A Letter from George P. Emerson

Dear Friends:

Dr. Gordon Ginder, Director of VCU’s Massey Cancer Center, and I recently talked about all of the new research and amazing things happening at Massey, and Dr. Ginder made a comment that really struck me. He said that 20 years ago when he diagnosed a patient with aggressive non-Hodgkins lymphoma, he gave the patient two weeks to six months to live; today he cures 60% of patients with aggressive non-Hodgkins lymphoma and the others have a three to seven year survival rate. After that conversation, I thought about how hard those patients 20 years ago fought to stay alive, yet most of them lost their battles with cancer. Hearing those statistics made me more thankful for the people who supported Massey 20 years ago because their financial support paid for the research that helps cure people today, and they gave to Massey even when faced with such grim statistics for themselves.

I know the economy isn’t in any better shape than last year when I wrote to you, but I want you to think about your donation this year and what it will do for the future. Look at your kids and grandkids and know that the money we raise today will help save them and their children 20 years from now. If 20 years of research saved 60% of the patients diagnosed, maybe we can cure 100% of those patients in another 20 years. We cannot do it without your support year after year. This year,with your help, The Highlands-Massey Classic will reach our $1,000,000.00 goal of donations.

Please fill out the enclosed registration form and be as generous as you can. Be bold - make as large a donation as you can. Please reach out to other local businesses and community leaders who may not know about our campaign. Help us spread the word about finding a cure and raise money for Massey! We cannot slow down our fundraising efforts because the economy is down. We cannot slow down our fundraising efforts because we think someone else will help. We cannot slow down because our kids and grandkids depend on us to help find the cure for cancer through our support of VCU-Massey Cancer Center.

As a survivor, I am thankful for all the people who have helped fund cancer research, and I want to thank you for your generous donation and support for our efforts to find a cure.

Thanks,
George P. Emerson