contact the fuchsia foundation

You can send me an e-mail to Leslie@thinkbrighter.org or give us a call at 410.653.8417.

thanks bunches and bunches

The Fuchsia Foundation would like to thank the following people and organizations that helped us set up this web site and develop our products:

Visionmark Communications for designing and updating this web site and making our Gerber daisy spin into operation. In particular, we’d like to thank Ralph Ringler and Rick Bowman for their artistic talent, cheerfulness, generosity of time and resources, and advice on the design of the site, and for their willingness to update the site rather than throwing us overboard (which we would have understood);

Kat Feuerstein and Gilah Press & Design for great artistic skills and a spirit of collaboration in helping us make the logo and cards a fuchsia dream come true;

Steve Stern and Legal Technology Solutions for hosting this site, through its ups, downs, and even its attempted kidnapping;

Glenn Dellon and Dellon Design for help on the design of the hair donation brochure after I had just donated my hair, and for the many redesigns and help in navigating through the world of non-profits (with great spirit that prevented me from pulling out my hair when it finally returned);

Barry Stelzer Photography for the beautiful photographs on the cards and for those of my family shown on the site; and

The Baltimore Community Foundation, and especially Jamie Caplis and Laurie Crosley who helped the foundation take shape.

Ellen Dunn Jones, Cathy Neuman, Susan Levinson, and Ilene Brave, the original Fuschettes; Harriet Legum, my Fuchsia Fairy Godmother, and Lynn Brull, my personal cheerleader.

I would like to thank all of the people I met or saw who were undergoing treatment in doctors’ offices and hospitals for their companionship, wisdom, courage, and grace, and the following medical personnel who helped me through my own treatment, and have continued to offer me support and guidance in the development of the Fuchsia Foundation:

At Johns Hopkins Hospital:

John H. Fetting, III, M.D., my oncologist and my hero, and the hero of so many people who are having treatment for breast cancer or who have had treatment previously. With quiet sensitivity, he listens to the fears and hopes of many and does the best he can do to allay their fears and bring their hopes for renewed health to reality. His patients and their families know that if the battle is not won it is not because their medical advisor did not provide the best medical care available. That is truly a gift at a time when there are few other certainties. John’s carefully chosen words bring peace to those who need it most in order to live after treatment for cancer. And for those who are unable to survive notwithstanding the best medical care, John’s support and that of his staff help bring a more graceful acceptance of death for his patients and their families;

Kelly Mercer, John Merritt, and Linda Nauman and the fabulous staff of the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Greenspring Station and the Weinberg Building, who did their best to help me and everyone else undergoing treatment to think brighter and feel better even when they had to made us feel sick in order to get well;

Lisa Jacobs, M.D., my breast surgeon and contact on research at Hopkins, who has continued to help me long after the stitches were removed; and physician’s assistant Kyle Terrill who changed the bandages I soaked with defrosted frozen peas that I unsuccessfully substituted for ice my first night home after surgery (not the first or last “I Love Lucy” moment I had);

Lillie Shockney, Head of the Johns Hopkins Breast Center, an amazing resource and the first person to encourage me to cut my hair before treatment, even when I didn’t want to hear that, and her fabulous assistant Deb Stewart, who held my hand and cheered me on when I needed encouragement; and

Cecilia Brennecke, M.D., my radiologist at American Radiology, who gave me both the bad news and the straight story, communicated with compassion and with on-going help on immediate and long-term concerns.

At Mercy Hospital:

Neil Friedman, M.D., my talented breast surgeon, who helps so many women each year; and his great staff who never have an easy day at the office; and

Bernard Chang, M.D., my plastic surgeon, who approaches his work with great compassion, surgical precision, and true artistry; and everyone in his office and operating rooms who made me feel so comfortable over many months, many visits, and many operations, including especially: Cathy Hwang, M.D., Lynn, Meg, Carol, Sonya, and Charlotte.