February 17, 2005
PROGRAM
FEATURES............
February 10 - What a great day we had
today. Stratford Rotary had its Valentine special today with 30 spouses or
guests joining us. The tables were festive and Charlie presented every lady a
long stemmed red rose. The food and fellowship were terrific. The highlight of
our day was our speaker. Our own Kathy Acton and her husband, Jerry Smith,
brought us a moving message today about strength, courage, friendship, and the
love and support of family. Kathy and Jerry took us down the road of events in
the days leading up to the death of their son Kent Welch. They talked about the
remarkable support they received and how God sent different people at different
times to ease their way. The most moving message was the letter from one of the
doctors who related the message about how many people had benefited from Kent
being an organ donor. Thank you Kathy and Jerry for your amazing strength and
courage to share your story with us.
February 17 - Today, Dr. Mike Robbins from WFUBMC Brain Tumor Center
of Excellence was our speaker. Dr. Robbins talked about his brain tumor research
and how important it is. It was very fascinating to hear what all is involved
in his research and how long it takes to see results. He and his wife came
to the states in 2001 because there was no funding for his research in England.
He and his wife so believed in his research that they were willing to come
to this country. Dr. Robbins' wife had suffered from breast cancer in the
past. After coming to this country, her breast cancer returned and went to
the brain and she died January 10, 2005. Most people who have cancer do not
die from the cancer's primary site. The cancer travels to a secondary site
and that is what kills them. So much of the time the secondary site is the
brain. Dr. Robbins said his wife was his strength and his motivation, so for
her he must keep trying. Thank you Dr. Robbins for sharing your inspiration
and your work with us. We also thank you for all your time and research. We
never know when your research may save one of us or one of our loved ones.
After the meeting Charlie received the following
letter:
Dear Charlie,
I wanted to thank you for giving me the
opportunity to highlight some of the cancer research activities ongoing in my
laboratory. Cancer is a terrible disease that impacts virtually all of us in one
way or another, involving both physical and emotional stress. However, it is
also an incredibly rewarding field of work to be in, and one that represents a
unique challenge and opportunity.
I very much enjoyed the excellent lunch,
and above all the chance to be able to share my thoughts and passion about the
need of the Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Winston-Salem community to
understand each others problems, concerns and willingness to serve our loved
ones.
Best wishes
Mike
Mike Robbins Ph.D.
Professor and Section Head, Radiation
Biology
Department of Radiation Oncology
Wake Forest University School of
Medicine
Medical Center Blvd
Winston-Salem, NC 27157
CONGRATULATIONS:
Happy Birthday:
Frank Spence 2-08
Robert
Nichols 2-10
Kathy Acton 2-11
Joe Potter 2-17
Sandra Mitchell
2-18
Tom Battle 2-19
Tom Griffin 2-20
George Fleetwood 2-21
Bill
Porter 2-21
Jennifer Foster 2-24
Randy Skidmore 2-28
Makeups...
Winston-Salem: (2-01) Doug Leckie: (2-08) Rick Amme,
Roane Cross, Doug Leckie, Guy Rudisill:
Reynolda: (2-04)
Rick Amme, Roane Cross, Bob Harrell, Dayle Phillips: (2-11) Rick
Amme, Roane Cross, Gary Fleming, Tom Gatewood, Bob Harrell,, Guy Rudisill:
(2-18) Roane Cross, Tom Gatewood, Dayle
Phillips:
Clemmons: