A tribute to Laura Ziskin
I send my deepest condolences to Laura's family for their loss.I was privileged to have the opportunity to know Laura through her extraordinary work for Stand Up to Cancer. Her courage, hope and vision were truly inspirational. Every time I interacted with Laura I was struck afresh with how remarkable she was, in so many ways: her heart in embracing all cancer sufferers, her intelligence that she trained on creating solutions, and the insights with which she transformed her own cancer into a bold, selfless vision for all cancer patients.
Laura's work and inspiration will surely live on, as she will in all our hearts.
Elizabeth Blackburn
AACR Past-President
Laura Ziskin Family
% Margaret Foti, PhD, MD (hc)
Chief Executive Officer
American Association for Cancer Research
615 Chestnut Street -17th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19106
Dear Ziskin Family,
Please accept my deepest condolences on behalf of myself arid all the members of our SU2C PI3K Dream Team.
Laura wanted to change the culture of cancer research with the concept of the Dream Teamsand she did it. The model that she and her co-founders of SU2C established is not only accelerating research, but also setting a new paradigm for collaborative research that is likely to be emulated by other organizations worldwide.
Sincerely,
Lewis C. Cantley
To Laura's family, friends and supporters,
I was the President of the American Association of Cancer Research when I first interacted with Laura and the whole SU2C team. This group of women had just formed under the big idea that they would initiate an activist movement to step up the war on cancer. In those early days, we didn't know if they were brilliant or crazy" we only knew that that they were unwavering in their determination to attack this giant problem with a giant solution. The moment I first met Laura, I knew immediately that she was going to have a major impact on cancer research. She was so driven and so tenacious that she left no doubt she was going to succeed. And, in many ways, she humbled me. For example, she approached me with the idea of naming the effort "Stand Up to Cancer." I couldn't imagine what she had in mind and tried to offer alternatives and suggested other tag lines. She knew right away, however, that this was a workable concept and the public would respond to it, because people could feel like they were personally taking action against a killer disease. Obviously, she had already pictured the image of Hollywood icons and other celebrities standing up to cancer on screen, and the emotional response generated by that image. Laura had phenomenal skills and a sixth sense about what makes people care and what makes people act when they begin to care. She was extremely dedicated to the SU2C movement. I will miss her greatly, but her efforts have already begun to change mankind by improving the lives and the chances of thousands of future cancer patients.
Every day we cancer researchers push hard against this disease. Laura made us push harder. She forced us to match our energy against hers -- and that was no small feat.
My thoughts and prayers go out to her family, friends and supporters. I "Stand Up" in recognition of a remarkable woman.
With my sincerest condolences,
Ray DuBois
To Alvin, Julia, and all Family members and loved ones of Laura Ziskin,
I want to express my heartfelt condolences on Laura's sad and untimely death. She was an extraordinary woman, visionary leader, colleague, and friend. I will never forget my time with her. I feel very honored and lucky to have known her and to have been inspired by her over the past four years. I miss her very much and all of us at the American Association for Cancer Research grieve the loss of this extraordinary woman.
Laura was amazing – a strong force for positive change in the cancer field. She was passionate, assertive, thought-provoking, and funny – frequently all at the same time. I always wanted to be around Laura so that I could hear her next idea, her next story, and her vision for Stand Up to Cancer's future impact. Laura was always feisty, and we all liked that about her. It was always good to see that in her because it meant that she was feeling well that day, and that was comforting to us.
She called herself the "impatient patient" – an expression I had never heard before. She was angry that the country – indeed, the world – is not doing more to fight this terrible disease that she described as equivalent to the devastation of a 9/11 every other day.
Laura learned everything she could about cancer research, and the expertise that she acquired was evident and very impressive. I used to tease her about becoming and talking like a scientist. She liked that. She knew that the more she learned about the scientific method, the more she could be effective as an advocate for cancer research. When we had meetings with scientists, she always asked the most profound questions that showed a lot of insight. Invariably she would very quickly go to the center of the issue or problem being discussed. She had strong opinions about many cancer-related areas. Occasionally she wasn't correct in her assumptions about a particular aspect of science, but more often than not, she was correct. When she talked, everyone in the room – even the most expert of scientists – listened to her because of her passion, wisdom, and brilliance. The respect for Laura was always palpable. One of the very special things about Laura was that even in the face of adversity, of serious and almost constant pain from her disease, she still worked every day in her own unique way to help make advances against cancer. She never gave up, and that amazing spirit will always remain with me as I conduct my own work at the American Association for Cancer Research and for Stand Up to Cancer.
Laura was imbued with a sense of great urgency not only perhaps because she felt that her own time was limited, but also because she understood all too well that so many other lives are at stake and there is no time to waste. Many scientists have written about how she has changed their thinking about their scientific programs. Because of her, they will always have the patient in the center of their minds when they approach their research programs and always be reminded of the fact that cancer must be conquered as soon as is humanly possible.
Laura's legacy is evident and tangible in the remarkable translational research being conducted through funds from Stand Up to Cancer and in new treatments being developed that will help countless people. She used every weapon in her arsenal to empower scientists to succeed. She implored them to work harder to contribute more on an individual basis, and also to collaborate with others to amplify the impact of their research projects. Because of the influence she had on them, they had a deeper belief in their own ability to do something really quite profound, and this is making a difference very rapidly in the results of their projects. When the scientists were in her company, they became supercharged to go back to their home institutions, ready to take on the next set of challenges posed by this complex disease. Many scientists have written the most poignant letters about their encounters with Laura, and I truly believe that they will be changed forever because of her confidence in them and the fact that they have known her.
A couple of years ago, Laura was a keynote speaker at an event at the AACR annual meeting. She described how she, as a producer in the film industry, could write the best ending of the movie – the boy got the girl, the villain was caught, Spiderman defeated the enemy, the world was saved. She talked so profoundly about how she wished she could write the best ending of the story of cancer where the patient is always cured and could get on with a great life filled with joy and happiness. Sadly, this ending was not to be for Laura.
We wish so much that we still had Laura in our midst to boldly and courageously push us forward, to oil our wheels, to give us encouragement, and even to give us a lecture about how we need to move faster against cancer. Her unique and special personality enabled her to amplify the message that if we all stand up together against cancer, we can beat it. Watching her, you could not help but be inspired to be a part of extraordinary Stand Up to Cancer movement and take action.
The world is a better place for having had Laura in it. Her light will shine brightly as the achievements in cancer science and medicine which she hoped for so much are realized. We owe a great debt of gratitude to Laura for reminding us that when it comes to conquering cancer, our reach should always exceed our grasp. We will forge ahead to pave the way in her name.
With love and respect,
Marge
Margaret Foti, Ph.D., M.D. (h.c.)
Chief Executive Officer
American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)
I was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Laura Ziskin. Her passion for cancer research was unmatched and her visionary leadership was a source of inspiration for cancer researchers and countless other individuals who are committed to the advancement of team science for the eradication of cancer.
As one of the co-founders of SU2C, Laura spearheaded a massive fund raising effort to establish an outstanding team science research program that continues to gain momentum. Her efforts have already had a far-reaching and profound influence on the way we approach cancer research, and it is my hope that we will sustain what Laura has built.
Laura was one of the most courageous and innovative individuals I have known; she will be remembered for her compassion and determination to make a difference for the benefit of cancer patients throughout the world.
My condolences to Laura's fami ly on their tremendous loss.
Sincerely,
Waun Ki Hong, M.D.
To the friends and relatives of Laura Ziskin,
This is so sad! Even though I only met Laura once a few months ago in Orlando, she is my heroine and someone I have always admired. Her dedication on cancer research and her passion to help people to fight this deadly disease influenced many cancer researchers like me. I believe that we will be able to eventually cure cancer due in large part to courageous people like Laura who have never been afraid to stand up to cancer.
Thank you, Laura, for your brave spirit which will always encourage me to fight and become victorious over this deadly enemy. We will miss you.
With Deepest Sympathy,
Mei Kong, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor,
Recipient of the SU2C 2011 IRG
To the Ziskin family:
No one needs to tell you how remarkable Laura was. You know better than any of us. However, it is important to me to convey to you how profound her impact has been on me and on so many of us who fight cancer in research laboratories every day. Laura's impact will continue to be felt for generations to come as we honor her life and her memory through the work of Stand Up to Cancer.
Laura was an inspiration and an amazing force. She challenged us to always strive to exceed our own wildest hopes and expectations and to never lose sight of who we were working for and why. She challenged dogma and culture and forced us to break down barriers that limited communication and progress. Most importantly she led by example and reminded us every day that, "The patient is the ultimate lab." Cancer research is progressing at a pace like never before and there is a real sense of optimism that with continued hard work and collaboration we will see Laura's dream realized. All of us involved with SU2C will honor her memory by continuing the work that she started.
Thank you for sharing your Laura with the world. She enriched all our lives beyond measure with her movies and, for those of us who were fortunate to get to know her through SU2C, with her passion and her steadfast refusal to accept the status quo. We have lost a true hero and she will be missed more than any words can say.
With my most sincere sympathy,
Elizabeth R. Lawlor MD, PhD
Stand Up to Cancer Innovative Research Grant Awardee, 2009
Associate Professor,
Departments of Pediatrics and Pathology
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Dear family and friends of Laura Ziskin:
While there is nothing I can say that will ease your loss, I wanted you to know that I am grieving and thinking of you all. Laura was such a special person that no words are adequate.
As a recent awardee of Innovative Research Grant from Stand Up to Cancer, I started to benefit from Laura's effort. Stand Up To Cancer is different from any other grant. The review process is fast (three rounds of selection were done in months instead of years), the fund kicked in a few weeks later, and the mentoring networking is unheard of. In Orlando, when I first met Laura at the awarding ceremony two months ago, I was shocked to see that the person who started this organization and drove the incredible international efforts' against cancer was in her late stage breast cancer. Despite the obvious toll cancer has made on her physically, she delivered a powerful speech that motivated all of us. She fought her own battle fearlessly. At the same time, she led the fight against cancer for the whole homo sapiens.
Laura is an inspiration not only to cancer patients, but to us cancer researchers as well. Together, we can stand up to cancer and make cancer history!
With love and sympathy,
Hui Li
Assistant Professor of Pathology in the Cancer Center
University of Virginia
Dear Alvin and Julia,
I am so sorry for your enormous loss. The news of Laura's passing is truly a blow to the cancer research community. I came to hear of Laura's work through SU2C's granting program, not through her equally laudable film and entertainment work. Through my colleagues here at UCLA, I learned of her incredible fight, personal and public, against breast cancer. I finally had the pleasure of meeting Laura at the AACR conference in Florida and the MLB meeting in NYC this year. Her warmth and passion left an indelible mark in my life. I was warmly welcomed into the SU2C family but now am saddened for not being able to know her better (directly).
Laura, through her work in galvanizing the cancer research community and starting a powerful grass-root movement that sees no end, has quite simply transformed the lives of many, scientists, physicians and cancer patients and their families and friends alike. I am indebted to her courage and will pay back in this heart-felt debt through my best effort to understand and cure melanoma.
Sincerely,
Roger Lo, M.D., Ph.D.
Director, Melanoma Clinic in Dermatology
Member, JCCC Cancer Cell Biology Program Area
Laura tackled and overcame one of the biggest obstacles in cancer research - collaboration. Before she made it her cause, science, all too frequently, was done in isolated pockets...she recognized the need for researchers to exchange ideas and concepts and share their progresses and their failures. Her DREAM TEAMS amalgamated disparate personalities and approaches into an interactive team. She will always be remembered for giving Cancer Research a new face.
Sincerely,
Gordon B. Mills MD PhD
Chair and Professor
Systems Biology
Director Institute for Personalized Cancer Therapy
Director Kleberg Center for Molecular Markers
Dear Ziskin Family,
My heart was filled with heavy sadness when I heard the news about Laura. Although I only met her a few times at SU2C-AACR events, all of the meetings were unforgettable. Her determination and energy to shake things up in cancer research have already left an indelible mark on the way cancer research is now conducted. I and I'm sure others will never forget her mantra that "Culture eats strategy for lunch."
I wanted to express my deepest gratitude for her support and advocacy for cancer research and for SU2C in particular. As a recipient of the Innovative Research Grant Award in 2009, I have been personally touched by Laura and the organization that she founded. It is unfortunate that she will not be able to personally see the fruits of her labors. Her work will endure, and her legacy will hopefully help thousands of other patients.
My sincerest condolences,
William Pao, MD, PhD
Associate Professor of Medicine
Ingram Associate Professor of Cancer Research
Director, Personalized Cancer Medicine
To the Family of Laura Ziskin and the extended SU2C family,
I would like to express my deepest condolences and share how Laura inspired me. I met Laura at the 2011 annual AACR meeting and her words were powerfully inspiring. Laura's warm welcoming of me to the SU2C family gave me a true sense of belonging.
I was originally trained in mathematics and I spent most of the past 20 years in the pinnacle of the ivory tower, dealing with purely abstract questions focused on biological networks. I lost my own mother to a brutal fight with ovarian cancer, and this drove me to attempt some research with relevance to cancer. My initial attempts worked surprisingly well and I shifted part of my lab towards cancer and more practical issues.
The two days I spent at the AACR meeting, listening to Laura and speaking with Laura, had a profound impact on me; I left that meeting completely changed. I realized that while my work had a slightly more practical spin, I was still dwelling in the ivory tower that trained me. I was not doing nearly enough and not urgently enough and I felt that I must become even more committed to research that can have immediate tangible impact on patient lives. After returning from the AACR meeting, I shared this view with my lab and made sweeping changes in the lab's research agenda, refocusing our research efforts on more practical problems.
Laura's words and charisma had a profound impact on the work we do in my lab. I decided that while I am very passionate about the elegant ivory tower questions that have driven my research for so many years, these can wait, patients can not. I left the meeting with the conviction that in the next few years I am going to dedicate every bit of my intellectual efforts towards cancer and personalized treatment in the most practical sense. During the AACR meeting, Laura inspired me to make this change.
Laura's memory lives on in the people she inspired and the impact she has made. My heart goes out to all who loved her.
Dana Pe'er
Assistant Professor
Department of Biological Sciences
Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics
Columbia University
Dear Laura, Do you realize what you've done?
You've changed the way that cancer research is approached by many of the top scientists. And the movement is spreading. I've spent many hours trying to figure out how you and the SU2C team did it. SU2C appeared like a lightning bolt, and things changed. Scientists changed, the research environment changed and the public's expectations changed. Your exhortations, prodding, pushing and encouragement made a difference. A big difference. The collaborative and synergistic Dream Team and Innovative Research Grant structures that you and the SU2C team established have facilitated science moving forward faster than ever before. New therapies have gotten into patients faster than before. Lives have been saved. But, alas, not your own.
I simply want you to know that you've made a difference, most unlike the incremental differences that have been made previously. In addition to all of the differences above, you made a difference to me. I met you only fifteen months ago at the first gathering of the SU2C scientists at the AACR meeting. Dr. Bill Nelson, the scientist leading the round-table discussion said "And now I'm going to hand the microphone over to Laura Ziskin". I thought, "Who's that?" But then you spoke. You brought a new perspective to our approaches. I still remember the mantra that you put forth, "Culture eats strategy for lunch". For thirty minutes, I sat there thinking about it. I thought about it that night, that week and many times since. And I've gotten to experience it as I've become immersed in the culture of SU2C. Simply put, you've changed the way that I approach cancer research. And, as you heard at the 2011 AACR meeting, funding from SU2C has facilitated substantial achievements in my lab and we're now preparing to launch a clinical trial for children suffering from the lethal cancers we study.
Lastly, Laura, I want to let you know the personal mark you've left on me. From our conversations at AACR 2010, to the telethon, to AACR 2011, to just last month at the MLB owners meeting, each time I talked with you I came away feeling inspired. Inspired by your revolutionary approach, your intense dedication, your intolerance for the status quo and your enthusiasm. But mostly I was inspired by you as a person. In fifteen months I learned so much from you, including what a major difference one person can make. I miss you very much.
With thanks and love,
Charles W. M. Roberts
Remembering Laura Ziskin
I will always remember Laura as I watched her at the end of the telethon in 2010. As we entered the broadcast building, Laura was everywhere greeting people who would be on the stage and attending to support SU2C. Subsequently as the hour unfolded, she was in constant motion circling from the back of the stage to the control station in the middle of the audience. However, the striking sight was at the end as the show was closing. The music was rocking the crowd was clapping and Laura was dancing alone in the aisle. It was a very free dance of happiness and release. She had just done something very important, producing an hour of exciting TV that communicated the passion and promise of cancer research. She had just helped everyone struggling with this disease by giving them hope and the knowledge that someone cared. Through her caring for others, she knew that she would live forever.
Phillip A. Sharp
Institute Professor
Kock Institute for Integrative Research
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
To the Family and Friends of Laura Ziskin:
Laura was an inspiration to me and I felt close to her for a number of reasons but perhaps foremost because she was another Laura with another form of cancer. I will always remember the panel that we were on together along with Elizabeth Edwards and Carly Fiorina at the Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit in 2009. She was passionate, incensed, funny, pushy, thought provoking - and I remember thinking to myself, Laura Ziskin is a truly remarkable woman. However, I did not know Laura because of her movies, her Oscars, her Hollywood fame; I remember thinking Laura is remarkable because she is transforming the way we think about cancer research, cancer collaboration and cancer cures. It was no longer ok for research to not have the patient in mind, no longer ok for our work to be sole efforts; mostly, it was no longer ok for cures to be for the future. Everyone associated with Stand Up 2 Cancer, the American Association for Cancer Research, the Dream Teams, the Scientific Advisory Committee, we wanted to work hard every day so Laura would have HER cure. That is how much she inspired us. When we last e-mailed each other, she still had her sense of humor saying that she was "the SU2C guinea pig and still on the right side of the dirt!" Laura's loss will continue to inspire me to fulfill her dream.
We always want our great leaders to be immortal and surely this is Laura because of all of us that she has touched, inspired and motivated and for all the cancer patients that have THEIR cure as a result of her being "In The Fight."
With love and gratitude,
Laura Shawver,
PhD Stand Up 2 Cancer Scientific Advisory Committee member
I am a pediatric oncologist. Our patients are all special, but there are those that strike a cord that rings somewhere in the depths of the soul. She was only three when I met her – big brown eyes peered from a porcelain face partially hidden beneath the covers. She ignored me on that first encounter and the second and even the third. But over time, we were united by a deep bond as we fought together against a dreadful disease that had already metastasized widely. We celebrated the victories and enjoyed the sweetness of each day, numbered though they were. She knew even before I did when the time was very near. I can remember her last day in the clinic as vividly as yesterday. Generally a reserved child, she hugged everyone. She asked that I carry her out to her car in the hospital lot where I placed her gently in her car seat. She still had not made the 40 pound milestone to graduate to a booster seat. She hugged me, kissed me, and we lingered, neither of us wanting to depart.
From then on, I visited her at her home. We were playing with her toys, and in a moment of silence she said, "You know Dr. Kim, I am going to visit my grandmother before my mommy and daddy."
"Do you think so?" I asked.
"Will you always love me? Will you always remember me?" She inquired. "Yes," I said, struggling unsuccessfully to hold back the tears "I will always love you. I will always, always remember you,"
"Let's make macaroni and cheese," she said.
So we did. It was the last time that I saw her. She was only six.
These moments, these children, their courage...they all leave one forever changed...just as Laura has left so many forever changed. Laura brought to bear a passion, an extraordinary energy, and a vision which has transformed the face of cancer research. She has moved the cancer crisis to the front-page of awareness, fostered collaboration amongst researchers, and given hope to those battling cancer. Her legacy provides not only hope but power to change the course of the lives of cancer patients.
On a very personal level, as an SU2C Innovative Research Grant recipient, Laura has given me the invaluable opportunity to pursue a high-risk, potentially high-reward project to address an important challenge in cancer therapy discovery. She has instilled me with a greater confidence that answers are there and that we WILL find them. Moreover, she has welcomed me into a new family – a broad community of advocates and researchers united in this fight.
The notion that scientific discovery is a slow process is unacceptable in the face of the death of a 6 year old child and a 61 year old woman. Laura's efforts through SU2C have not only challenged this notion but empowered us in the research community to overcome this fundamental belief. Laura's message has been heard and will have a lasting impact on all whom her life has touched.
We will remain united in this fight. And we will succeed...for my six year old patient, for the countless number of people afflicted by cancer, and, for Laura.
In Sympathy,
Kimberly Stegmaier, MD
SU2C IRG Recipient
Dear Ziskin Family,
Soon after our team was told that we were one of the five Dream Teams selected by the Stand up to Cancer, we attended the first official SU2C get-together in LA. Each one of us made very brief comments during dinner. My comments were along the lines of being the only engineer among the dream team members and that engineers are really good at solving problems much of the time despite lack of full understanding of biology or physics. I made the point that scientists have always been very driven to carefully understand every little component of cancer one at a time and this might be one of the many reasons for slow progress in our fight against this deadly disease. I applauded Laura's vision behind SU2C to bring multi-institutional top-notch teams to work together with a focused goal to deliver clinical progress within 3 years. A rather bold and visionary goal! One that can only Laura come up with and then put it into implementation. This vision is in contrast with the approach undertaken by most pharmaceutical companies and federal government, which failed in many regards despite tens of billions of dollars and decades of research on the topic. Little I knew my words would resonate so much with Laura that I would have the great fortune to exchange ideas on this and a number of other topics with her in multiple follow-up occasions. Still small in number and duration, these conversations exposed me to Laura's passion for life, her relentless commitment to eradicate cancer, her ultimate professionalism even on the face of nearing death, and her innate ability to get the best out of everyone. She has had and will continue to have lasting impression on me personally and professionally. I am a more accomplished scientist, a better person, and a happier person for knowing her.
"Only when you drink from the river of
silence shall you indeed sing.
And when you have reached the moun-
tain top, then you shall begin to climb.
And when the earth shall claim your
limbs, then shall you truly dance."
Kahlil Gibran
With my best wishes to the Ziskin Family!
Mehmet Toner, Ph.D.
Helen Andrus Benedict Professor of Biomedical Engineering
To the Family and Friends of Laura Ziskin,
It is with deep sadness that I extend my condolences to you and the entire SU2C family on the passing of our visionary, Laura Ziskin, an inimitable powerhouse who created a worldwide cancer movement that will persist until the last cancer cure. As a 2009 Innovative Research Grant recipient, I had the honor of meeting Laura in person for the first time this past year. I witnessed a resilient ring- leader with unwavering commitment to new cancer cures, adamant that together we could achieve a cancer-free tomorrow. With boundless energy and hope, and the appropriate sense of urgency, she connected celebrities and scientists – people from two different worlds – in common purpose to raise both the funds and profound awareness that has enabled us to redouble our research efforts through communication, collaboration, and bold action. Now, with laser focus and unbridled tenacity, this international movement will fuel Laura's SU2C legacy so that our parents, siblings, spouses, children, and all those we hold so dear can reclaim the quantity and quality of life imperiled by cancer.
Please know that we stand with you during this difficult time and will continue Laura's fight in our research laboratories, clinics and hospitals each and every day.
With deepest sympathy,
Loren D. Walensky, M.D., Ph.D.
Dearest Family of Laura Ziskin,
I was only able to meet Laura for the first and last time in April of this year, at Orlando, Florida during the MCR meeting, after learning that I had received the SU2C IRG award. Several memories from that meeting made a tremendous impression on me. First, I was struck by Laura herself: her indomitable spirit - so engaged, so passionate, so about getting-it-done, such presence. Second, I was amazed at the fantastic circle of investigators she had managed to assemble together, and the dialogue that was created among them, joined by the SU2C program. Finally, I was (and continue to be) filled with a sense of gratitude to Laura and SU2C for believing the work that I do, and providing support during these days when funding for science is challenging. For sure, Laura's spirit and her mission will have lasting impact on the work that I do. I will do my very best to fulfill the goals that I set forth to SU2C.
With sadness, but also hope and gratitude.
Catherine J. Wu, MD
SU2C IRG award recipient 2011
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Harvard Medical School
