By her own admission, Floriene Lieberman is not one to cry easily. But a surprise gift in June from her husband, George, “opened the floodgates,” she said recently from her home in Leawood.

The gift to Floriene, a two-time breast cancer survivor, was a $100,000 donation in her name to the University of Kansas Cancer Center. The announcement was made on a scroll bound with a ribbon and presented to Floriene on her 77th birthday.

George Lieberman, a builder and developer, explains the motivation for the gift. “Cancer research and education are her life’s work,” he said. “That being her passion, I couldn’t do anything nicer for her.”

Childhood sweethearts, the Liebermans have been married for 57 years. George was with Floriene during her darkest days, when she was afflicted with cancer that doctors now say should have killed her. So aggressive was the disease, her physician in the Kansas City area recommended that she participate in a trial of an experimental drug at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, a National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Texas.

Floriene Lieberman has since become active in the effort to educate and find a cure for cancer. She frequently speaks to schools, community groups, and at other functions to educate the public.

The Liebermans recognize not all patients afflicted with cancer have the means to travel hundreds of miles to receive treatment in another state. That is why they are active in KU’s drive to create a world-class cancer center in the Heartland. KU’s goal is to achieve designation from the National Cancer Institute, which would signify that the KU Cancer Center is a national leader in basic and clinical cancer research. Ultimately, the goal for KU is to end suffering and death from cancer. +