About Us
As a result of open information exchange worldwide, our vision is to witness a day when no individual or family suffers from the devastating toll of cancer and chronic disease.
Merium Ann Simone (1951-2002)
Together with her husband Joe, Merium Ann Simone founded the International Spirit of Life Foundation to address the many disparities in cancer care and management.
Two years following the launch of ISLF, Ann was diagnosed with a rare, terminal form of liver cancer that metastasized to her lungs. Conventional cancer treatment did not work and Ann was finally selected to take part in the world’s first clinical protocol stem cell treatment for hard tumors at the National Institutes of Health. Ann used stem cells donated by her brother, James, to become the first woman in the world to receive this treatment.
Ann’s passion and dedication to the cause of fighting cancer grew stronger as she herself battled the disease. She expressed gratitude to her doctors for the privilege of participating in this new, uncertain protocol. While a positive response to the solid tumor occurred in the final stages of treatments, Ann succumbed to related causes and lost her battle.
Ann’s story and her unrelenting commitment to ending cancer serve as a constant comfort and reminder to those who remain fighting.
Joseph R. Simone
Founder and Chairman
International Spirit of Life Foundation
President
Saratoga National Food Group, LLC
As Founder and Chairman of the International Spirit of Life Foundation, Joseph Simone is a dedicated humanitarian committed to the health and well being of people everywhere. Together with his late wife, Merium Ann Simone, Joe founded the International Spirit of Life Foundation out of their fierce determination to provide support to those who are leading the charge against cancer and to those whose lives have been touched by the disease.
Joe has worked in both the public and private business sectors for the past 30 years. In addition to his humanitarian efforts, he is Founder and Principal of Saratoga Food Group, LLC a restaurant development company located in Maryland and Virginia, with franchise stores of Popeye’s Chicken & Biscuits.
Joe's passion for this cause stems from being a two-time cancer survivor, the loss of his wife Ann to the disease and the struggle he witnesses as his two year old grandson Justin fights leukemia. He believes in a day when no individual or family needs to suffer from this devastating disease.
Spirit of Life Statue
As the symbol of the International Spirit of Life Foundation exemplifies, “the Spirit of Life” statue was chosen to represent its commitment to the many lives who have been affected by cancer. The statue embodies the vision, passion and courage we wish to ignite in all cancer and chronic disease patients, their families and caregivers.
The Spirit of Life statue was created and sculpted by Daniel Chester French, the sculptor of the "The Sitting Lincoln" and "The Minute Man at Concord", which was dedicated in 1915 in Saratoga Springs, NY. Each statue is hand-cast in the US Foundry exclusively for the International Spirit of Life Foundation with a certificate of authenticity provided by Chesterwood Museum in cooperation with the National Trust for Historic Preservation.