Dean of Students Lori Berquam thanked the UW-Madison community for providing her with “energy and optimism” as she begins the second half of chemotherapy treatments in a statement this Friday.
Berquam, who announced her breast cancer diagnosis in April, said she has three treatments remaining in her therapy process. She said she was grateful for her campus-wide support system sharing stories of how they have been affected by cancer, sending kind messages or giving her gifts of “fashionable hats.”
“I’ve always considered myself to be a strong person, able to face challenges with dignity and grace,” Berquam said in the statement. “As I reflect on the first three treatments, I realize that cancer doesn’t care who you are or where you’ve been. Cancer shows no mercy—but it has shown me how lucky I am in life, to be supported and surrounded by gracious and caring people like you.”
As promised in her first statement, Berquam has continued working as normal. She admitted in Friday’s statement her treatments “have not been easy” and “tough weeks” have forced her to rearrange her schedule occasionally, but she still appears around campus, doing work such as offering closing remarks to incoming students at Student Orientation, Advising and Registration. However, despite these difficulties, she plans to continue her work on campus into the fall.
“I challenge our incoming students to become resilient and push through adversities to find their passion at UW-Madison,” Berquam said in the statement. “And with your support, I too will continue to be resilient and push forward.”
