On Thursday, November 10, 2011, OakBend Medical Center had the honor of hosting a luncheon event for philanthropist and cancer survivor Lester Smith. Through humor and a charming charisma that only he could pose, Lester shared how paying it forward changed his life.  He told the crowd “When you begin to see how little it takes to pay it forward, anyone can do it.”  This two-time cancer survivor challenged everyone to be brave of heart and that a coward dies 1,000 deaths, but a brave man only once.

We got the chance to speak with attendee Ilene Robinson who is a life-long friend of Lester.  When asked what brought her to the luncheon, she stated, “OakBend is a special place.  It’s the hospital that we come to with all our family because we know they will be treated with dignity and respect.”  Sisters Tina Davila and Olga Cantu raved how uplifting it was to hear Lester’s story.   Olga went on to say that it was perfect timing and a great reminder of how truly important it is to pay it forward.  Listening to the crowd’s comments afterwards, you kept hearing words like “captivating”, “charming” and “humorous”.  Even the staff, caterers and audio teams were talking about Lester’s impact on their lives in just a few short minutes.

Lester has lived an amazing life and has beat insurmountable odds, but never once stopped.  He has left his mark on many lives and yesterday, left his mark on OakBend Medical Center.  We are honored to have him as part of our lives.

“If you are having a bad day, do something nice for someone else!”  ~Lester Smith