A LETTER FROM LARA

Share Your Care

By LARA A. KALAFATIS, CHAIR | PHILANTHROPY INSTITUTE

Photo: Stephen Travarca

“My hope for the future in healthcare is a cure for MS!”
— Deborah K.

“A cure for all pediatric cancers — so that no child should have to fight, let alone lose his/her life to, cancer.”
— Kim M.

“Wellness for all! No more disease!”
— Bonnie G.

Those are just a few of the aspirations that we’ve received in response to the prompt “My hope for the future of healthcare is…” on the official website of Cleveland Clinic’s centennial. We’re looking back on 100 years of lifesaving and game-changing advances. We’re looking forward to the discoveries and innovations that the next century will bring. And we’re looking to you to share your care today.
 

Has Cleveland Clinic had an impact on your life or the life of a loved one? Are you passionate about a particular cause? Do you want to be a force for positive change going forward? This is your chance to add your voice to a collective effort to reimagine the shape of things to come.

Your hopes will guide us as we continue to lead the transformation of healthcare for our communities, our nation and our world. And these dreams will become part of a special digital time capsule to be opened 100 years from now.

What’s more, for every care shared, a generous supporter will make a donation to Cleveland Clinic’s Power of Every One Centennial Campaign, further accelerating the pace of progress. Consider it an investment in crowdsourced inspiration!

When I walk along the sunlit skyways that connect the clinical buildings, research facilities and education spaces across our bustling main campus, I often get the unmistakable feeling that the future is right around the corner.

I think you’ll know what I mean when you read the cover story in this issue of Cleveland Clinic Magazine. It’s about the promise of regenerative medicine and how leading-edge cell therapies are bringing hope and healing to patients with all kinds of diseases, from cancer to multiple sclerosis. “With regenerative medicine, we’re entering a new era where we’re using these cellular therapeutics to change the way we think about disease and the way we treat disease,” says Amy Lightner, MD, FACS, a colorectal surgeon and researcher who is charting new frontiers by treating inflammatory bowel disease with mesenchymal stem cells. “This is the future of medicine."

So what’s your hope for the future? Please share your care at ForEveryCare.org. All of us here at Cleveland Clinic would love not only to hear it, but to work toward making it a reality.