Jennifer Goodman Linn You Fearless

Fearless Lisa (aka Team FabuLisa) – posted by Dave Linn

Hi everyone, it’s Dave here. I know I haven’t posted in a while, but something happened this week that compelled me to write.

From the first minute I met Lisa Gallup and her brother Barry, I knew she was a superstar.  I don’t say this about very many people, but Lisa had many of the same qualities that drew people to Jen – an incredibly positive outlook, beautiful smile, and the rare ability to live life to the fullest no matter the challenges thrown at her.  In short, Lisa was Fearless.

That makes it all the more difficult for me to come to grips with the fact that Lisa died this week at the far too young age of 26.  She will be missed greatly by me and by so many others who called her a friend.

For those who unfortunately didn’t have the pleasure of knowing Lisa, I’ll paint you a quick picture from the past year.  Lisa was working full-time as an overnight nurse in the Intensive Care Unit at NY Presbyterian Hospital.  In her spare time, she completed the NYC Half Marathon and the Boston Triathlon, and she was a key contributor on both the NY and Boston organizing committees for Cycle for Survival.  Oh, and did I forget to mention that she did all this while undergoing toxic chemo and radiation treatments for a rare type of cancer?  As Jen used to say, Lisa had cancer, but cancer definitely did not have her.

My heart goes out to Lisa’s entire family, particularly her incredible brother Barry.  He was Lisa’s biggest cheerleader and her biggest protector, sometimes even in the same sentence.  It was a beautiful thing to see.

Barry was with Lisa every step of the way for all the ups and downs of her battle with cancer.  For that, he has my lifelong admiration and respect as I personally know how difficult that can be.  And I wonder, how many of all of us would be there in that same way for our own brother or sister?

As some of you know, I’ve been traveling around the country the last couple months to spread the word about Cycle for Survival.  In the time I spend with patients and their friends and families, we often find ourselves talking about a topic that I feel particularly passionate about -- we might not have control over the challenges thrown at us, but we do have a choice in how we react to those challenges. 

Please take a deep breath, let that sink in, and think about it for a moment.  Whether it’s a health issue or something else in our personal or professional lives, we all face difficult challenges that present us with a choice in how we react.  Lisa’s choice was to live life to the fullest and make the most of every day.  Her death has hit me hard, but my choice is to work tirelessly to make sure others don’t suffer like Jen and Lisa.  And how about all of you out there….what will your choice be?

- Dave Linn

Please free to comment directly on the youfearless blog, on Facebook, or to call/email me anytime.  I included the funeral details below for those who are interested. 

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Lisa Ann Gallup (26) from New York City, formerly of Wellesley, MA

A Funeral Service will be held on Sat Dec 22 at 1:00PM at the Wellesley Congregational (Village) Church, 2 Central Street, Wellesley MA 02482. Relatives and friends kindly invited. Visiting hours omitted. Following the Service a private burial will be held at Woodlawn Cemetery, Wellesley. Donations can be made to "Cycle for Survival - Team FabuLisa" at www.cycleforsurvival.org or MSKCC, 633 Third Avenue, Floor 28, New York, NY 10017.