The sound of healing
At a dedication ceremony in May,
an intimate group gathered in the Horner
Family Chapel in Baylor Charles A.
Sammons Cancer Center to honor Donya
Folco’s remarkable journey of courage and
endurance in her battle with breast cancer.
Donya’s journey, as with many others, has
not been traveled alone – she was supported
by friends, family, and her dear friend and
colleague, Joe Staley and his wife, Linda.
Not only did Joe and Donya share their
profession and a deep friendship and respect
for one another, they also shared a diagnosis of cancer. In 2002, two years after Donya
joined Joe’s law firm, Joe was diagnosed with
neck cancer. He traveled to Houston to
receive his radiation treatments. Following
the completion of this therapy, he participated in a tradition marking this important
transition; he rang a bell.
“When you go into the radiation area,
everyone in the waiting room is there doing
the same thing – you’re real brothers, fighting
the same fight. There’s an understanding and
empathy that you could feel every time you
walked in there,” remembered Joe. “When I
completed my treatment and rang the bell,
there was a real feeling of exhilaration and
completion, not just for me but for everyone
in the room who was fighting the fight right
along with me. It really gives you a sense of
hope for the future and the feeling that you’re
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