Let us take a moment to reflect on why we do the things we do.
It’s for my heroes.
For my patients that have battled melanoma or sarcoma and have helped move science forward. They truly are a part of every decision I make.
They are my true teachers, my inspirations.
Those who have suffered with an ailment that drives us to understand what makes it such. Those that help me help someone else because they dared to take on something new.
It is amazing to sit alone on a Tuesday night, thinking about things. I often sit in silence, and talk to those who have passed. What did I learn? What could I have done better? What did their lives leave in lessons?
I must admit that I miss my heroes as I sit alone on my couch letting my day settle. They motivate me and enrich a desire in me to find answers to hard questions that should be asked. They ask these questions of me and force me to think and explore the impossible, making it possible. They have departed us in life, but in me they linger and they still teach me.
My patients, those that are still with me and have survived, those who have said their goodbyes, those who are still fighting hard. They are my heroes. And I take a moment to remember them all.
A community surrounds each individual. The University of Iowa Foundation has a retreat once a year for those who want to engage in the fight against cancer with me. I share with you this event in pictures that sometimes speak louder than words. Thank you each hero. Thank you for your fight. Thank you for helping someone other than yourself. Thank you for you selflessness.
Mo
DOCTOR MO IOWA 
Dear Mo,
Yong must have been in your thoughts that Tuesday night when you wrote this. THANK YOU for the kindness and care you and Wendee gave us those 10 months.
beng
Mo,
Thanks to you I got five extra years with my uncle. Because of you he was able to enjoy my wedding and I was able to tell him I was pregnant which was my last wish. He talked so highly of you and couldn’t have asked for a better doctor! Thank you for all you do for all of your patients. You truly care for each one of them! You are an amazing person who works miracles.
Reblogged this on Mo and commented:
We recently published Nancy’s Promise, a newsletter which shows the scientific enterprise created from donations made by generous patients. I’d like to take a moment to thank all of those who participated in this endeavor. It’s been an incredible and successful journey. Today I reblog my earliest post as it is a promise to all of my Hero’s.
This is why your amazing! Not only do you care about each person but also about doing anything you can to find a cure. I’m so glad I came to Iowa City. Thanks to God and your expertise I am still here today. I often think of your sleepness nights and sacrifices you make for all of us. Your as much of a hero to us as we are to you.
Thank you,
Sarah
Sarah,
Thank you for your kind words and your support. My team and I have worked hard to help everyone we can, there are battles lost and some won, but the war is not over. I know that I will stand with as many as I can for as long as it takes.
Mo
Dr. Mo,
I so enjoyed your blog. I have read it many times and have also shared it with others. Many people do the things they do each and every day, but often they lack the passion for what they think is their “calling” in life. That is not the case with you. It has always been clear to our family that God has placed you where he needed you the most, and planted the gifts of compassion and dedication in your heart. To us, you are the hero. You are willing to take on the most difficult of cancers and take the journey with your patients and their families, knowing that many of the journeys you are a part of will not have a happy ending. You offer hope and comfort, yet are honest with each and every one of your patients. Thank you for everything you did for Alissa, as well as for Roger and I. You will always be in our hearts.
Nancy
Nancy and Roger,
Whenever I fight with a patient against angiosarcoma I can see Alissa’s determination to beat it, its become mine now. Thank you for connecting me to the angiosarcoma project, your efforts and support do not go unnoticed. Your words are kind and fuel our passion to help solve this problem once and for all.
Mo
Dr. Mo,
You are a humble, kind, gentle soul with so much knowledge! And your passion, desire and dedication to find a cure for the devastating cancers that take so many lives is truly amazing . You have been given many gifts and are using them well to further quality of life for others. My family and I are very blessed to know you as a doctor and a friend!…Lani Yates
Lani
Thank you for kind words and your incredible support. Thank you for calling your friend. That, to me, is an honor.
Mo
Wow! I thank you for doing what you do and writing about it. My son, Aleksei is a Ewing’s Sarcoma survivor! He has been off treatment for almost 22 months now and today is our scan day! Keep on keepin’ on…Alli
Alli and Aleksei-
Wonderful to hear from you. I will use your motto “keep on, keepin’ on….”
Mo
Mo,
You are truly an inspiration and a hero to them as well as they are to you. Our family will never forget all you did for us and Hannah. We appreciated having a doctor for Hannah that did not do only everything he could, but also deeply cared from the bottom of his heart.
Lisa,
Thank you. Hannah will also be close to my heart in every way.
Mo