Stanford University School of Medicine
The Robert G. Fenley Writing Awards: General Staff Writing
Gold
“And yet, there’s hope,” by Hanae Armitage, captures the multi-generational journey and tragedy of a family plagued by cancer. In the last months of her life, Aruna Gambhir, widow of a long-time professor and chair of the Stanford Medicine department of radiology, contacted our team with a request. Gambhir and her family had been plagued by cancer for decades, and despite her genetic predisposition to the disease, she was the last remaining survivor of her immediate family, having lost her son and husband. As she battled cancer for the third time, she wanted to tell her story of the tumult, devastation and inextinguishable hope that she carried with her.
Gambhir also wanted to relay the impact of Stanford Medicine’s deep investment in using cutting-edge technology to battle cancer. That desire was, in part, ignited when a neurosurgeon and neuroscientist, and former colleague of Gambhir’s husband, visited her in the hospital and shared an update on her lab’s work: She had been studying cells from Gambhir’s son’s tumor for years and her team had recently made remarkable advances in the understanding of gliomas, the brain cancer that ended Gambhir’s son’s life.
What was the most impactful part of your entry?
The story captures the sources’ vulnerability and emotional depth while also spotlighting the impact of years of research on cancer biology at Stanford Medicine. It lays bare the devastating experiences of one family to expose and drive home a larger message — that meaningful progress in the field of cancer will come from broad, long term, multi-sector investment. Throughout the unexpected recurrences of cancer in the Gambhir’s lifetimes, Gambhir’s strength and commitment to moving the field of cancer research forward — as she herself was a leader in cancer diagnostic technology — has never wavered. She relayed to me that she hoped the story of her family would inspire strong investment and progress in the field.
What challenge did you overcome?
The story, while powerful, needed to be treated with the utmost care, thoughtfulness and grace. The sheer fact that Gambhir was describing her most deeply personal and devastating life experiences to Armitage, a complete stranger, necessitated an approach to reporting that prioritized trust, listening and kindness. Gambhir told Armitage that she was normally a private person — sharing this kind of information wasn’t her norm. Armitage told her she was there to listen to whatever it was Gambhir wanted to tell her, for however long she wanted to talk. She was in charge. The writer was just the conduit. Due to Gambhir’s ongoing battle with cancer, Armitage had been told she shouldn’t plan on the interview taking longer than 15 minutes, but the two ended up talking for more than an hour. Armitage said the experience taught her the importance of establishing a trusting relationship with the source from the jump, and it allowed for an extremely productive interview about a haunting subject.
Contact:
Alison Peterson
medawards@stanford.edu