Nancy Brinker was honored as the George Herbert Walker School of Business and Technology’s 2012 Person of the Year on Wednesday, Oct. 10 at Webster University. Brinker is ambassador and founder of Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation.
President Elizabeth Stroble and Benjamin Akande, dean of the School of Business and Technology, presented Brinker with the award. Brinker gave her address titled “Power of One” in the Edward Jones Commons in the East Academic Building.
Akande opened the event with a story about a friend who had been diagnosed with breast cancer.
“She was comfortable,” Akande said to the crowd. “She was composed. She radiated strength to the point where she was the one comforting me on the other side of the phone.”
Two weeks later, Akande said that he received a call that his friend had died.
Brinker then talked about the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation and about her sister.
“Before she died, Susie asked me to promise her that I’d do everything in my power to end this disease,” said Brinker. “And I promised her I would even, if it took me the rest of my life.”
She said that the work of the Susan G. Komen Foundation would not end until a cure was found for breast cancer.
Since it’s start, the Foundation has raised over $1 billion for research, health services and education. Brinker has also received many accolades for her work with the foundation. She named one of the 100 most influential people of all time in 2008 by Time magazine. She also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama in 2009.
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