Support and Coping with Cancer   /   Creative Inspiration

OncoLink Interviews Miss America

Print PDF

The Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania
Last Modified: January 20, 2002

Miss America 2002, Katie Harman, visited oncology patients in the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and gave OncoLink an exclusive interview.

James Metz, MD, OncoLink Editor-in-Chief, interviews Katie Harman, Miss America 2002. Watch our exclusive video coverage. In order to view the video segment, you will need the free RealPlayer from RealNetworks.

Katie Harman, Miss America 2002, Judith Rodin PhD, President of the University of Pennsylvania, Marcella Bossow Crossing the Finish Line founder, and John Glick, MD Director of the The Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania

Miss America 2002, Katie Harman and Conshohocken-based charity Crossing the Finish Line visited Penn on Friday January 18. Crossing the Finish Line founder Marcella Bossow - whose husband was a patient at Penn's Cancer Center - and Harman took a tour of the Rena Rowan Breast Center at the The Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania. Afterwards they visited oncology patients in the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and gave OncoLink an exclusive interview.

Miss American, Katie Harman, uses her influence to support women battling breast cancer, especially those who are struggling in the last days of their lives. She is continuing her Philadelphia visit by touring Penn's Rena Rowan Breast Center and meeting with Penn cancer specialists to learn more about their latest research and treatments efforts.

Inspired by the late Peter R. Bossow, Jr., Crossing the Finish Line offers the young adult cancer patient and his or her spouse or caregiver a respite from the unyielding physical and emotional demands of cancer. The charity intends to provide patients with a unique "retreat" opportunity in a comfortable and secure home-like environment to foster a celebration of love in the face of uncertainty. It offers patients and their loved ones a much-needed time for reflection and relaxation in the midst of turmoil. Peter and his wife Marci discovered that a respite from the countless hours of needles, tests, nausea, hair loss and the many sacrifices they were forced to endure, was a peaceful way to refocus and embrace life's unexpected journey. Peter's legacy is a non-profit organization that enables others the opportunity to experience a hope-filled breather during the throes of their courageous battle.