To hear Pat Bodin tell it, “We just had to help.”

“The help she is talking about is how she and her husband, Dr. Eric Bodin, helped Damara Donovan, a high school student at St. Thomas, USVI in her quest to get into Harvard’s Secondary School Program.

Pat says, “I spotted this article about her while on vacation in St. Thomas. It gave you a real sense of who she was. You could tell she was talented and smart. Here she’s got all the ingredients and she’s coming up short.” Money-wise, that was. So Pat and Eric took care of the remaining balance.

This little tale illustrates just what kind of person Pat Bodin is and why we are so proud to have her on our team at MD Anderson. Pat not only serves as a member of the Board of Visitors at MD Anderson, she also is a member of our executive committee and chairs our cancer control advisory group.

Cancer entered Pat’s life when it took her first husband, Jimmy Lane Hewlett. Resolute and determined to fight, Pat initiated the Jimmy Lane Hewlett Cancer Research Fund. MD Anderson has put this grant to good use, developing strategies to help diagnose lung cancer earlier, as well as creating more effective treatment strategies. Pat has also established three fellowships that help train the next generation of physician scientists.

“I’m just glad we could help.” Pat and Eric have certainly done just that. Help. And not just by donating money, but more importantly time, too.