Our mom, Ginny (Sarkees) Sukmanowski, recently passed away after a courageous nine-year battle with stage 4 breast cancer. Doctors once told us she had six months. She gave us almost nine years! Nine years of deep valleys full of tears, frustration, and fear — but also nine years on the tallest mountains filled with the best views of life, love, hope, and faith!

If you knew our mom, you knew she loved connecting with people. It didn’t matter if you were her best friend, a stranger, an old friend reconnecting, or someone she talked to for five minutes and never saw again — her love for people in her life had no limits!

Dr. Levine and Roswell Park

For the last 30 years of her life, Dr. Levine and his team at Roswell Park’s breast clinic were a huge part of our family’s story. She was first diagnosed in 1997, had recurrences in 2003 and 2013, and was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer in 2017. Through it all, Dr. Levine and his team gave us hope in our darkest moments and gave us more time with her than anyone thought possible. They didn’t just treat her — they became part of our family!

The Bench

Right outside the breast clinic’s waiting room sits a simple bench. Nothing fancy. Nothing that would catch your eye. But for thirty years, before every appointment, every scan, every treatment, that bench is where you’d find our mom. She never could stand the waiting room — she’d much rather sit on that bench and talk to whoever walked by. And she talked to everyone!

She told people her story from this bench — the struggles and the triumphs, the setbacks and the victories. She reminded everyone who passed by her that there is always hope, and that miracles happen every day! After all, she was living proof of that! She always found the light in the darkest of times, and she made sure to share it with everyone around her!

The Courtyard

Our mom also loved the courtyard Roswell Park keeps for patients and families. Between appointments, we’d sit out there together — soaking up the fresh air, walking the path, and eating lunch on the patio. It was a small escape from the hustle of the hospital. The flowers in that courtyard were some of the most beautiful flowers, and she loved them dearly!

Our Request

We’re raising funds to have that bench outside the breast clinic, and a flowerpot in that courtyard, dedicated in her memory.

Our mom showed the world what it means to be a warrior — to fight every single day for the people you love. She never let cancer steal her life, she lived every day to its fullest on her own terms! She proved everyone wrong, turning six predicted months into almost nine years. In the end, cancer didn’t win. She did. Her final breath finally freed her from a fight she carried for nearly 30 years. She’s not in pain anymore. She’s finally, truly, cancer free.

Our mom always put her family before herself. We don’t know where we’d be without her holding us together, believing in us, and pushing us to become the best versions of ourselves in life and in love. We can’t think of a better way to honor everything she gave us than a bench and a flowerpot at the place that gave her — and us — so much extra time together and became part of our family. We hope the next person who sits on that bench, scared about the unknown and uncertainty that comes with battling cancer, feels a little bit of the strength and hope our mom carried with her every single day.

Thank you for reading her story, and for any support you’re able to give!

The Sukmanowski and Sarkees families.