Smarty Mom: Sue Udelson

{photo credit: Annette Goodman Photography}

I’m very excited to feature Sue Udelson this week. She came as a recommendation from a friend and as I got to learn more about her, I am amazed at what she has accomplished and excited to share her story with you all. We hope to see you at this year’s Sarcoma Stomp on April 30th!

Susan’s Smarty Mom Stats:

Married to: Steve Udelson (27 years)
Mom of: Dana (age 23), Rachel (age 19)
Years in Charlotte: 18 years of bliss!
Originally from: North Brunswick, New Jersey
Occupation: Executive Director, The Paula Takacs Foundation for Sarcoma Research

Tell us about your story. What made you want to get involved with the Paula Takacs Foundation for Sarcoma Research?

After spending 10 years in securities brokerage and regulation, where I fed the number-crunching and ever-inquisitive side of my brain, I completely immersed myself in the privilege and wonderment of raising two incredible daughters. Towards the end of that blissful chapter, my life would forever change with a phone call from my brother Alan, telling me that he had a very rare and aggressive cancer called sarcoma. I spent a majority of the next 13 months as a caretaker and advocate for him, learning volumes about strength, perseverance, love, and perspective. At the end, I found that losing my sibling to a disease that had caused him much suffering was beyond earth-shattering, and it resonated loudly and painfully with our entire family.

Only months after Alan’s passing, I saw a yard sign advertising the Sarcoma Stomp 5K. I couldn’t believe there was a fundraiser for this rare disease in our community and I eagerly signed up. I walked with family and friends at that 2011 event to remember Alan. It was there that I met Paula Takacs, Paula Takacs Foundation Founder, who literally changed my life’s course.

As a volunteer for the Foundation, I developed a deep and loyal friendship with Paula. I was moved daily by her strength, courage, conviction, and limitless dedication despite the ravages of the cancer growing inside her. I was honored to join the Board in 2012, and after beloved Paula succumbed to sarcoma in April, 2014, I accepted the honor to become the Executive Director of the Foundation.

When I look in the rear-view mirror, I could have never predicted the leap from the dog-eat-dog atmosphere of Wall Street to the heart-forward work of the non-profit world, but fate intervened and I found my true North.

The other unexpected blessing of my new career is the example I am setting for our daughters. I’ve always been of the belief that children learn the most from the ways we interact with the world, the lives we touch, and the relationships we nurture. Our daughters watched as I gave my brother every part of me – to care for him, to advocate for him, and to love him. They watched me lose myself in the fight and in the ensuing grief. But they’ve also seen me rise from the ashes of my sorrow, push forth with unbridled optimism, and rejoice in the impact I am making over time. They’ve learned that even when we try with every ounce of our being, that things don’t always go our way. We can choose to be bitter, angry, and self-pitying. Or, we can elect to make an endless vat of lemonade out of that bumper crop of lemons, and adopt that pay-it-forward attitude of gratitude. We can teach our kids that life is sometimes hard and unfair, but through our own resilience, we can be happy and fulfilled.

Give us the details about The Sarcoma Stomp! How can we get involved?

The Sarcoma Stomp is the signature fundraiser of the Foundation, benefiting clinical trials and research projects at Levine Cancer Institute. This family-friendly 5K Run/3K Walk begins at 8am at Christ Lutheran Church, 4545 Providence Road, Charlotte.

To learn more, register, volunteer, or donate, please visit www.SarcomaStomp.org.

What resources should someone, or someone you love, who has been just diagnosed with Sarcoma reference?

There are several excellent sources to get more information on the disease itself, for patient support, and for treatment advice. I recommend The Sarcoma Alliance, Smart Patients, and of course Levine Cancer Institute.

On to some lighter questions…

Favorite date night spot?

At home with my husband, a bottle of red, a block of cheese, and some great ingredients to cook with.

What’s your favorite girls’ night outing?

Anywhere, because my girlfriends are always the oxygen in the room no matter where we go.
 

Favorite Smarty phone app? 

There are thousands of digital gizmos, but where would we be without those digital calendars, complete with reminders and driving directions?

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

 
I pray each day for cures for cancers, and so I hope a decade from now I am retired because my service to the foundation is no longer needed. If that were indeed the case, you’d find me traveling the world with other nature photography hobbyists, capturing the beauty of our Earth and all the splendorous things it contains. If my prayer has not yet been answered, however, I will be sitting at my desk, smiling at my photo of Paula, and working towards those cures in memory of my forever friend.

What’s your guilty pleasure?

Heading to Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden to lose myself behind the shutter button for a few hours.

I could not live without…

…the priceless gifts of perspective and gratitude, and without the love of family and friends.