They began to drag-race at 90 mph and hit a tree.
Cohen was left a quadriplegic.
“I’d love to walk again, of course.
But if I could regain full use of my hands, my life would change 2,000 percent.
There’s so much potential for breakthroughs via stem cell research.
The goal is to replace damaged cells with healthy ones, so people can recover some functioning.”
“Everyone wants miracles, but I’d rather promise something real.
People tend to suppress their passions because they’re afraid of taking risks.
I don’t let fear stop me.”
Her cause:The Sabrina Cohen Foundation.
How you’ve got the option to help:Donate at SabrinaCohenFoundation.org.
And urge your representatives to promote stem cell research.
He died 13 months later.
“He was my only sibling,” says Farman, 41.
But a week before he died, his doctors said, ‘Prepare yourself.’
Those are hard words to heareverything flashes before your eyes.
But to get through his passing, I needed to dosomething.
Taking action was my healing."
He was a hiker.
Nature was his church.
Athletes for Cancer came out of that.
We do outdoor programs for young cancer survivors with activities that build their confidence."
At camp, I found something to grab on to.
Cancer rocks you to the core, and the camp put a foundation under my feet.'
I feel like I’m teaching people to live and thrive again."
Her cause:Athletes for Cancer.
How you might help:Visit Athletes4Cancer.org to donate or volunteer.
“I was a suburban middle-class woman with three kids, a husband and a potbellied pig.”
“I had a good job.
I’d never cheated, shot drugs or put myself at risk other than having sex with my husband.
I felt like HIV couldn’t happen to me.
I lost my job, my friends, even my church.
It was a dark, humiliating time.
I have to at least have a go at help others.'
That’s how W.O.M.E.N.
“My doctor had told me I had only six years to live.
So I started doing speaking engagements and wrote a book.”
“My wish is for every woman to be educated about this issue.
Married women think they’re immune to the virus.
But no one is an exception with AIDS.
“We help everyone we can, but we especially target African-American women.
Outside of gay men, they have the greatest risk of contracting HIV and have less access to treatment.
My work is all about empowerment.”
“When I think about how old my kids are now27, 30 and 31I get chill bumps.
I wasn’t expected to live this long.
I love spending time with them.
I live my life with more urgency, especially now that I have full-blown AIDS.”
Her cause:W.O.M.E.N.
How you’re free to help:Volunteer or donate money atEducatingWomen.org.
“I’d had genetic testing and learned I had up to an 87 percent risk forbreast cancer.
My friends were starting their first jobs; I was making this life-altering choice about my body.
How I got here:“Before my surgery, I worried I’d never date again.
Afterward, I felt like a cloud had lifted, so I wanted to pay it forward.
I launched my little website, then did a business plan.
I want Bright Pink to become way bigger than I am.”
Back then, no one talked about cancer.
The information we have now is a gift.
My goal is to break the cycle of cancer in families.
I think my grandmothers would be proud.”
“They were selling Cokes to 5-year-olds!”
“Something had to be done.”
“I’ve raised my own kids eating real food,” she says.
“I know it’s possible for you to get children to eat anything.”
I also read that kids who cooked and gardened ate better.
Both are my passions, so I thought, HelloI’ll do both.
What everyone can do:“Take up a cause you’re passionate about.
It’s easy for me to help others learn to love healthy food, because I do.
I encourage kids to eatveggiesright from the ground.
What’s a little dirt?
They love it!”
He was into it.”
When I knew I was winning:“A guest recently asked my class to name their favorite food.
Most yelled out, ‘Kale!'”
We’ve given out 114 million minutes of talk time so far.
That stuck with me.”
What touches me most:“Seeing 200-pound uniformed men sobbing while saying good-bye to their kids.
Knowing that we’re helping them stay in touch feels incredible.”
I found out that the landline phones the troops were using in the Gulf were AT&T.
They’ve been supporting us ever since!"
Lisa Scarpinato
2010 Women Doing Good Honoree
Not in my backyard.
More than 300 kids get Bags every weekend.
My husband and I looked at each other and knew we had to do something.
That night, we went online and ordered the forms to start a nonprofit."
My best life lesson:“Don’t make assumptions.
JJ Ramberg
Imagine donating big bucks without writing a single check.
So much for surfing being a waste of time!
Three years later, she says she felt “diminished,” after being teased and cyberbullied.
“The girls made me feel as if I wasn’t good enough.
They said I shouldn’t bother coming to school,” she recalls.
My lightbulb moment:“When girls were mean, I thought, What’s wrong with me?
Then, in ninth grade, a senior told me, ‘I went through that.
Everybody feels alone.’
It was a revelation.”
Her daughter had been secretly cutting herself and was suicidal.
Who inspires me most:“My mother has always been my constant cheerleader and my rock.
When I was creating my club, I was afraid of how other girls might react.
I remember telling her my fears and asking, ‘What if they sabotage me?’
Her response: ‘And what if you change lives?’
She always sees my potential.”
