A city of resiliency

Recently I had the great pleasure of visiting New Orleans to promote breast-cancer research, and the new book Just Peachey: Bearing Fruit. Of all the things I’ve heard about the city through the years, my visit lived up to the legend – most specifically when it came to the people of this generous and resilient city.

From rock-star local chefs that contributed to the book, to national renowned restaurants that opened their doors to us to promote it, to local bookstores that put it on their shelves, we were given so many opportunities to get the word out, connect with people, and help all we met to become part of the fight against breast cancer.

New Orleans is a perfect backdrop, in my mind, in this battle that strikes one in eight women. The city’s resilience through the years, and since Hurricane Katrina, has made it an icon of how to battle through the tough times – and find renewed hope and life. New Orleans is the master when it comes to teaching lessons of determination and resiliency.

My trip revealed to me all the local heroes New Orleans has in its midst, such as Susan Spicer who contributed to the book, and her staff that hosted the Catherine Peachey Fund at Bayona on Oct. 16. The staff at Dickie Brennan’s Tableau also joins the list of heroes – and we thank them from the bottom of our hearts for allowing us to meet with their patrons and tell them about this 100-percent, volunteer-created book that helps raise money for research – our most powerful weapon in the fight against breast cancer. And we must add other New Orleans and Louisiana heroes like Sue Zemanick, Rick Tramonto, and Coach Mickie DeMoss, of the Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters, for sharing their recipes with us, and making them available for households across the nation.

And finally, I want to thank the New Orleans residents that purchased the book and, in doing so, joined us in the fight against breast cancer. Their show of commitment to this all-important-battle inspired and encouraged our own resilience as we continue to battle to save lives and gives renewed hope to millions.

Thank you, New Orleans. You are our heroes.

– Stephanie Rufenbarger Lesher
Director
Just Peachey: Bearing Fruit

This article originally published in the November 17, 2014 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.