A 2ND ACT {survivors giving back}
SISTER ACT
Finding purpose in unexpected places Judy Pearson | Contributing Writer
Some second acts are created from the ground up. Others develop from an existing passion and take on an entirely new purpose. The latter was the case with Cheryl Laflen. In 1956, after the horror of World War II, President Dwight Eisenhower created a program that would make the world a better place by connecting American cities with their counterparts around the world. Called Sister Cities, the program’s mission was to build friendships and a path to peace, one relationship at a time. Paired cities from around the globe share skills and knowledge across a wide spectrum of categories: humanitarian, cultural, economic, educational and even among first responders. In 2000, Laflen and her husband, Milt, were invited to join the Mesa Sister Cities program. At that time, the Mesa chapter had five Sister Cities, one each in Mexico, Peru, Canada, China and New Zealand. The vision and mission of the program captured their hearts, and they jumped in with both feet. In the program, the cities decide which projects they’ll work on, and one of the Laflens’ first projects was helping Arizona doctors to develop a medical clinic in Peru. It became the cornerstone of the couple’s volunteering, and was the first of
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many projects to come. “The give-and-take between the cities goes both ways,” Laflen explained. “When Phoenix began to consider a light rail, we went to Burnaby, Canada, to look at their rail system. We spoke with the mayor, asking what issues they had encountered in their transportation start-ups. We brought that information back to share with our city’s planners.” Then Cheryl received the devastating news that she had breast cancer. Her immediate impulse was to seek out the same Mesa medical team she had worked with in Peru for her own care and consultation. Knowing them as friends made a terrifying situation better. And as often happens, her cancer experience brought with it a silver lining, and an unexpected second act. Once Cheryl recovered, the Laflens’ Sister Cities work continued with a trip to Guaymas, Mexico, where they helped build a senior center. One of their Mexican counterparts mentioned that his wife was being treated for breast cancer. “He told me that mastectomy supplies weren’t as available there as they are here,” Laflen said. “So when I got home, I sent survivor bras and prosthetics to my new Mexican sister so she
