Driven to Increase Knowledge

Name: Carole D. Franklin

Location: Delray Beach, FL

A colon cancer survivor, Carole was drawn to immunology as a way of strengthening the body's capacity to cope with the disease.

Carole D. Franklin moved from California to Florida in 1969 because she needed more security when natural disasters hit. She had just experienced a huge quake in the San Fernando Valley, and though she knew that Florida had hurricanes, she also knew there was a warning system that could help her prepare for them.

She felt the same 23 years later when she was diagnosed with colon cancer. Although she couldn't control cancer, she wished she could have been more prepared. So, she engrossed herself in research about the disease and found herself drawn to immunology as a way of strengthening the body's capacity to cope with disease. It gave her hope. At that time, she decided to make the Cancer Research Institute a beneficiary of her Certificate of Deposit (CD) because of our mission to attain the immunological treatment, control, and prevention of cancer.

The concept of knowledge as power is a very important one to Carole. She found that participating in a wellness community soon after her diagnosis helped her feel better because she learned of others' experiences and through that gained strength and a vision for the future. By making the Cancer Research Institute a beneficiary of her CD, Carole seeks to increase knowledge about the mechanisms of cancer and how it can be overcome for future cancer patients.

Carole is now focusing on making a better world through supporting others. She is an avid member of the Red Hat Society, a nation-wide group of women, aged 50 and beyond, banded together in pursuit of fun, friendship, freedom, and fulfillment. The members are known for wearing red hats and purple dresses and for engaging in a wide variety of activities. Through purposefully frivolous activity, she finds friendship among others with common life experiences who are ready for whatever the future holds.