Celebrating Wendy

Wendy was a remarkable person who touched so many in her own unique way and taught us valuable lessons that we still carry with us today. We asked our community to help us create a special tribute in honor of the 10th anniversary of Wendy’s death by sharing the lessons she taught us. This tribute will serve as a lasting reminder of the impact she had on our lives.

If you’d still like to share a memory, it’s not too late — email it to info@wendywalk.org.

Amy L.

I always think of Wendy as one of the strongest, bravest and most life affirming person I have ever known. Her spirit and fight for the best life she could have are an inspiration to me and, I’m sure, many others.

Donna S.

Wendy and I met when we were juniors in high school at a summer program at Cornell. We then reconnected as freshman at Northwestern University but we didn't become close friends until we transferred to the University of Pennsylvania our junior year in college. Wendy was the most encouraging person I have ever known. She convinced you there was nothing you couldn't conquer and she would be there every step of the way cheering you on! She understood my struggles raising a daughter with cerebral palsy and kept my spirits up and my focus positive no matter what issue I was going through. Wendy was a unique individual who touched everyone she connected with in very deep and meaningful ways. She is greatly missed by all who knew her and her memory will never fade as long as we keep remembering all the wonderful ways she touched our lives.

Charles F.

The thing I remember about your mom was her sense of wanting to improve things not just for herself but for other families going forward. She often told me that her commitment to philanthropy was instilled in her by her parents who were donors to Albert Einstein College of Medicine (my alma mater).  She said that growing up at the dinner table, she heard so much discussion of Albert Einstein that she thought he was a relative. I think you are the embodiment to the continuation of that spirit.

Barbara + Mark L.

The one piece of wisdom that always resonated with is what we think of as Wendy’s “mantra”  “One Day At A Time” or “OnDAAT”.  Take each day as it comes and live it to the fullest you can.

Stephanie r.

Things I learned from Wendy: listen to others, don’t complain, fit it all in, and make everyone feel special in your life.

Gwen S.

I was so nervous the first time I went to the Landes household after knowing Matt for a few months. Matt had a bigger than life personality and I wasn’t sure what to expect from his family. I’ll never forget two things 1) that all the Landes’ did in fact have even bigger personalities than Matt but also 2) Wendy gave me the biggest hug when we first met and told me that she considered me part of the family and told me I was welcome anytime there. It’s like she knew how nervous I was and she immediately took all my worries away with her sweet words. Within minutes, I felt like I knew her my whole life. Wendy had a heart of gold and it continues to shine though her beautiful family. 

Leslie h.

Wow today is 10 years… it’s hard to believe. It’s hard to put into words a lesson or just one memory.

Wendy was a force!! She was an amazing women to so many of us. She was a sounding board when times were tough and enjoyed life to its fullest when times were fun. She taught us all how to enjoy life and how to experience being in the moment before that phrase was popular.

When she came to the beach to visit it was a bonding time for all of us and the kids… but we didn’t even realize what we were creating at the time. The memories and the family bonds that are lasting a lifetime and beyond!!

It brings tears to my eyes and a gulp in my throat to write this. She is missed so much that words can’t come close to the feelings… She was the voice of reason, the voice of compassion and the voice of confidence. There are many things she tought us all, but I would say the power of love was the loudest! She moved across the country, there were years that we didn’t see each other, but when we did... time stood still.

She was a gallant fighter and a warrior extrodinaire. She fought to the end and didn’t want to leave us. But her wisdom and spirit lives on in her kids!! They are her legacy and they bring her closer to us all.

Miriam A.

Wendy's smile lit up a room. She loved to laugh and have a good time but she was much more than a party girl. She was warm, sensitive, intelligent, cared deeply about people, and always tried to help them. She loved her children SO much and was so proud of them. Her star shines brightly through our memories of her, her incredible children, and Wendy Walk.

Nancy A.

Wendy was one of the most judicious people I know. She looked at people compassionately, seeing their strengths and their humanity. She was consistently fair in her assessments of others, and she championed those who needed assistance and support for various reasons, not of their own making. 

Wendy was a realist, not an idealist. Yet, she lived ideally, giving of herself fully to all, and sharing her intelligence, her wisdom, her strength, her passions, her caring. Wendy's legacy of lovingkindness remains vital in all of us who knew her. I, for one, benefited from Wendy's light and wisdom over the decades of our friendship. I am ever grateful for this, and try to live up to her legacy of making the world a more just place.

Carole W.

What I can recall is the feeling – Wendy was a safe space for me. She was such a special, wise, caring and incredible person who was an inspiration! Her determination and guts were very much an inspiration for me in my own physical battles. There’s absolutely no replacing her end. She was one of a kind. And I loved her.

Kelly A.

Wendy was my divorce attorney. In fact, I believe mine might've been one of the last cases she handled. It unfortunately lingered for many years during which her cancer returned. Eventually she referred me to a colleague and my divorce was finalized a few days before Wendy died.

During the most difficult time of my divorce, I discovered some things that left me with a great sense of rage and betrayal. I was devastated and angry and came to Wendy's office in tears. She listened, patiently and sympathetically, as I poured out my heart. And then she said, "I understand what it feels like to have the rug pulled out from under you. This is hard. But you have a choice now about how to respond." 

I will never forget that advice OR watching Wendy live out that advice in the final years of her life. None of us is immune to bad luck or heartbreak or a terminal diagnosis. And with such things will come all the difficult emotions - anger, fear, grief, a desire to seek revenge, to give up, to lash out or to lash back. But those feelings don't have to dictate how you behave. You always have a choice. And sometimes, in those moments, that might be all the control you have. But it is not nothing. In fact, what you do with that choice speaks volumes about you.

Sadly, I didn't know Wendy for very long and I met her at the absolute lowest point in my life. But she gave me the gift of understanding that your emotions and your behaviors are not inextricably linked. You always have a choice. It is a lesson I will never forget.

Phyllis M.

Wendy was one of my best friends through junior high and high school. Together with Madeline, the 3 of us were inseparable! Wendy’s family became my extended family, spending so much time at her house. Though we went separate ways after high school, we stayed in touch, celebrated at each other’s weddings and phone calls.
The last time I saw Wendy in person was when she came to Boston to meet with doctors. Sitting at lunch with her, I was amazed by her positivity as she talked about her cancer journey. Wendy will always represent friendship, joy, strength, passion for life, love of her family and one of the best friends I could have asked for!

Leslie S.

I personally did not know Wendy but the best she left me was HOPE!!!!

Phyllis H.

Wendy WAS a special person. She was my sister and I adored her from the moment she was born. Wendy was at the top of her "life game" when she was diagnosed with liposarcoma. At the time of diagnosis she was an accomplished attorney and mediator, a mother of 3 amazing children, a wife, a community activist, a friend to so many, a team tennis player, a skier, a pilates devotee, a lover of  travel, a wonderful participant in all family events, a listener, a talker, a beautiful woman, so funny, so much fun to be with, and, and, and, AND...   Then came liposarcoma; the tests, the doctors, the searching for answers, the trials, the surgeries, the chemos, the waiting....

And what are the lessons I took from her journey? What did I see then and now, 10 years later, continue to hold onto as guide posts in life? I saw her initially absorb all the information about her disease. She didn't panic. She learned about her condition. I saw Wendy proceed with as much open-mindedness and clear-headedness as anyone could have mustered. I watched her decide that her children were right when they suggested she go public and become the face and the voice of liposarcoma - to create awareness and to begin raising research funds for this orphan cancer. I saw her become stronger by taking on The Wendy Walk and, as she said "I wouldn't have chosen this way to make a difference but now that it's here, this is my purpose; awareness and education and the ability to create a place where other people diagnosed with this disease can find answers, compassion and connection". I saw her weep but then recover after poor scans and failed trials.I saw that Wendy never gave up any of her pursuits before she absolutely had to. I saw that she let LOVE buoy her up when her will sometimes faltered. I saw what courage looked like as she prepared  for each day. I saw that there was so much life and love and fun to be had between diagnosis and March 14, 2013. I witnessed what it meant to have courage and grit and heart and the will to live. I saw what it meant to be a woman of substance.

On the 10th Anniversary of Wendy's passing I don't know that I have "learned" her life's lessons. What I know is that I admire and cherish all that she showed me. Every day in countless ways, my sister is with me, inspiring me, loving me, supporting me with the memories of her strength and her courage. I will never stop missing her. I never stop being grateful to have had her. And finally, let me say that every time someone reaches out to Wendy Walk, gets involved, calls for help, walks in a walk, spins, does yoga, posts a comment, etc., Wendy is there... Wendy is living on in all of you and Wendy is living on in all of us.

Katie b.

Katie Burnett

Wendy taught me so much that I am grateful for and she has always been - and continues to be - a role model. There are so many memories I cherish, but for this I want to highlight how she’s my role model of a working mom. 

In all my memories of Wendy, she was the BOSS. The most kind, smart, loving, funny, social, nurturing, empathetic, fashionable, strong, resilient, confident boss lady. She had her own successful mediation practice while raising three amazing kids, playing weekly tennis, yoga and/or Pilates, prioritizing all the kids’ activities (at 3 different schools!), managing a packed personal social calendar, doing family dinners, vacations and movie nights, all while also prioritizing her marriage with quick getaways to Laguna with Robert. I have such respect for how Wendy balanced it all. It’s honestly overwhelming and I wish I could ask her how she did it and was still so present. Growing up with her as my 2nd mom, I had the privilege of learning so much from her simply by observing how she navigated her day to-day life with such grace and confidence. Something that I never could truly appreciate until I became an adult and a mom. I admire how Wendy was a loving, present mom who also prioritized herself as a woman, friend, partner, sister, daughter, and boss. She didn’t lose her identify. As a working mom, I find myself sometimes feeling guilty and having self doubt. But visualizing Wendy helps me take a deep breath, ground myself and feel proud because that is what she did (x’s 1000!). Another thing about Wendy was that she gave the BEST advice. She was always honest, which could be sometimes tough to hear (!), but this is yet another thing I respect and miss about Wendy. She spoke and lived her truth. I can hear her advice still to this day. Always honest and always pushing me to to remember what’s important and not to lose myself. 

I miss her so much and I have immeasurable gratitude for being part of her life. I loved spending so much time with her and what an honor to learn so much from her. I’m so grateful I received her love and sage wisdom. I love you, Wendy. Thank you for being my role model