She Left Us A Great Legacy

Last week, Jody Schroger, passed away from metastatic breast cancer - that's the kind that kills people. Jody was legendary in the breast cancer world. Why? Because she did so much. She helped build the metastatic breast cancer community, on Twitter and elsewhere.

Jody was the kind of person we should all be. Very low key but very strong in her actions. If you google her, you will be surprised on how many places she turns up. That's because she helped found Breast Cancer Social Media.

"The Breast Cancer Social Media (BCSM) community began with a simple question – could the power of social media be utilized to unite, educate, and empower those affected by breast cancer?" 

Two breast cancer patients, one of them Jody, and one doctor set out to answer that question. They have a huge impact on the breast cancer community through their Twitter chats. I am not a Twitter chatterer but I did read through some of them and was impressed with them. (If you search #BCSM on Twitter you will see what I mean.)
I actually met Jody, really met in person, at some event we were both at. Was it a DOD CMRP or a pharma industry meeting? I can't remember. But after the meeting we both ended up in the same terminal at the airport and hung out for a while as we waited for our flights.

It wasn't a significant conversation. We talked about a few issues, chit chatted about being stuck in an airport, as well as coping with cancer and the importance of being active. Then we parted and headed for our respective gates. I had a weird feeling that I would probably never see her again. She left us a great legacy.