DONOR SPOTLIGHT: DR. PORAC MAKES BEQUEST TO FCCC IN GRATITUDE FOR EXTRAORDINARY CARE

The dedication of Dr. Clare Porac’s 2016 book reads, “To the physicians, medical, and support staff at the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, PA, with gratitude for their expert and compassionate care.”

The book, titled Laterality: Exploring the Enigma of Left-Handedness, is one Dr. Porac wasn’t sure she would have a chance to publish after her 2008 ovarian cancer diagnosis. “I’m a scientist, so I understood at the time that the probability of my long-term survival was low.” The probability didn’t take into account the extraordinary care she would receive at Fox Chase.

After an initial surgery in Washington, D.C., her cancer returned—and because the tumor impacted her kidney, her surgeon referred her to Dr. Robert Uzzo. At Fox Chase she was treated with radiation, a long course of chemotherapy, and a second surgery. Eventually, she was able to return to her work as a professor at Penn State Erie and as an internationally renowned expert on lateral preferences, including handedness.

Dr. Porac lives a long distance from Philadelphia, so she relied on assistance from a Fox Chase social worker to arrange accommodations over the course of her treatment. She and her husband Fred were able to stay for extended periods at Coventry House, a nearby apartment complex where Fox Chase maintains several comfortable, affordable one-bedroom apartments for patients who need to travel at least 40 miles and stay at least two nights for their care.

This combination of excellent medical care and tending to her ancillary needs led Dr. Porac to reach out to the Institutional Advancement team in 2012 to set up a bequest. She arranged for a portion of her estate to fund ovarian cancer research at Fox Chase and to support Coventry House.

“I can sum up my feelings toward Fox Chase in a single word: Grateful. I am grateful for the expertise, the genuinely caring environment, and even grateful for the chance to participate as a patient in the training of young physicians,” she said. She also expressed gratitude for having many more years with Fred, who died in 2022, and for a chance to continue her scientific work and writing. Dr. Porac’s third book—her first novel—was published in 2021.