Bob Wright, in his 2016 memoir, “The Wright Stuff,” called Suzanne, his wife of 49 years, his “Chief Passion Officer” who approached every task with heart and was integral to his professional success.
After Suzanne’s death from pancreatic cancer, Bob established the Suzanne Wright Foundation, in her honor. Suzanne was only 69. She was the mother to three, grandmother to six, and a tireless advocate for the most vulnerable among us. Together, the couple enjoyed spending time with their three children and six grandchildren.
After Suzanne’s diagnosis, she made it her mission to fight pancreatic cancer with the same determination she brought to her philanthropic endeavors. With no early detection test, Suzanne’s cancer had already metastasized by the time of her diagnosis. During the nine months that followed, both Bob and Suzanne were shocked by the lack of treatments available to her and the thousands of other patients diagnosed every year with pancreatic cancer.
The Suzanne Wright Foundation will wage a national campaign to raise awareness about this devastating disease and drive urgency around the need for detection tools, treatments and a cure. The Foundation will continue Suzanne’s legacy as a fighter and champion for the underserved.
In 2005, Bob and Suzanne Wright co-founded Autism Speaks after their grandson, Christian, was diagnosed with autism. Together, Bob and Suzanne educated the world about autism through national PSA campaigns and Light It Up Blue-where landmarks, buildings and homes in 157 countries illuminate in blue each year. The United Nations sanctioned every April 2nd as World Autism Awareness Day. Suzanne hosted unprecedented gatherings of First Ladies and dignitaries from around the world to focus planning and resources for the autism community. In November 2014, Suzanne spoke at the Vatican’s first-ever conference on autism, where she called for all nations and faiths to “walk next to the 70 million children, teens and adults with autism around the world every day.”
Suzanne was a trustee emeritus of her alma mater, Sarah Lawrence College, and served on the board of the Tony Randall Theatrical Fund, and New York Collaborates for Autism. She received numerous awards, including:
The Suzanne Wright Foundation is dedicated to driving urgency and action in the fight against pancreatic cancer—the most deadly of all major cancers. 91% of patients die. This is an emergency. This is #CodePurple.
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Checks should be made payable to “The Suzanne Wright Foundation” and mailed to:
THE SUZANNE WRIGHT FOUNDATION
610 FIFTH AVENUE, SUITE 605
NEW YORK, NY 10020
