Sharon Monsky (1953–2002) founded the Scleroderma Research Foundation. Monsky was born in

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest ...

on October 23, 1953. She was a competitive figure skater as a teenager. Monsky received a BA in

Economics Economics () is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interactions of economic agents and how economies work. Microeconomics anal ...

Pitzer College Pitzer College is a private liberal arts college in Claremont, California. One of the Claremont Colleges, the college has a curricular emphasis on the social sciences, behavioral sciences, international programs, and media studies. Pitzer is k ...

, where she also met her future husband Mark Scher. She received her

MBA A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accounti ...

from

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is conside ...

in 1980, while living in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17t ...

and working on the

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. In 1982, while working as a

management consultant Management consulting is the practice of providing consulting services to organizations to improve their performance or in any way to assist in achieving organizational objectives. Organizations may draw upon the services of management consultants ...

for McKinsey & Co. Inc., Monsky was diagnosed with

scleroderma Scleroderma is a group of autoimmune diseases that may result in changes to the skin, blood vessels, muscles, and internal organs. The disease can be either localized to the skin or involve other organs, as well. Symptoms may include areas ...

and was told she had only two years to live. The rare disease hardens the skin and internal organs of young women of child-bearing age causing disfigurement, and is potentially fatal. In reaction to the lack of awareness of the disease in the medical community, she went on to found the Scleroderma Research Foundation in 1987, an organization dedicated to finding a cure. According to the ''New York Times'', "Ms. Monsky's activities generated more than $14 million for research and helped expand understanding of the disease. Money she disbursed for basic medical research on scleroderma led to the publication of scientific articles exploring potential cures. Her work also helped make scleroderma better known." Ms. Monsky applied her business expertise to successful fund-raising efforts. For example, she organized an annual fund-raiser which in 1992 combined top comedians such as

Bob Saget Robert Lane Saget (May 17, 1956 – January 9, 2022) was an American stand-up comedian, actor, and television host. Saget played Danny Tanner on the ABC sitcom ''Full House'' (1987-1995), and reprised the role for its Netflix sequel '' Fulle ...

plus fine cuisine which drew 420 people and netted donations of $125,000. Monsky's friend actress

Dana Delany Dana Welles Delany (born March 13, 1956) is an American actress. After appearing in small roles early in her career, Delany received her breakthrough role as Colleen McMurphy on the ABC television drama '' China Beach'' (1988–1991), for whic ...

said "Sharon's work literally convinced researchers that there was hope in finding a cure ... Before research can begin researchers have to be convinced there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Now we know it's a solvable problem held back only by research resources." In 1996, Monsky appeared in the ABC TV movie '' For Hope'' alongside Delany. After living 18 years beyond the original prognosis, Monsky died on May 11, 2002, at age 48, due to complications from the disease.

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Scleroderma Research Foundation
{{DEFAULTSORT:Monsky, Sharon 1953 births 2002 deaths American health activists Deaths from scleroderma