://www.rolfefoundation.org/index.php/about-the-young-professionals-board
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