On April 10, 2018 St. Louis lost one of its greatest community heroes, Lynne Isaacs Palan, after a 5 ½ year battle with metastatic breast cancer. During her battle, she raised awareness about the hereditary risks of breast cancer and encouraged genetic testing for at-risk women. Ironically, during her battle, her father, John A. Isaacs III, discovered that he was the carrier of the cancer gene and he too developed breast cancer after Lynne.

The community recently came together to celebrate Lynne’s life and educate the community about the hereditary risks of breast cancer at a public event called “Lynnie’s Light for Life.” At the event, 400 wish lanterns were lighted on a field. Each lantern was donated by someone in the community in honor of a loved one battling cancer. As the sun set over the wish lanterns, a drone captured the glow of more than 400 wish lanterns which spelled out “Lynnie’s Light” and projected the image for all guests to see.

The event has already raised more than $70,000 for Nishmah: The St. Louis Jewish Women’s Project and Sharsheret Supports St. Louis, a collaborative project of Nishmah and the national, not-for-profit Sharsheret organization.