What is Legacy?

When Patty Keating first found the Hypopara Association, she wasn't looking for a career.

She was looking for answers.

Like so many people in this room, Patty became a postsurgical hypopara patient and suddenly found herself trying to understand a disease she never expected to have.

She came to this organization because she needed help.

And somewhere along the way, she decided she wanted to be the help for someone else.

Patty began volunteering. She listened. She learned. She connected with patients. And as she became more involved, she began to see not only what the Hypoparathyroidism Association was—but everything it had the potential to become.

Then she did something that required an incredible leap of faith.

Patty took years of leadership experience, left the security of her day job, and bet on this organization and this community.

She became one of the Association's first employees, stepping into the role of Executive Director.

And in just over two years, the trajectory of this organization has changed tremendously.

Under Patty's leadership, we've looked for new ways to educate patients, reach people who may never make it to an annual conference, learn from other organizations in the rare disease community, elevate the patient voice, and make sure patients have a seat at tables where decisions about their lives are being made.

This year, she took that even further by launching a podcast—creating another place where patients can tell their stories, where important conversations can happen, and where our reach can extend far beyond the people we already know.

But there's another part of Patty's story that makes what she has accomplished even more remarkable.

Shortly after taking that enormous leap of faith and committing herself full-time to this community, Patty learned she was facing another life-changing diagnosis:

Lung cancer.

Suddenly, the patient advocate was once again navigating healthcare as the patient.

And Patty did something very Patty.

She paid attention.

As she encountered a different disease, different specialists, different systems, and different challenges, she began bringing those lessons back to us in real time.

She asked: What can we learn from this? What could we do differently? How can this experience help us better serve our patients?

Even in one of the most difficult chapters of her own life, she was still thinking about how to make someone else's journey better.

And to me, that is where Patty's story and James's legacy meet.

James Sanders Didn't Build This Organization Because He Had All the Answers.

He built it because patients needed answers. Patients needed each other. And someone needed to do something.

Patty started in exactly the same place.

She needed answers for herself.

• Then helping herself became helping another patient.
• Helping another patient became volunteering.
• Volunteering became leading.
• And leading became taking a leap of faith that has helped transform this organization and expand what is possible for our community.

That is legacy.

Legacy isn't simply remembering what someone built.

It's picking it up, carrying it forward, and having the courage to build upon it.

Patty, you have done exactly that.

You took James's vision and believed enough in its future to make it your life's work.

You've challenged us to think bigger, reach farther, try new things, and never forget why we are here in the first place:

The patient.

James started something extraordinary.

And Patty, through your leadership, your courage, your compassion, and your willingness to take that leap of faith, you are helping ensure that what he started continues to grow, evolve, and change lives.

It is our tremendous honor to present the 2026 James Sanders Legacy Award to our Executive Director, Patty Keating!