When Florence Preisler and her husband, Murray, decided to establish a generous charitable gift annuity on behalf of the American Cancer Society, she could not have imagined how personal an issue cancer was about to become for her.

Originally, the couple had simply been motivated by a desire to fight one of the major diseases affecting their community. “I always supported the American Cancer Society, and I had friends and family who had developed cancer,” said Florence, a retired nurse who lives in Dedham, Massachusetts. “I had seen many cases of cancer in my working years. I was always very interested in cancer and hoped that research would find the cause. I was hoping that cancer would be eliminated.”

But soon Murray, a retired electrical engineer, began to suffer mysterious symptoms. He was diagnosed with advanced cancer and died in January 2006. Losing her husband only strengthened Florence's resolve to fight cancer. She had long feared the disease herself and now it had taken her husband. But the feeling that she is making a difference in the fight against this disease provided some comfort in the wake of her loss.

“I'm more determined than ever that the causes of cancer will be found and that someday it will be one of those diseases people don't have any more,” Florence said.

Florence also receives a financial benefit from the charitable gift annuity she and Murray established on behalf of the Society. Each year, people establish charitable gift annuities that allow them to make a difference in the lives of cancer patients while providing themselves with a fixed payment for the rest of their lives. Florence has also supported the Society's lifesaving mission through her participation in the Society's Cancer Prevention Study II, which is helping researchers establish vital links between lifestyle and cancer risk. Florence says she believes in the Society's work and is impressed by the information provided to cancer patients and their loved ones.

“The Society is a wonderful resource,” she said. “If you have a question, you always get an answer.”