Remembering Dr. Bob

Author: Molly Fast on 9 May 2010 | 1 Comments

Tags: fundraising superheroes

The fight against breast cancer lost a fierce advocate earlier this week.  Bob Kirshbaum, a long-time friend and endless supporter of the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure, passed away on Thursday.

We got to know and love Dr. Bob through his wife, a fundraising superhero in her own right, Barbara Jo.  A woman who started walking in long distance multi-day fundraising events in 1998 and hasn't stopped.  Since then, she's raised over $1,000,000 and has completed over 100 fundraising events for breast cancer.  Bob was her biggest supporter, her most faithful companion, and along the way, made a huge difference in the lives of everyone who ever walked an event Barbara Jo participated in. 

My first encounter with Barbara Jo and Bob was on a flight to Boston to staff my first event in May of 2002.  I had heard about Barbara Jo from working as a 3-Day coach and it felt serendipitous to be seated next to them on this cross-country flight.  Instead of listening to music and zoning out for the five-hour flight, I learned about their family, their experiences on the walks and their endless commitment to raising money and awareness to help find a cure for breast cancer. I felt lucky to get a glimpse into the loving relationship the two shared.  I can recall now, years later with a smile on my face, how Bob grabbed Barbara Jo's hand at take off to reassure her that she was safe.  Taking care of her was as natural as anything else and I felt honored to witness their strong bond.

Over the course of the past eight years of knowing Barbara Jo and Bob, I've continued to witness the strength of their love and companionship scattered along the thousands of miles they have traveled all around this country to put an end to breast cancer.  Apart from traveling to most events with Barbara Jo, and showering the staff with a seemingly endless supply of baked goods in each city, Bob took it upon himself to cover each day's route with his trademark signs.  On bright pink paper with big black lettering, participants were encouraged to keep going, reminded to not whine and motivated to continue making a difference.  Without fail, Bob made sure this was done for every event Barbara Jo participated in.  Walkers loved it and Bob's signature pink signs became a part of the 3-Day culture, a sort of comfort to staff and participants who could easily spot them along the route.  

In that spirit, here's a message for Dr. Bob in typical "Bob Kirshbaum" style: