Home: Publications: Forum Archives: MFF Forum, edition 1
Remembering Loved Ones

by Judith Shea, Treasurer, Mycosis Fungoides Foundation

Memories are a source of strength when we lose a loved one. When touched by their death, many of us search for a way to make their memory last forever. When my husband died in 1996, I had two goals: to find a way to help others affected by MF and to honor his life by finding a way to create a lasting memory.

When friends and relatives offered their kind support, I asked if they would consider contributing to a memorial fund that could be used in some way to help others with MF. This money was set aside until that opportunity became known. In 1998, this money was used as the seed money to assist in starting the Mycosis Fungoides Foundation. Since then, each time an opportunity arises to give a gift as a memorial in someone's name or even just my birthday gift (I don't need anything else to dust!), I ask that they send it to the Foundation.

I can't tell you how much knowing that other patients with MF and other CTCL diseases benefit from the information and support that is now available through the Foundation has helped me. Each time I read about or hear from someone who has found the Foundation, I put a smile on my face and think about how far we have come in only a few short years.

There are many projects that the Mycosis Fungoides Foundation would like to complete and these can be done in the memory of someone you love. Or you can create your own memorial fund and donate it to the general fund of the Foundation. If you have the need or an opportunity to direct memorials for anyone in your family, would you think about how much of a difference any amount can make? If your employer matches funds donated to non-profit organizations, please be sure to make a request. From little acorns, big and strong oaks grow.

In Loving Memory of Lee Allen Cohen 1926-1996.