Lotte has done it all! She has stuffed envelopes, hand-written thank you notes, peeled hundreds (!) of potatoes, washed as many dishes, cared for mesothelioma patients who have stayed in her home, financially supported the Meso Foundation – all in the name of finding a cure for mesothelioma.
She is not a mesothelioma patient, and nobody in her family is a mesothelioma patient. She doesn’t have any friends with mesothelioma (other than the ones she met through the Foundation), and she may not have ever known about mesothelioma had Mary Hesdorffer (the Foundation’s executive director) not entered her life many years ago. Lotte is Mary’s mother-in-law.
To anyone who has ever worked in the non-profit sector, the notion of family members helping with events and performing office work is not foreign. At the Meso Foundation, too, our family members are as passionate as we are about this important cause and mission, so it’s not surprising that they often donate their time and effort to help us achieve our goals. We are immensely grateful to all of them.
During this past year, Lotte has had health setbacks of her own. Diagnosed with pancreatic cancer about a year ago, she has gone through surgery, a difficult recovery, radiation, chemotherapy, and recently, a recurrence.
A holocaust survivor and a breast cancer survivor, she has been an inspiration to all of us.
During this difficult time, we want Lotte to know that we are so very grateful for her and her contributions, and also simply for her presence.
Stay strong, dear friend!
