RE: I wanted you to see this

[Guest guest]

I was wondering if you had heard of Sharon Monsky...or saw the

movie For Hope about Bob Sagets sister Mrs.Monsky played herself in

the movie she was so upbeat about finding a cure...and now she will

never see one....makes you want to appreciate everything you have in

your life and hold it a little closer...and pray that they will start

to find some cures for the connective tissue diseases if not in our

lifetime than in our daughters.....Kathi in OK

This is sad news for all of us - Sharon was a real inspiration and did

so much for Scleroderma Research

and Awareness......thought you'd like this information -

Scleroderma Research Foundation: http://www.srfcure.org/

Sharon's Photo is here plus all the information about the Research

Foundation

MONSKY, Sharon (October 23, 1953- May 11, 2002)

Sharon Monsky passed away on Saturday night, May 11. She was a victim

of

systemic scleroderma - a chronic disease of the connective tissues -

and

had lived with it for nearly twenty-one years. She is survived by her

three children, Max, , Montana, and their father, Mark Scher.

Her mother, Ramelle Monsky, her sister Robin Monsky, and her brother

Henry Monsky also survive her.

She was born on October 23, 1953 in Omaha, Nebraska. In her youth,

Sharon was a nationally ranked figure skater and a top United States

Olympic contender. In 1965, she was the youngest female figure skater

to

have ever achieved the Senior Ladies' Gold Medal Compulsory Skating

Award.

Sharon received her BA in Economics from Pitzer College, where she

graduated top of her class. She then moved to San Francisco where she

worked on the Pacific stock exchange for First Chicago and ran the

most

active options trading desk at the exchange. Sharon received her MBA

from Stanford University Graduate School of Business in 1980 and was

offered a coveted position with the renowned San Francisco management

consulting firm, McKinsey and Company, Inc.

She was on track to be one of the youngest women partners in

McKinsey's

history, when, in 1982, she was struck with scleroderma - a little

known, widespread, and incurable disease that affects mostly women in

their child bearing years. It was then she started investigative

research into the disease. She found that there was little to no

documentation on scleroderma and quickly put her business skills to

work. In 1987, Sharon founded the Scleroderma Research Foundation -

the

only one of it's kind, driven on finding the cure for scleroderma by

blending together science, research, private funding and political

leadership. The organization exists today as the only one in the

nation

dedicated exclusively to finding a cure for scleroderma.

Sharon leaves a legacy behind - Two research centers; The San

Francisco

Bay Area Scleroderma Research Center at UCSF and the East Coast

Scleroderma Research Center at Hopkins in Boston. She has

traveled

to Washington many times, meeting with Presidents Reagan, Bush, and

the

Clintons to raise worldwide awareness for scleroderma, increase

federal

funding, and assist in every way possible to find a cure for a disease

affecting nearly half a million Americans. She has made many friends

in

politics, including Senator Barbara Boxer as well as many dear friends

in the entertainment industry.

Sharon won numerous prestigious awards; in 1994 she won six America's

Awards, dubbed the " Nobel Prize For Goodness " ; in 1996, the American

Medical Association's International Health and Medical Film Award was

presented to her in recognition of her courage and achievements as

well

as her part and consultation on the ABC Television Film, " For Hope " ;

in

1997 she was presented the National Volunteer Advocacy Award by

Research

America in Washington - the United States' premier health research

advocacy organization; and every couple years, for nearly two decades,

as chairman of the Scleroderma Research Foundation, Sharon spearheaded

" Cool Comedy - Hot Cuisine, " the Foundation's signature fundraising

event. The benefit helped to raise awareness and much-needed funds to

cure the disease which ultimately took her life.

Thanks to Sharon's work, over 14 million dollars has been raised for

innovative research. She has brought much to the world of science and

increased knowledge of this previously unknown and unrecognized

disease.

She believed very strongly in the Foundation's slogan, " Together, we

can

make a difference. "

Services will be held 1 PM, Tuesday, May 14, 2002, at her home: 2401

Garden Street, Santa Barbara. She will be interred immediately

following

services at the Santa Barbara Cemetery, after which the family will be

receiving guests back at the 2401 Garden Street address. All

contributions would greatly be appreciated and can be sent to the

Scleroderma Research Foundation, 2320 Bath St, Suite 315, Santa

Barbara,

CA 93105, (805)563-9133; (800)441- CURE.

Arrangements by McDermott-Crockett Mortuary.