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A shared cause

Amy B. Naughton and Juliette Galicia Pico — both principals at Lourie & Cutler — also work together outside the office on a cause close to both of their hearts: the search for a cure for ovarian cancer.

The story begins nearly a decade ago, when Amy began working with a client named Patricia "Patty" Franchi Flaherty, who worked as general manager of the Franchi family real estate management company — a substantial enterprise with more than 1,100 apartments and more than 500,000 square feet of commercial, retail, and office space. Over the years, Amy and Patty became good friends, and Amy learned more and more about Patty. She learned, for example, that Patty's mother had died of ovarian cancer in 1974, and that the premature loss of her mother had hit Patty — at the time a recent college graduate — hard.

Then, in 1999, Patty herself was diagnosed with Stage IIIc ovarian cancer: the same disease that had claimed her mother's life a quarter-century earlier. An aggressive course of surgery and chemotherapy put the cancer into remission, and gained time for Patty. (Few victims of ovarian cancer live as long as five years past their initial diagnosis.) Patty used some of that time to begin advocating for all the members of the ovarian cancer "sisterhood." When her cancer recurred in 2006, she again battled back, creating "Ovations for the Cure," a non-profit organization dedicated to "the relentless pursuit of a cure for ovarian cancer." Unfortunately, Patty lost her battle with ovarian cancer on August 18, 2008.

"She was an incredibly dynamic person," Amy recalls, "with this amazing vision. She had lost not only her mother but also her two sisters to cancer. But rather than simply giving in, she actively fought the disease." Under Patty's guidance, Ovations began providing patient support and raising money for medical research — at the same time that it pushed to increase public awareness of a particularly virulent form of cancer. "One challenge that she and Ovations faced," explains Amy, "is that breast cancer affects a far larger population, and is therefore significantly better funded. But ovarian cancer has a much higher fatality rate."

At Patty's request, Amy agreed to join the board of Ovations. She also recruited her friend and colleague, Juliette Galicia Pico, to serve as treasurer of the organization.

"I have no personal connection to ovarian cancer," Juliette says, "but Patty Flaherty and board member Debbie Soprano were absolutely inspiring women, whose enthusiasm for their cause was contagious. So when Amy asked if I would help, I immediately agreed."

Both Amy and Juliette are confident that Ovations will live on. "We've reached a good point," says Amy. "There are lots of people who've been affected by ovarian cancer, either directly or indirectly, who are committed to Ovations and the larger cause."

Juliette agrees. "Despite Patty's enormous charisma," she explains, "it was never about Patty. It was about helping other women who had the disease — and ultimately, eradicating the disease. Patty would have expected us to keep pushing, so that's what we're going to do."