Laura

When you or someone you love hears the word 'cancer', the air is sucked out of the room. Inside your body a door closes, you can hear it, physically feel it. But Laura took that door and opened it. She refused to be intimidated or bullied or destroyed and she wanted to give others the strength to refuse, as well. Fredrick Nietsche said 'If you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.' Cancer is the abyss. What did it see when it gazed into Laura Ziskin? It must have been terrified. Scared shitless, really, by her bravery, courage, utter determination to never blink, never run. Now we have to do the same in her honor. Open the door, look at cancer for the thief it is, and refuse to let it steal any other life, any love. In her name it's the least we can do.
Tribute by Janet Champ (on the SU2C website)