Diane Powell Memorial Patient Resources Fund
In 2006, Michael “Buddy” Powell was devastated when his wife, Diane, died of Acute Myeloid Leukemia after a brief but difficult battle with the disease. Diane was treated at the UMMC Cancer Institute.
Mr. Powell recalls how when he first heard the word Acute Myeloid Leukemia, he searched for a way to fight what he and his family were facing, but they did not have a ready source of information. He remembers how he and his daughter, Nicol, reacted when Diane was first diagnosed. They looked high and low for information about Acute Myeloid Leukemia.
Buddy said, “Those of us who sit by the side of our loved one with such diseases need to know and certainly would cherish a place to help us learn". He knew that a resource center or option for patients and families to find readily available and much needed information would be a great way to honor his wife’s memory.
In September 2006, Buddy and Nicol decided to make a $10,000 gift to the University of Mississippi Medical Center Cancer Institute Patient Resource Library in Diane’s memory and agreed to add to the fund each year. That gift created the initial collection of patient/family support materials in the Cancer Institute and maintains a fund for other materials as the need arises. The fund not only honors Diane, but it provides funding for the Cancer Institute to purchase the initial resources for the new patient/family area.
Buddy and his family are truly grateful everyday for what the Diane Powell Memorial Patient Resources Fund means to them personally. Buddy and Nicol say that their gifts makes them feel that they are still very connected to Diane, and they are proud to have been able to offer this wonderful gift to the people of Mississippi.