Stand Up To Cancer

To our friends at Stand Up To Cancer:

Thank you for everything you are doing to fight cancer. Your vision of a collaborative and results-driven approach is the most compelling and inspiring I have ever heard. "We are now competing against the disease, instead of against each other." Brilliant.

John Moores, Jeff Moorad and I, along with the entire Padres organization, are honored to be associated with SU2C, and we're very excited about all of the activities to support the effort. Our executive team members Laura Broderick and Sue Botos have been working hard with many other members of the Padres organization to make sure we maximize the opportunity to raise money and awareness for SU2C. As you may know, one of the Padres family, Dave Roberts, was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma in March. Dave and his wife Tricia are an inspiration to all of us at the Padres. Their determination and positive attitudes have affected us all.

I also wanted to share a personal story. My cousin Barb Leger is a 42-year-old married mother of two teenagers. She's like a sister to me. Barb was diagnosed with stage 4 squamous cell cancer in September of 2007. She was told that she had "months" to live. After 16 rounds of chemo and 5 rounds of radiation, Barb has now made it thirty-one of those "months." Unfortunately, after responding negatively to a recent round of chemo, she was hospitalized, unable to speak or see. Thankfully, she woke up on Mother's Day, and was able to say hello to her husband and two kids, her parents, my mom, and my sister. She will keep fighting and surprising her doctors.

Barb's name and Dave and Tricia Roberts' names will be among the thousands of names on the outfield wall at Petco Park when it becomes a tribute to the many people and families that have been affected by cancer. It will also be a tribute to Major League Baseball and how Commissioner Selig led the way for us to get involved. Mostly, it will be a tribute to you, your vision, and your efforts to make a difference and fight this disease in a tangible way.

I look forward to the launch of our association in San Diego.

Best,
Tom

Tom Garfinkel
President
San Diego Padres