Book from Rachel's Service

Anthony writing.  I'm posting the book that was put together by Rachel's friends and family for her service.
Thanks for your continued, overwhelming support.

http://idisk.mac.com/amoro//Public/Rachel1.pdf

http://idisk.mac.com/amoro//Public/Rachel2.pdf

http://idisk.mac.com/amoro//Public/Rachel3.pdf

Thoughts on Rachel

Anthony here.  Thank you for all of the support during this incredibly difficult time.  I wanted to post some of the more amazing stories and blogs that have been written about Rachel over the past couple of weeks.  My comments will follow soon along with a complete video and transcript (thanks to Ronnie and Sarah!) of the Memorial Service.

LA Times
http://articles.latimes.com/2012/feb/15/opinion/la-oe-orenstein-komen-20120215
Gayle Sulik
http://gaylesulik.com/2012/02/rachel-cheetham-moro-1970-2012/
Being Sarah
http://beingsarahblog.wordpress.com/2012/02/16/words-for-rach/
http://beingsarahblog.wordpress.com/2012/02/13/remembering-rachel/
Accidental Amazon
http://accidentalamazon.com/blog/2012/02/13/rachels-memorial-service/
http://accidentalamazon.com/blog/2012/02/12/a-heart-full-of-rachel/
Chemobabe
http://www.chemobabe.com/2012/02/eulogy-to-rachel-part-1/
Dispatch From Second Base
http://secondbasedispatch.com/tag/rachel-cheetham-moro/
Bringing Up Goliath
http://www.bringingupgoliath.com/2012/02/stepping-out.html
http://www.bringingupgoliath.com/2012/02/rachels-words.html
Women With Cancer
http://womenwcancer.blogspot.com/2012/02/our-virtual-very-real-friend-rachel.html
Chemo Brain
http://chemo-brain.blogspot.com/2012/02/for-rachel-with-unending-love.html
Jan Hasak
http://janhasak.com/blog/?p=1192

A few great pictures of Rachel's life

A few of the best pictures from Rachel's life can be found here:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150604603506552.424352.607331551&type=1&l=8711e1cc09

Rachel's Celebration Service - Live Stream Video

A Celebration of Rachel's Life will be held on Saturday, February 11, 2012 in New Jersey. For those of you who cannot attend but would like to witness it, there will be a live streaming video you can watch. See details below. Please note that the stream will accommodate up to 750 people on a first come, first served basis.

Meeting Name:  Remembering Rachel
When:  02/11/2012 1:00 PM - 4:30 PM U.S. Eastern Time  (GMT-05:00) 


To join the meeting:

http://bnymellon.adobeconnect.com/rachel/

If you have never attended an Adobe Connect meeting before:

Test your connection: 
http://bnymellon.adobeconnect.com/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm

Get a quick overview: 

http://www.adobe.com/go/connectpro_overview

Legacy, part one of many

Anthony writing...I'm completely devastated but am humbled by the outpouring of support from Rachel's friends, family, acquaintances, blog readers and total strangers.  Rachel's cancer advocacy was enormously important to her. Gail Sulik's post below is an amazing chronicle of Rachel's work. 
http://gaylesulik.com/2012/02/rachel-cheetham-moro-1970-2012/

Rachel's obituary and details of services

Rachel Cheetham Moro, born August 2, 1970 in Perth, Western Australia, died Monday February 6, 2012 at Riverview Hospital in Red Bank, NJ after a courageous nine-year battle with metastatic breast cancer. 

Rachel spent the first twenty-seven years of her life in Australia graduating from University, qualifying as a Certified Practicing Accountant, teaching and building a small accounting practice in Perth.  She had an acute quest for adventure that would eventually take her to visit more than 40 countries, and one day decided to go on a two year “walkabout” to see what the world had to offer.  First stop was London where Rachel quickly found work as a CFO of a media company and built a network of friends including her beloved husband Anthony Moro. 

In 2001, Rachel and Anthony moved to New York City where Rachel attended and graduated from Fordham University with Masters Degrees in Business and Tax. Recruited by Ernst & Young upon graduation in 2003, Rachel accepted an international tax consultant position at EY’s world headquarters in Times Square.  Later that year, under the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, Rachel and Anthony were engaged to be married. 

Rachel was first diagnosed with breast cancer in March 2004. Multiple surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation treatments followed, with a short interim break for Rachel and Anthony’s beachside wedding, albeit during a late summer Jersey Shore Nor’easter.  Completely bald from the chemo, Rachel joked that at least she didn’t have to fuss about her hair. 

Confident treatment was successful, because everyone “survives” breast cancer, don’t they? Rachel and Anthony began to rebuild their lives. They built their dream house on a hill overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and settled in with Newman the Norwich Terrier always at her side. Rachel was renowned for her dinner parties where guests dined on her gourmet-quality cooking and laughed at her snarky view of the world delivered in her quirky Aussie accent.  Out in the garden, Rachel’s green thumb was the wonder of the neighborhood.

Once again, however, life had other plans and the shocking diagnosis that cancer had returned and metastasized turned their world upside down and shaped the final years of Rachel’s life. Again, surgeries, chemo and radiation followed, this time with no end in sight.  In between the treatment and the fatigue, Rachel discovered it was necessary to bring substantial change to the status quo in charitable giving to breast cancer advocacy organizations.

Rachel directed her fierce wit, eloquence and intelligence to authoring and editing “The Cancer Culture Chronicles” (http://cancerculturenow.blogspot.com) where she both provided and found, true inspiration among the blog’s 100,000 readers.  Rachel believed “it's time to move beyond pink ribbons” and messages of "breast cancer awareness" and start agitating for “real and meaningful action in the fight to eradicate this disease for good.”  Another network of friends entered Rachel’s orbit throughout the process and they were enormously important to her as confidants and therapists over the last few years.  Rachel’s advocacy has had tangible results that will continue to help women with metatstatic breast cancer until the day this terrible disease is finally cured.

Rachel is survived by her Beloved husband Anthony Moro III and her faithful canine companion Newman; her mother Amanda Cheetham of Perth, Western Australia; her father Anthony Cheetham of Caloundra, Queensland, Australia and her brother Peter Cheetham, of Hilchenback, Germany.  She is also survived by mother-in-law and champion Felicia Moro and father-in-law Anthony Moro Jr. of Monmouth Beach, New Jersey; her brother and sister-in-law Adam and Jessalynn Moro and nephews Jayden Ristevski and Xavier Moro and niece Amelia Moro.  She is also survived by a number of dedicated medical professionals in New York and New Jersey and an incredible network of friends on every continent in the world. 

There will be an open house for those who wish to pay their respects at Damiano’s Funeral Home in Long Branch, NJ on Friday, February 10 from 5 pm to 8 pm.

Friends and family are invited to a celebration of Rachel’s life on Saturday, February 11 at McLoone’s Rum Runner Restaurant in Sea Bright, NJ beginning at 12 noon with lunch followed by a service.

In place of flowers or food, the family requests donations to be sent to further Rachel’s cancer advocacy at either of the two Rachel Cheetham Moro Memorials established with the following organizations:

Breast Cancer Action

55 Montgomery St, Ste. 323

San Francisco, CA 94105

https://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/6098/content_item/donatenow

METAvivor Research and Support Inc.

1783 Forest Drive #184

Annapolis, MD 21401

http://www.metavivor.org/METdonate.php

Rachel Cheetham Moro 1970-2012

We are writing on behalf of Rachel of the Cancer Culture Chronicles.  She died early this morning following a long struggle with metastatic breast cancer.  Her blog enlightened and inspired many to think differently about breast cancer.  Her Beloved (and Newman) will continue to write on this blog and we open this space for anyone who would like to share how Rachel touched them, inspired them and gave them courage.

We are all so heartbroken.  Our grief is beyond belief.  Rachel will be grieved knowing that her light shines bright in this world.