Hope, close to home

A personal journey into advocacy

Dr. Suzanne Palumbo knows what it means to survive — and to give back. A breast cancer survivor and longtime veterinarian, she recently made a gift to the University of Hawai‘i Cancer Center in honor of her friend Diane Ono, a passionate advocate whose support has helped shape the Center’s future.

Palumbo’s gift to the Hope Cancer Research Fund will support a public awareness campaign highlighting the importance of clinical trials. It comes at a pivotal moment, as the center prepares to launch its Early Phase Clinical Research Center, Ho‘ōla, in early 2026 — and as federal funding for cancer research grows increasingly uncertain.

“The necessity of cancer research can be complicated to explain,” Palumbo says. “We have to communicate in new ways to reach people who will support cancer research in Hawai‘i. We need our friends and neighbors to reach out to local lawmakers, convincing them that the UH Cancer Center is essential to the islands.”

A life shaped by research and loss

Her perspective is shaped by decades in biomedical research. Palumbo’s late husband, Dr. Nick Palumbo, was a veterinarian who collaborated with researchers at the John A. Burns School of Medicine and the Cancer Center. She says, “I realize the importance of biomedical research in Hawai‘i, as well as the very high caliber of our researchers.”

Palumbo’s own care, under Breast Medical Oncologist and Associate Researcher Dr. Jami Fukui, deepened her appreciation for the Center’s lifesaving work. But it was Diane Ono who inspired her to give.

Ono’s daughter, Mari Galiher, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia at age four. She was successfully treated through a UH Cancer Center clinical trial, an experience shaping Ono’s enduring commitment to the Center and its mission.

Honoring a quiet force for good

“Diane has been a huge advocate for the UH Cancer Center for as long as I’ve known her,” Palumbo says. “She believes strongly in noblesse oblige — of those to whom much is given, much is expected. She makes all of us who know her better for having been around her.”

Palumbo, a supporter of the Center for several years who served on the Friends of the UH Cancer Center board, attended the Toast to Hope event in March, sponsored by Ono. The event sparked a desire to raise the Center’s visibility.

Her gift helps ensure that patients and families across Hawai‘i will continue to find hope close to home. And it will honor a friend whose quiet leadership has made this hope possible.