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the gift box of food to her. Joan appraised
it for a moment then delicately pulled out a lemon-filled date,
took a bite, and savored it for a moment. So delicious. "But can we
reschedule the conference calls and maybe schedule more time with
the hospital people? The MECC and WHO are important, but the
hospital is good, old-fashioned, boots-on-the-ground stuff, and
that's what I want to work on today."
    Mina nodded as she crossed off items on the
day's to-do list and wrote more notes on the already overcrowded
page. "Not a problem at all. Should I call the hospital folks and
see if we can show up a little earlier? Maybe get a tour of the
place?"
    Joan grinned at her again. "Mina, you've
read my mind as usual." She popped the remainder of the date in her
mouth then waved a hand at her assistant. "Now off with you. Take a
break. And here." She pushed the box full of sweet treats back
across the desk. "Please take this with you. Make sure everybody
gets some."
    "Yes, ma'am." Mina smiled back and stood up
then with the wooden box under one arm and her planner under the
other, headed out into the bustling outer room of the Hearts and
Minds offices. Joan watched her go and wade her way in among the
cubicles, stopping at each with a warm smile, offering dates and
chocolates to the other employees. Some were at their desks, and
others were running around from one place to another, collaborating
and, in short, making things happen.
    Joan watched them all with a surge of pride.
This was a fantastic team, and she thanked God she'd had the good
fortune to be able to assemble them all in the right place at the
right time. She had gradually built a multicultural team around
her, assigning responsibilities according to each individual's
strengths. She remembered how, when she'd first started, she'd had
to micromanage and spend time explaining how she wanted things
done, but now they really were a seamless and perfectly oiled
machine running on its own accord. Perhaps Joan was the mastermind
of the organization—she had been called that in the media more than
once, though she felt uneasy thinking of herself that way—but these
were the people who made the magic happen. She knew it was a team
effort that had gotten her mission off the ground.
    "Okay, enough reminiscing," she told herself
then turned back to her computer and the dozens of emails that
awaited her. Some were congratulations for the award she had won,
some requests for interviews, some inquiries into the services
Hearts and Minds offered. These last were what made Joan the
happiest, and she got to answering them right away, telling
everyone who wanted to know about their capabilities, from public
seminars to health-care worker in-services to working with
facilities to offer the most state-of-the-art screening
technologies available. Basically, if there was a need in the area
of cancer awareness or research, Joan found a way for her
organization to fill it no matter what it took. Whatever she could
do to make a difference in even just one person's life, it was
worth it. And that was the mantra by which she tried to live her
professional and personal life every day.

 
Five

    Y ou look ill, dear. Are you feeling okay?"
Sara's mother asked as her daughter entered the kitchen. Her
parents, seated at the table with cups of coffee in front of them,
both looked at her with concerned expressions.
    "Yes, I am fine," Sara replied. "Just
exhausted. I had some trouble sleeping last night. I have all these
ideas about how to raise awareness for the Special Olympics in my
head now, thanks to you two." She poured herself a cup of hot water
from the kettle then sat down with Ali and Soraya.
    "So you've given it some thought then," her
father said, putting aside the newspaper he had been reading. "And
what did you come up with?"
    "Well, I'm not exactly sure. I have to do
some more research, but I think a fundraiser gala might be the best
way to go."
    "Oh, a gala," her mother said,