College President James Freedman received the fourth annual Gildna Radner Award from the Wellness Community of greater Boston last night for speaking publicly about his battle with cancer.
Freedman said he is "very honored to be receiving the award."
Freedman earned the award for "his willingness to speak publicly about his personal battle with cancer and his sincere desire to help others by doing so," according to a Wellness Community press release.
According to the Wellness Community newsletter, the Gilda Radner award is presented to "honor an individual who has engendered inspiration in cancer patients through his or her fight with the disease." Gildna Radner, the famous comedienne, lost her battle with ovarian cancer in 1989.
The newsletter mentioned Freedman's numerous public discussions about the diagnosis and his battle with the disease and his writings about his disease in a chapter of his new book, "Idealism and Liberal Education."
Doctors diagnosed Freedman in the spring of 1994 with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. He then underwent eight rounds of chemotherapy over six months, after which doctors found no further traces of the disease.
The Wellness Community provides a "homelike" environment for adults with cancer and their family and friends to come together and be with others in a similar situation to share, learn and fight for recovery, according to the press release.
The organization offers participants workshops, educational programs, social activities and support groups at no charge.
Robert Danzinger '56, a former College Trustee, presented the award to Freedman in Cambridge, Mass.
