Klein to Speak at Pearls Of Hope Gala

By ALEXANDRIA BORDAS | Reporter

The Lorraine Jackson Foundation recognizes both the emotional and financial challenges facing children who have lost a parent to breast cancer. Through its Pearls of Hope Gala, the foundation supports these children by raising money to award college scholarships to a handful of recipients.

This year, former Los Angeles Rams and San Diego Chargers player and Palisadian Robert Klein will be the keynote speaker at the gala slated for Wednesday, Oct. 14.

Klein is the president and CEO of the Saint John’s Health Center Foundation, which researches cutting edge technology to combat lethal diseases, such as breast cancer.

He and his wife JoAnn are longtime residents who have three children and eight grandchildren living in Pacific Palisades.

Robert and JoAnn both grew up in the Palisades and met in first grade at Corpus Christi. They have been married for 46 years.

“It is a very special community and I thank my lucky stars that my family decided to build a house here all those years ago,” Robert told the Palisadian-Post.

Robert and JoAnn said their lives revolve around hope. JoAnn has been diagnosed with breast cancer twice—at age 46 and then again two years ago. She has undergone multiple lumpectomies, intensive radiation treatments and reconstruction surgeries.

“Breast cancer continues to be a part of our life so it’s become a very meaningful way in how we actually approach life today,” Robert said. “We look at life with the strength we’ve had to beat cancer and overcoming that hardship gives us hope.”

A longtime friend and Lorraine Jackson Foundation board member asked Robert to be a keynote speaker at this year’s gala.

“Kim Michael, who lives in the Highlands and is a dear friend, approached me and asked if I would be willing to participate in it and when she explained to me what it was, I said of course I would,” Robert said.

Robert is looking forward to speaking to the scholarship recipients about the work his team does at Saint John’s and emphasizing the importance of hope in their daily lives.

“We deal with dreaded diseases every day and we know it takes many hands to cure and combat them,” Robert explained. “Many of these kids don’t have the resources to go to college and are also missing a loved one from cancer, which is why I felt so compelled to tell them JoAnn’s and my story.”

JoAnn has always been outspoken about her battle with cancer. Robert said speaking to others about her journey was a coping mechanism and helped her remain hopeful despite the hardships.

“After my wife was diagnosed with cancer the first time she went to support groups to be around people who understood what she was going through. I remember her mentioning to me that she would leave those meetings slightly depressed because so many of the women’s outlook was negative,” Robert said.

“So she devoted herself to staying involved as an uplifting presence and began consistently expressing to everyone that there is hope for a cure, and I think that’s the message, that there is a lot to look forward to.”

JoAnn believed that giving hope to others by sharing her story ultimately helped her too.

Visit pearlsofhope.com.