Election of Directors, 2008

The Nominating Committee submits this slate of candidates for your approval. Your vote counts! Please take the time to vote now! To be confirmed, each candidate needs the votes of 10% of the members.

Please vote for up to two candidates, or vote for the entire slate as presented.

Click here for the ballot.

SUNNY GREENE, Falls Church, VA, candidate for re-election

In 1992, after many frustrating years of baffling neurological symptoms without diagnosis, my husband Ron was finally diagnosed with VHL.  He died from VHL complications in 2002. Not long after Ron’s initial surgeries my children were tested for VHL.  My son David tested positive for VHL. Thanks to VHLFA David was directed to a VHL study at NIH and is being screened regularly.  David’s youngest child, daughter Elizabeth, who recently celebrated her first birthday, has also inherited the altered gene.  As a widow, mother, and grandmother of VHL patients, I am deeply committed to help other VHLFA families.  During many years as a college adviser my greatest challenge was helping students control stress. I am particularly keen to promote methods and dialogues to help VHL patients and their supporters deal with the tremendous tensions of this chronic condition.

Much progress has clearly been made over the past few years, yet much remains undone.  Increased understanding of VHL both by physicians as well as the general public is vital.  Expanded support to both patients and their caregivers and families is needed.  Continued dialogue with other genetic disorder groups and researchers is essential. Dare we even dream of a cure for VHL? I’d like to continue on the VHLFA board toward helping that dream become a reality.

TOM RATH, Washington, D.C., candidate for re-election

Tom Rath leads Gallup’s workplace consulting practice and is the author of two bestselling books. In 2004, he wrote the #1 New York Times bestseller How Full Is Your Bucket? His latest book, StrengthsFinder 2.0 -- based on the assessment that has helped millions around the world to discover their strengths -- is already a #1 Wall Street Journal and #1 BusinessWeek bestseller.

Tom has been with for Gallup for 14 years. He earned degrees from the University of Michigan and the University of Pennsylvania. Tom and his wife, Ashley, live in Washington, D.C.

Some excerpts from Rath’s How Full Is Your Bucket?:Some excerpts from Rath’s How Full Is Your Bucket?:

“When I was 16 I started experiencing poor vision in my left eye and confronted my first big life obstacle. DNA test confirmed that I had VHL. Upon hearing this news for the first time I was shocked and nervous. But, on some level, I was surprised by how little the news dampened my spirits. From that day forward, instead of dwelling on the negative or uncontrollable aspects of this disease, my family helped me focus on what could be done. Within the first week of finding out about my condition, I immersed myself in learning how to manage and live with this disorder. The key was not viewing my prognosis as any type of curse or death sentence. Instead, I saw it as an opportunity to be proactive and stay on top of my physical health. I resolved to measure my progress with regular scans and checkups.

“Unfortunately there were more challenges ahead. In my senior year of college, an exam revealed a tumor in one of my adrenal glands. Five years later, doctors found cancerous tumors on my kidney. Later, scans revealed several new tumors on my pancreas, adrenal glands, and spinal cord.

“In each case, there was some fear and initial frustration. But my most memorable reaction was a sense of relief in knowing that these tumors were caught before they could metastasize and spread to other organs. My vigilance and awareness of the disease had paid off. Each condition could be managed with surgery.

“We are all certain to face major challenges as we progress through life. Often, we feel as if we were “dealt a bad hand” and that life is unfair. But we don’t have to allow ourselves to be defined by our hardships. Our responses to difficult events and our emotional state are much more important. Positive reinforcement about our strengths can buffer us against getting overwhelmed with the negative. And understanding what we do best allows us not only to survive, but grow, in the face of adversity.”

“When I was 16 I started experiencing poor vision in my left eye and confronted my first big life obstacle. DNA test confirmed that I had VHL. Upon hearing this news for the first time I was shocked and nervous. But, on some level, I was surprised by how little the news dampened my spirits. From that day forward, instead of dwelling on the negative or uncontrollable aspects of this disease, my family helped me focus on what could be done. Within the first week of finding out about my condition, I immersed myself in learning how to manage and live with this disorder. The key was not viewing my prognosis as any type of curse or death sentence. Instead, I saw it as an opportunity to be proactive and stay on top of my physical health. I resolved to measure my progress with regular scans and checkups.

“Unfortunately there were more challenges ahead. In my senior year of college, an exam revealed a tumor in one of my adrenal glands. Five years later, doctors found cancerous tumors on my kidney. Later, scans revealed several new tumors on my pancreas, adrenal glands, and spinal cord.

“In each case, there was some fear and initial frustration. But my most memorable reaction was a sense of relief in knowing that these tumors were caught before they could metastasize and spread to other organs. My vigilance and awareness of the disease had paid off. Each condition could be managed with surgery.

“We are all certain to face major challenges as we progress through life. Often, we feel as if we were “dealt a bad hand” and that life is unfair. But we don’t have to allow ourselves to be defined by our hardships. Our responses to difficult events and our emotional state are much more important. Positive reinforcement about our strengths can buffer us against getting overwhelmed with the negative. And understanding what we do best allows us not only to survive, but grow, in the face of adversity.”

Please vote for up to two candidates, or vote for the entire slate as presented.

Click here for the ballot.

As printed in the VHL Family Forum 16:2, May 2008. For permission to reprint, please contact VHL Family Alliance, editor@vhl.org.