David Roesing

We've been doing this thing at the house we call Upfront Night, which is basically a series of lectures that our friends give on topics they're passionate or interested about. Every time we do it the invite list is a huge headache because you basically have to go through all your friends and remember if they've come, or if they'd be interested, or if they're going to be annoyed at being invited to this thing they have no interest in. Every time I do it, I click Lindsay's name and then un-click it because, obviously, she can't attend. But that drive to teach yourself things, to be smart, searching and nerdy, while keeping your dignity, your coolness, your sense of fun and play, those are qualities I associate with Lindsay. Her spirit will always remain as long as we all strive to have events she would want to come to.

Taylor Field

Lindsay inspired me to stop biting my nails. This may seem like total small potatoes compared to running 26.2 miles or climbing a mountain or defeating a dragon. But when you hooked on nail-biting, running a marathon seems easier than stopping to find that perfect little snag to chew on. I'd tried to stop before, but I would last a day or so and then was back at it. It was gross. 

When I was in Chagrin in March - seeing her family and friends and talking about her poise and strength and humor and glow - I started to think about changes I could make to myself to be a better me. Is stopping biting your nails superficial? Maybe. But it had been something I had been trying to do for a long time and never could get the will up to actually do it. Sitting on the plane on the way home, I decided it was time. If Linds could be strong enough to go through everything she did, how pathetic was I that I couldn't even stop chewing on my hands for more than 2 days? And so I stopped. And since that day I have yet to once bite my nails. Ever. And when I get the urge to pick at them, I think about Lindsay and how she would probably say something like "TayFi stop it!" and swat me. So I don't. 

Next mission - marathon running. 

Zak Gebler

This past year, I put on a charity golf outing in Lindsay Ann Rawot's memory. The Swing Fore! Cancer Golf Outing was played in Chagrin Falls, with about 80 golfers participating. We raised nearly $2,500 which was donated to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Events like this are a great way to bring friends and family together while raising money for worthy causes, something I think Lindsay would smile down upon. I look forward to many more years of hosting this outing, with Lindsay's memory as driving force to make the event a charitable success.

Helen Rankin

To Lindsay: Thanks for the New Leaves

Over the past year, whenever I'm feeling restless, I go for a long run and visit Lindsay's tree that Lauren and I planted in New Haven, CT. I happened to visit her tree on the first day of Spring this year, and I'm happy to report that it's growing strong and putting down firm roots. But most of all, it had new, RED leaves (see attached). Ready to begin again... in style. And there it is. That's what Lindsay has taught me this past year. Let me explain:

The thing most experimental scientists can't stand about our job is the relentlessness. Each day we must wake up, go into lab, and deal with the same, continual experimental frustrations in hope of a discovery. But this is precisely where the beauty is. Lindsay taught me this (see rule #14). Every day I get to wake up and begin again. Like putting out new, red leaves in Spring, every day I walk into lab with new questions, new opportunities, new possibilities to begin again. Lindsay doesn't have that luxury. This past year I thought about Lindsay on the days I wanted to leave lab early. I thought about Lindsay when I was ready to give up when the last four experiments failed. And I thought about Lindsay on that day when I discovered something new. Something that could be important to our understanding of how tumors form. Over the past few years, I've been studying JNK signaling-- a pathway known to be involved in tumor formation and growth control. I've made progress understanding how this pathway works, and hopefully I can contribute to our knowledge about cancer to help fight tumors in the future. 

Over the past year, Lindsay has been a constant source of inspiration to begin again... in style. Thank you, Lindsay, for the new leaves.

Kyle Sullivan

In the past year Lindsay has reminded me on a consistent basis of how I want to live the rest of my life because its easy to get wrapped up with other things and forget that we're supposed to enjoy the time we have.

From the Lindsay lessons.

Treat your friends like kings and queens. 

Lindsay has impacted how I view my friendships a great deal. I definitely appreciate having amazing friends more so than ever before. (Chagrin crew, College and DC friends). I can now see that you only get one chance at life, and for some its shorter than others, so you better live it to the fullest. You have to let people know how much they mean to you. And when you're with those people you have to forget about all the worries going on in your life and enjoy the moment because they are truly precious. People will only have so many amazing friendships in their lifetime so enjoy them while you can. There aren't many bonds stronger than friendship so give back to your friends and let them know how you feel. It seems a little dramatic for guys but it is largely done just through actions. I still catch myself losing touch with great friends but when I do, I try my best to let them know what they mean to me. Whether that's through joking around or just seeing what they're up to. I would be nowhere and nobody without my true friends. Lindsay always, always, always made me feel good about myself just by saying that she missed me or how she wanted to hang out asap. This happened a lot during our college years and every time I saw her during summer, thanksgiving or winter break it was like we had seen each other yesterday. When I catch myself not treating my friends like Kings and Queens I try to my best to do so because that's what Lindsay did for me, and for all of her many, many friends.

Embrace life's challenges, no matter how hrad.

I don't think I could ever put into words how Lindsay has influenced me here. No obstacle seems unattainable after seeing not just the challenges Lindsay faced, but the way she handled them. Her strength and will power should be envied by all because I don't know anybody who could have put on a smile the way she did. She didn't want any pity. She just wanted to share in our lives; see where we were, what we were doing, who we were dating and how we were enjoying life. I guess it ties into Lindsay lesson number four because she really just wanted to stay caught up with all of her friends regardless of what she was going through. Every time I think I am facing a tough challenge or I think life is unfair, I remember the confidence and conviction of Lindsay Ann Rawot and I am humbled.

Lauren Wessel

Not I think I can, I know I can

Lindsay was no less than a fireball.  When she put her mind to something, it happened.  She knew exactly what she wanted and she went for it.  She lived life with a sense of urgency that ensured that there would never be a boring moment and with a gusto that convinced us all that we should join in.  And Lindsay was never afraid.   At least, she would never admit it if she was.

In her fearless ambition and in the true spirit of lesson #1, Lindsay has inspired me to set the bar high.

Let me start by saying that Lindsay is in my thoughts everyday and in everything I do.  I simply think of her as part of my life and as a force that makes me better than I would otherwise be.  She is a source of inspiration in my everyday life.

I remember our last conversation like it was last week.  She had recently gotten a bone marrow transplant and finally been released from the hospital.  She said that she would be better by the summertime and she was going to take a whirlwind tour of the whole world, picking her friends up wherever she might find them and dropping them off when she got tired of them.  This was perfect.  I would quit my job, which clearly wasn’t where I should have been, and I would be a tagalong on her tour.  It was set.

Lindsay passed away about two months later, but I wanted to make good on my promise.  I quit my job and I went to Thailand with my brother – I love him, but he wasn’t even a close second to Lindsay.  To be honest, I didn’t make it very far on my own whirlwind tour.  I had to cut it short after falling off of a bike and getting 7 stitches, courtesy of an international health clinic on a small island named Koh Phangan.   I would have been deemed a badass, but she would have tired of my crippled ways quickly and dropped me off at the next airport.  But I did it.

Quitting my job wasn’t just a reckless antic to take a crazy trip.  Quitting my job also took me to medical school.  I had always thought that I would go and wanted to go, but something along the way had stopped me, made me question myself.  Something over the course of the two years of Lindsay’s battle made me forget all of the questions.  I remember in our last conversation telling her that I had gotten into medical school – I was going to be a doctor.  She was so genuinely excited for me, and her excitement then still means the world to me today.  I did it.

Then, there was something that I never thought I would do.  When I got to St. Louis, I questioned a lot of things: why I left New York, why I left my paycheck, why were medical students so weird.  The list was endless (and, fortunately, none of these are standing questions in my mind).   On one of my early runs through Forest Park, which is a public park that Lindsay would undoubtedly love, I decided I needed to set some goals for my year.  On the top of the list was: Join Team in Training.  The fall registration had passed, but I patiently waited for the spring races to open.  I had planned on running a half-marathon thinking, “I’ve only done one before and it’s been awhile, so that will still be really hard.”  When registration rolled around, I decided I would do no less than something I had previously considered to be both ridiculous and impossible.  It was for Lindsay after all, so I signed up for the full marathon.  I raised $5,000 in her honor, and on April 15^th I did it.

I can’t think of a much better way to describe it than Helen has already done. "Lindsay was the kind of person who says, 'yes.'  Yes to life, to love, to possible successes, to possible failures, to adventure, to it all."  Lindsay helps me say “yes” everyday, even when it terrifies me or makes no sense at all.  Because of Lindsay, I no longer think I can, I know I can.  She reminds me of that whenever I’m in doubt.

Erica Knee

Last year I wrote a blog post shortly after Lindsay passed, and I frequently re-read what I wrote and the comments I received when I'm feeling down. ( http://www.ericasweettooth.com/2011/02/stupid-cookies-stupid-cancer.html )  This one comment from Ben, a friend from school, really hits home:

"Erica, I'm so sorry for your loss and what certainly sounds like a loss for all of us who might have one day encountered such a truly inspiring and wonderful woman. Not everyone walks away from such a tragedy with a lesson in hand. I'm so glad, and so impressed, that you have chosen to use your dear friend's memory as a tool to do even better in your life (is that really possible for you?). More so, by so lovingly sharing thoughts on her death, you are inspiring all of us; you are allowing Lindsay to live on... even with people who were not fortunate enough to have known her. I am so sorry for your loss. I hope that time and the memories that you carry in your heart will help ease the pain of this remarkably unfair loss."

Ben certainly has a way with words, and I couldn't agree more with what he had to say - Lindsay truly does live on.  After my recent engagement, I ran into wedding plans full speed, and booked a venue in record-setting time to ensure I had a Saturday in June for the wedding. Little did I know at the time that the date I chose happens to also be the birthday of one of the most incredible people I've ever met. Ryan and I will be getting married June 8, 2013, and I am so happy that this date will always be a celebration of love and happiness in my life, forever connected with Lindsay's memory.  Happy Birthday Lindsay, we love you!!