A Life Well-Lived and Well-Remembered
Mary Grace with her 3 beautiful children (2004)
Those of my readers who have never driven to Cleveland in February at 6 AM have really missed an interesting sight in a steel town…
I’m referring to sunrise over the steel mills on the East side of 71 as you approach the city. The smoke and flames rising off the stacks… against the stratified tapestry of red and orange as the morning sun peers over the Eastern horizon… is quite a spectacle for early morning eyes!
It was such a beautiful sight, that I chose to partake in all its splendor for eight weeks straight, a total of 40 grand sunrises.
Some of you readers might think, “Yep, Doc Pfister has gone off the deep end.” But in this week’s blog, I decided to be transparent and let you in on a little secret…
The idea for me to witness all of these magnificent sunrises was not my idea, but my oncologist’s! Yes, I had a bout with prostate cancer 7 years ago. Interestingly, three of my dental colleagues and my cousin all were diagnosed with prostate cancer in a six-month period.
Yes, cancer is that damn prevalent. We were the lucky ones - some uncomfortable radiation and chemo - but we lived. Mary Grace was not so fortunate with her breast cancer.
I had the pleasure of working with Mary and Mike Grace, as my staff and I helped their children create their new smiles.
They were a great family to work with. You could just feel their love and warmth that they had for each other and their children. Fitting in multiple orthodontic appointments monthly, along with all the other activities that young people are into, is definitely a daunting task. When Mike or Mary would bring the kids in, I always came away invigorated because just conversing with them was always a positive experience.
As caring individuals, one always felt that it was a blessing having the Graces as friends. You knew you could always count on them. People this loving, kind, and giving… we always think, or at least hope, that they will live forever or at least to a ripe old age. But it was not to be. Mary Grace, a wife and mother of three, passed away on January 8, 2005, after a 2-year battle with breast cancer.
Mike could have shut out the world and taken the kids out-of-state to avoid the memories that every corner in Medina would produce that reminded him of Mary. It was almost a déjà vu of Ryan O’Neal in the 1970 movie, Love Story. But that is not who Mike is and that would not be the tribute that Mike knew he had to create to memorialize Mary and continue her commitment to serving the community that she so dearly loved.
Just a few months after Mary’s passing, Mike created the Mary Grace Memorial Foundation in order to help residents of Medina and Stark counties who were having financial difficulties while going through with cancer treatments.
Wow, how creative could a spouse be toward their fallen soulmate? This kind and heartwarming creation of a foundation that would carry Mary’s name and spread her love and support to others struggling through the emotional and financial hell of cancer therapy… mere words cannot do justice to such love!
The funding for this foundation is from individual contributions and the annual Race with Grace, held in Medina every Fall. And this is where I hope my readers can step up and make this year’s race an over-the-top financial success with your support this Sunday.
This Sunday, September 19th (at Cleveland Clinic - Medina Hospital), the Mary Grace Memorial Foundation will celebrate its seventeenth year of having its Annual Race with Grace.
The format is a 5K race and fun walk that typically draws over 1000 runners and walkers and raises tens of thousands of dollars from sponsors and participants. The start and finish of the run, as well as registration, is located in Cleveland Clinic - Medina Hospital’s parking lot, with the race beginning at 9 AM and the walk following soon after.
The weather is predicted to be amazing, in honor of Mary, so please plan on attending to either run, walk, or socialize with your friends and make a financial donation to help cancer-stricken families in Medina and Stark counties.
I speak with personal experience here - cancer sucks and is a total life changer!
I will tell you straight-up - any support you can get as you go through the roller coaster ups-and-downs of cancer therapy is greatly appreciated more than anyone knows. If you can’t make the race, please go to the Race with Grace website and make a contribution.
Also, if you know anyone going through cancer therapy (or who is about to go through therapy), send them a note, a text, better yet take them out for a ride or dinner. Just spend some time with them to let them know you care. Someday, it could be you needing a friend.
This Sunday, come over to the Hydration Station at the finish line of the race and say hi to my amazing staff and see if I finish the race without life flight or EMS help!
And in the meantime, reflect on the legacy of Mary Grace - a person whose life was well-lived and who, to this day, is well-remembered - as it’s in her memory that so many people gather and support others who battle this terrible thing called cancer.
Sometimes, when something horrible happens, something good comes out the other side.
I think the many families that have benefited from the Mary Grace Memorial Foundation would feel the same.
See you bright-and-early this Sunday,
Dr. Pfister