Sarah Leopold remembers feeling anxious before her mother’s appointment with Hope’s Boutique, a full-service retail shop catering to women with cancer at the Stefanie Spielman Comprehensive Breast Center.
Her mother, the late Lynn Yoho, an elementary school teacher, had been diagnosed in the summer of 2012 with metastatic breast cancer, for which the only treatment is chemotherapy. Though metastatic breast cancer can be maintained, it is considered incurable, meaning that Yoho would have to receive chemotherapy for the rest of her life.
“My mother understood that she would never have hair again, but she wanted to maintain a sense of dignity throughout the entire process, and losing her hair took a toll on her. The women at Hope’s Boutique were so supportive. They helped her pick out the perfect wig and made her feel beautiful again. That meant so much to me,” says Leopold.
Experiences such as these motivated Leopold to raise funds, more than $6,000, for the Breast Center for playing such a vital role in her mother’s battle with cancer.
As a PhD candidate in speech and hearing science at The Ohio State University, Leopold understands the importance of research funds, but her donation to the Breast Center goes past that.
“We all think about the cure,” she says. “But my mother’s cancer wasn’t curable, and what was important to us was the care she received during her time there. I want other women who are going through similar situations to receive the same level of support. I want them to know that they are still who they are and that they are still beautiful.”When asked what giving back to the Breast Center means to her, Leopold sums it up in one word: gratifying. “I know my mother’s legacy will continue on from all the lives that she touched. I wanted to give back to the place that touched her life,” she says.
Sarah’s mother died on May 27, 2015, three years after beginning her second fight with breast cancer, but she remains in the hearts of her family, her friends and everyone she touched through teaching.
How you can help
Donate Online
Make a gift online or create a fundraising page to help improve the lives of our patients.Donate by Mail
The Wexner Medical Center Development Officec/o The Ohio State University Foundation
P.O. Box 736096
Chicago, IL 60673-6096