"The WunderGlo Foundation will not rest until there is a cure for colon cancer. The Foundation strives to save lives and support cancer warriors everywhere by raising funds for colon cancer research, promoting awareness about prevention of and treatment for colon cancer, and encouraging healthy lifestyle choices. Through its efforts, the WunderGlo Foundation seeks to empower and inspire those fighting the disease and those finding ways to eradicate it."
Then, in early 2013, Gloria launched The Wunder Project, which asked the simple yet powerful question: What if YOU had the power to cure cancer? The Project's goal- to raise $250 million to find the CURE for colon cancer. Yes, the cure. And that number was not pulled out of the air- with the advice and counsel of the world's top medical experts, Gloria and her oncologist, Dr. Heinz-Josef Lenz, developed a concrete action plan to destroy this disease. You can learn more about the plan at https://wunderglofoundation.org/about-the-wunder-project/.
Please also watch the videos on this site to learn more about the Project, and about Gloria herself. And if you haven't already, please read my tribute to Gloria that I wrote a couple hours after I learned she had passed in January 2014. I hope this helps you gain a little insight into the amazing person that Gloria was, and the spirit that still lives strongly today through the Foundation and the people who loved her:
"Today, the world lost one of its most incredible people: Gloria Borges. These are words I honestly never thought I’d have to say, or at least not this soon. Like Gloria, I refused to believe what the doctors said, and I looked forward to living in a retirement home with that old coot where there’s no question we’d be partying and causing trouble like we did for so many fun years at O’Melveny.
It feels wrong to say that Gloria has left this world, but it’s probably because it isn’t exactly true. We may have lost Gloria’s body, but her spirit is alive and strong. Gloria’s spirit lives through the WunderGlo Foundation and the incredible work it does to promote awareness of, and to find the cure for, colon cancer. Her spirit lives through the people who knew her, whether it’s through Becky Keller (who was lucky enough to know her from the start and was the greatest contributor to what made Gloria such an amazing person), Mike Keller (who provided her with a strong and loving male figure in her life from such a young age) Will Palmeri (whose brilliance and boundless love inspired Gloria and made her happier than he’ll ever know), or any of the countless others who love her and will continue to honor her legacy.
I have been fortunate to know Gloria for nearly 8 years, since the time we were summer associates at O’Melveny. We first met at an organized lunch, where I learned within 5 minutes that she went to Duke (which apparently is better than any other school, ever, and how could I not know that?), that she went to Duke (did I already mention this?), and that she went to Duke, the best institute of higher learning (or any kind of learning for that matter) in the history of education. But we first truly bonded on an O’Melveny trip to Palm Springs a couple weeks later, where we drank beer on the bus and learned of our mutual appreciation of lottery scratchers and the Los Angeles Dodgers (habits/inclinations that we attribute to the Mexican side of our family). And from that moment on, she chose to love me fully, without hesitation or qualification. She even started calling me her “son.”
To be perfectly honest, I found it startling, and I didn’t really know how to react. I’m a hard nut to crack, and here was this woman with a chisel, no, a sledgehammer, just hammering away at me. When others would have given up and moved on to the next, she took the time to dig deep. I will always be grateful for her persistence, and for her keen insight that we were most likely separated at birth, and destined to be “Partners in Crime.” And “Best Buds.” And “Mother and Son.” Because of that persistence, I was able to laugh harder than I’ve ever laughed (the people on the 13th Floor of O’Melveny can attest to that), to stash away a lifetime of incredible memories and inside jokes (we must have had hundreds), and to feel the love of an incredibly deep friendship that I will always carry with me wherever I go.
I could share a million stories about our antics, go on and on about how much Gloria meant to me, and somehow try to convey how devastating this loss is to me and to the world, but nothing I can say here could possibly be a proper tribute to this incredible woman (she would tell me I did a great job because that’s what mothers do, but she probably would have thought of all the ways I could have said it better!). So I’ll just finish with a few of the things I said to her yesterday before she passed (I’ll always be grateful for having that opportunity): Gloria- thank you for teaching me what it means to live life to its fullest, without limitation. Thank you for teaching me how to love to your fullest ability, without fear of rejection. Thank you for teaching me to expect nothing but excellence in my life, without compromise. You were an inspiration to me from the day we met, but I have been infinitely inspired by you over the past 3+ years of your courageous fight. I haven’t said it to you enough, but I hope that you’ve known it and felt it. You have lofty expectations for me, and I haven’t been able to live up to them all, but just know that it’s because I’m not as strong as you, and not because I haven’t tried. I’m a better person for having had you in my life, and I will never stop trying to be the person you want me to be, and to live the life you want for me. I will always love you, Ma, and I’ll see you again some day."
Thanks so much for taking the time to read this, and for your generosity. Cancer, your time is up!!
