2009 Reception

The Susan Fund held its 27th annual reception on June 28 at the Unitarian Church in Westport. A total of $63,000 was awarded to twenty-two very deserving students.

Jeff Booth, a close friend of Susan and her brother, Will, shared his memories of her. Kathleen DiGiovanna, representing The Susan Fund Board of Directors, presented the scholarship certificates. The Fund was named in honor of Susan Lloyd, a 1980 Staples high school graduate, who was diagnosed with bone cancer at the beginning of her senior year. She planned to attend Colgate University, but never lived to fulfill her dream. Ann Lloyd, Susan’s mother, and Chair of The Fund reflected, "It's amazing to see how The Fund has grown. When we awarded our first scholarships in 1982, we granted $3,000 to six students. To date, we have distributed about $ 1,000,000 in scholarship money."

Lesley Palange, a former Susan Fund recipient and current Board member, delivered an inspiring speech to all in attendance. She spoke directly to the recipients about her diagnosis of thyroid cancer when she was 14 years old. She noted, "We are a brotherhood and sisterhood of young men and women experiencing similar journeys. When faced with adversity, it seems that we are given two options: give in to the fear that something like a cancer diagnosis evokes or tackle the disease head on. We all have a choice. To be unwilling to succumb to tragedy and fear is a decision that each of us can make." Lesley ended her emotional tribute by asking the students " to avoid the associations of cancer with dread and finality, and replace them with thoughts of humility, courage, hope and opportunity."

The following is excerpted from the speech made by Jeff Booth delivered at the June, 2009 Susan Fund Reception.

Throughout my adult life, I have been inspired by and in awe of Susan’s courageous battle with cancer. I first met her when we started working together at a movie theatre in Westport. At that time, Susan was a perfectly healthy, long blond-haired, high school cheerleader. As I got to know her, she quickly squashed any misconceptions I had about long blond-haired, high school cheerleaders. She was extremely bright, had a terrific sense of humor and a delightful sarcastic streak that could literally stop people in their tracks. Susan was also the fastest cashier I ever worked with. When we had a really popular movie, we always wanted Susan to be the cashier. She barked out to the line of people waiting to buy tickets, “Next please. Keeping moving and have your money ready.” I remember that, after Susan’s initial diagnosis, no one really knew how she would handle it. But she had the same determination with her fight with cancer as she did with selling those tickets.

Susan was going to get through it as fast as possible and she was NOT going to let cancer rule or define her life. In fact, I often felt sorry for the people who tried to give her special treatment. She just wouldn’t have any part of it. When I recently looked through some old photo albums, I was vividly reminded of her tenacity. On a brutally hot summer day, a group of us took a trip to Great Adventure in New Jersey. Unlike the rest of us, Susan didn’t complain about the weather. Actually, she rode as many rides as she possibly could. A photo of Susan receiving her diploma from Staples High School reminded me of her determination to graduate with her class. Although she missed a lot of school because of her medical treatments, she met with tutors and completed all of her work.

Throughout our time together, Susan taught me that nothing was going to get in her way and her disease was NOT going to define her life. I suspect the recipients of this year’s Susan Fund awards feel the same way. Despite the challenges they face, the fact that they are receiving these scholarships and continuing their education demonstrates that their disease is not going to define their lives either. They are all to be congratulated.