One of the most influential people in my life was my maternal grandmother. While my mom encouraged academics she fueled my desire to be an artist. When mom bought books she bought art supplies. She taught me how to knit and sew and would encourage me to draw and paint. One of the many things I learned from Liza, as we called her, was the idea of giving back. She encouraged me to volunteer to help those less fortunate than myself and to donate money whenever I could. Little did I know just how important those ideals would become in my life. In 1986 after a courageous battle with Breast Cancer we lost Liza and I became an advocate for Breast Cancer Awareness. In the years since, I have had several friends diagnosed with Breast Cancer some have survived and others have not but I do whatever I can to promote awareness through art in honor of Liza.