Cursed by an unexpected fate yet blessed with the platform it provided her, RuthAnn Lobo lived the last 17 years of her life determined to make her journey a symbol of discovery and inspiration to others.
"My first experience being with cancer survivors was six weeks after my last chemotherapy treatment in 1994, at the Race for the Cure in New Britain," Lobo said in 2008. "One of the volunteers asked me if I wanted to wear a survivor's hat and I wondered if I qualified. But when 600 women in little pink hats come forward, you feel a burden lightened because you see you are not alone.
"We need to have positive stories and we need to have hope. What better hope than people surrounded by their families, living their lives, dealing with their disease."
RuthAnn Lobo died of breast cancer Tuesday. She was 67.
More than a decade ago, she was unexpectedly thrust into the public light. Before becoming a cancer-awareness advocate, she was simply known as an educator and the mother of UConn All-American Rebecca Lobo.
RuthAnn Lobo was diagnosed with the illness in December 1993, during her daughter's junior year at UConn.
Following the diagnosis — a shock since there was no family history — and aided by the unprecedented popularity of her daughter after UConn won its first basketball national championship in 1995, RuthAnn Lobo became a willing, enthusiastic fighter dedicated to making cancer sufferers and survivors feel her gentle, reassuring touch.
A Simsbury resident and a retired school counselor at Granby Memorial Middle School, RuthAnn Lobo emerged as a tireless advocate and inspiration for women whose lives had been interrupted by the disease.
"When I was first asked to speak about breast cancer, I was quizzical and wondered why anyone would want to listen to someone talk about breast cancer," RuthAnn said in 2008. "But there are a lot of people out there who can't put into words what they are feeling and thinking. People have said, 'Thank you for saying what I couldn't say,' and that is a great reward."
An educator by trade, RuthAnn Lobo was the Title IX compliance coordinator for Granby school district and served on the State Advisory Board for Equity. In 1990, she was teacher of the year in Granby and was a finalist for Connecticut teacher of the Year.
In 1996, mother and daughter wrote "The Home Team," where they chronicled how they confronted and dealt with the diagnosis. RuthAnn Lobo eventually underwent a double mastectomy and much radiation and chemotherapy.
"I think one of the reasons the WNBA adopted its big initiative concerning breast cancer may have resulted from the book they wrote," said Mel Greenberg, the Hall of Fame women's basketball writer. "It was an important book and Rebecca was playing in New York [for the Liberty]. I would see [RuthAnn] all the time at games and we'd give each other a quick wave. She'd laugh; she liked hearing my Geno [Auriemma] jokes."
With the help of her daughter, the 1995 women's college basketball player of the year, RuthAnn Lobo helped assuage the fears of families similarly affected.
They were featured on a program called "Beyond Breast Cancer", which aired nationally on public television. RuthAnn and Rebecca were featured in O (the Oprah Winfrey magazine), Glamour, Good Housekeeping, Family Circle and many newspapers, as well as television shows suck as "CBS This Morning", "Good Morning America."
RuthAnn was awarded the Maria Miller Stewart Award by the Connecticut Women's Education and Legal Fund for mentoring children and for advocating equality for girls in education. She also received the First Survivor's Award, named in her honor, by the Komen Connecticut Race for the Cure.
"We at the Connecticut Breast Health Initiative lost a dear friend of 18 years, our ace honorary chair, a role model for survivors and a passionate advocate in our fight against the disease," said Joyce Bray, president of the Connecticut Breast Health Initiative Inc. "She was the good that comes out of the bad."
Bray said the cancer "was back in a vengeance" two years ago. "And she knew it."
On RuthAnn Lobo's website, she told the story of her diagnosis and battle and what it taught her about life.
"From my experience I have learned what truly matters in life: my God, my family, my friends," she said. "I have learned not to focus so much on tomorrow that I miss the potential of today. I have rediscovered the little things I had begun to take for granted like the smell of cookies baking in the oven or the smell of lilacs blooming in the spring.
"I laugh a whole lot more. I am more patient with myself and with others. I am generous with hugs and I-love-yous. And I have learned that I cannot always repay the countless acts of kindness on my behalf. I have learned to simply say "thank you."
She is survived by her husband, Dennis, daughters Rachel and Rebecca, a son, Jason, and many grandchildren.
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