A Legacy of Warmth and Compassion

Dear Cancer Connection Friends and Family,

It is with a very heavy heart that we write and share with you a great loss for our community. Betsy G. Neisner, Executive Director of Cancer Connection from 2008-2016, has died. It is simply not possible to capture everything that Betsy accomplished at Cancer Connection (and far beyond) or the thoughtfulness and caring energy that Betsy infused into every human connection she fostered.

Whether you were at the Center because you were newly diagnosed with cancer, an understanding donor, a Thrift Shop volunteer, a worried family member, or there to clean the fish tank, Betsy met each person with the same warmth and curiosity. She was genuinely concerned about each person she met. She wanted to know who you were, and how Cancer Connection might best support you.

Betsy worked in government policy analysis and community service administration for several years after graduating from college, attended law school, and had a 25-year career practicing litigation, mediation, and arbitration. Retiring from the legal profession after a recurrence of cancer, Betsy turned to advocacy for individuals diagnosed with cancer, their families, and caregivers. In 2008, she became director at Cancer Connection during an emotional transition after Jackie Walker died early that year and Deb Orgera decided to step back from the organization. Briefly, during those first few months on the job, Betsy was the only employee juggling everything at once.

It’s hard to recall those early days in our basement office in the Silk Mill in Florence – where participants had to walk through the living room to access integrative therapies and two different activities could not be scheduled at the same time. The few outside windows (in the living room) only allowed visitors to see the feet of those passing by, and participants with mobility issues needed to be escorted through the endodontist’s office next door.

Betsy took the foundation that Deb and Jackie had created at Cancer Connection and expanded it in every way imaginable. Much of what our participants can access today has Betsy Neisner’s imprint on it.

In 2010, as part of Cancer Connection’s 10th anniversary, Betsy spearheaded a capital campaign to bring to reality her vision for a more accessible space that could serve multiple needs at the same time. She worked with the board and construction crew to build out and renovate the space at 41 Locust. Under Betsy’s leadership, we expanded program offerings and devoted more time to direct services for our participants.

In 2012, Betsy was honored by the Massachusetts General Hospital’s Cancer Center as one of their “one hundred,” honoring individuals who made outstanding contributions in the fight against cancer. Betsy was honored for “her work with Cancer Connection, for being an advocate of nationwide renown, and the counselor of choice for countless women coping with ovarian cancer…”

Betsy spearheaded a nationwide campaign to remedy shortages of key chemotherapies and other essential drugs. She also served as a patient representative on Massachusetts General Hospital’s drug shortage task force.

Betsy was selected multiple times as a consumer reviewer for ovarian cancer research proposals on behalf of the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program of the Department of Defense. She was appointed to the Massachusetts Special Commission Regarding Ovarian Cancer and as a Survivor Advocate for the National Cancer Survivorship Conference in 2016.

Betsy was deeply and graciously involved in almost every aspect of Cancer Connection. She would take out the trash, make tea for a participant, cheer enthusiastically at the Mother’s Day Half Marathon, and sleep out on the courthouse lawn during Monte’s Camp Out for Cancer Connection on WRSI radio. She built relationships with as many participants, family members, and staff members as she could. Every task, every program, and every person was important to her. She wanted to be involved and help in any way she could.

But more than anything, Betsy was a Befriender at heart. She was at her best at Cancer Connection when talking to participants. She often said “We’re really all Type A personalities, but when the phone rings or the door opens, we’re instantly calm and focused Type B.” Betsy reminded us that the greatest gift we could offer to someone dealing with cancer was time: time to listen, time to understand, and time to sort out their often-complicated thoughts and feelings. Betsy gave her time unselfishly.

When Betsy announced her retirement in 2016, one participant reflected back on their first visit: “You sat down next to me, listened, and it was your demeanor that I shall never forget. You were, all at once, very kind, very good-humored, non-authoritative…and encouraging.”

Betsy would do almost anything for Cancer Connection – the organization and the people. Cancer Connection and all of our lives are enriched for having known Betsy, and we will miss her deeply.

With love and respect,
Cancer Connection

→ Back to Mission & History