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When Steve and Nancy Mendelow took their wedding vows in 1970, little did they know how much the words "in sickness and in health" would come to play in their marriage. In many respects, the Mendelows have realized the dreams that many couples strive for. They live in New York City where Steve has been a successful partner in an accounting firm since 1983. Nancy has a Master's Degree in Public Administration and is very active in a number of nonprofit organizations. They have two happy and successful daughters, and three grandchildren who Nancy regards as "the light of our lives." However, in the late 1970s, the Mendelows were faced with a formidable challenge when Steve learned that he was losing his vision to retinitis pigmentosa (RP). They believe that vitamin A supplementation, prescribed by FFB-funded clinician-researcher Eliot Berson, M.D., has helped to somewhat slow the progress of Steve's RP, but the loss of vision has still been quite significant. Nancy says that Steve was very focused on his career and wasn't necessarily proactive about dealing with his progressive vision loss. "Steve doesn't want help until he really needs it, and then he deals with it quietly," she says. Nancy learned how to help accommodate Steve in a way that was mutually acceptable. "I acclimated as a partner who assists without making a big deal about it. Neither of us wanted to be defined by RP," she says. "For example, we would go into restaurants at night and without saying anything, he'd take my arm. Over time, I came to better understand his needs, and what he would and wouldn't do." The Mendelows have been active with the Foundation Fighting Blindness for more than 20 years with Nancy often taking the lead in fundraising and events. She became a Trustee in 2004 and a Board Director in 2006. Her enthusiasm for FFB and its mission to find treatments and cures is very strong. "It's great to be part of the Foundation right now," she says. The Mendelows are leveraging their passion for research by launching one of the Foundation's most generous fundraising initiatives in its 36-year history. Known as the Nancy Mendelow Challenge - Steve insisted on that name to recognize his wife's efforts - the Mendelows are matching all new donations of $25,000 or more, as well as any increased donations of $25,000 or more. (For more details on the match, see the article Take the Mendelow Challenge in this issue of InSight.) The Mendelows have previously demonstrated a remarkable ability to inspire people to get behind FFB with the first Mendelow Challenge in 2004, and by raising more than $100,000 for the 2006 VISIONWALK in New York City. Nancy credits Steve for the success of that effort. She says, "Steve treated it like a business; if people didn't respond to his first call for support, he called them again. It isn't normally like him to ask, but he was determined to make it a success." The Mendelows see the Challenge as a great way to maximize the return on their investment in Foundation-funded research. "The Challenge gets more people involved, including new donors," says Nancy. "It's all about leveraging our commitment. We want to plant seeds and inspire people to do something they haven't done before. We want to create a multiplier effect with everything we do. When you have an organization behind you that is doing it right, it makes you want to do more." Take the Mendelow Challenge. |
