Couple Supports Cancer Survivorship
B
oston-based real estate investor Arthur Solomon came to Providence looking for a parcel of land to develop. He reached out to Sally Lapides, renowned for her knowledge of the local real estate market. While the parcel didn’t pan out, something far better did. “I made a better deal,” Art says fondly. Now married 12 years, Sally and Art are clearly soul mates. Both are titans of real estate. She is President and CEO of Residential Properties LTD, and he is Chairman and CEO of the DSF Group. They are passionate about family, gathering around the table (Sally loves to cook), politics, the arts, sports (Art owns a minor league baseball team), and giving back to the community. The couple also shares a long-held commitment to The Miriam Hospital and both have served on its Board of Governors. Last year, when they toured the Lifespan Cancer Institute at The Miriam with their friend, Fred J. Schiffman, MD, Medical Director of the Lifespan Cancer Institute, the couple was inspired to make a major commitment to yet another of their shared interests— cancer survivorship. Both have sisters who have been through treatment. With a generous gift, they established the Arthur Solomon and Sally Lapides Cancer Survivorship Program Fund. The fund will support a nurse practitioner at The Miriam to coordinate all aspects of the survivorship program, including access to whatever services they may need within and outside of The Miriam Hospital. “The medical advances are amazing and patients are living much longer,” says Art. “But survivors need continued services and care to ensure quality of life after treatment ends.”
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Sally Lapides and Arthur Solomon
“Providing this kind of support is a privilege,” adds Sally. “Instead of birthday or other gifts, we have asked our family to make donations to the survivorship program.” With five children and eight grandkids between them, Sally and Art have passed down the same tradition of giving that was entrusted to them by their parents and grandparents. “We have a strong cancer survivorship program now. But thanks to Sally and Art’s generosity, it will be even stronger,” says Dr. Schiffman. “Their gift to The Miriam Hospital is an inspiring example of their love for our community. It’s a wonderful gift, one that will make an important difference for patients in our care, now and well into the future.”