In Memory: Firouzeh Keshmiri
| Published: 12/19/2007 |
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On Oct. 13, 2007, a little before midnight, Firouzeh Keshmiri passed away after nearly 15 months of a heroic battle with the most malignant form of brain cancer, Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM).
Only 48 at the time of her death, Firouzeh was a mother of three, an exemplary colleague and a great teacher at MSOE. She was the driving force behind many Womens' Connections activities at MSOE and was popular among students as well as faculty and staff because of her intelligence, humility and great sense of humor. To me she was a wonderful colleague, a very precious friend and an exquisite human being.
"How are you? How are the kids?" I would always ask her when she stopped by my office in the science building on her way to class or after teaching. "Good, Good, Good," she always would say.
Always ready to help people around her, Firouzeh would offer a solution without patronizing anyone no matter the gravity of the matter. "Firouzeh was a great counselor to students besides impacting them in the classroom. She gave a listening ear and encouraged them in their difficulties and brought a human side to the teaching profession," said Professor Subha Kumpaty of the ME Department, paying tribute to Firouzeh. "She was unbiased, very objective and appreciative of her students," Professor Kumpaty added.
Firouzeh was a perfect role model for both students and colleagues in many ways. Along with her husband, Habib Tabatabai, a professor at UW-Milwaukee, Firouzeh started a company called "Substiwood", participated in many activities at MSOE, encouraged incoming new colleagues at MSOE to participate in activities other than teaching, and raised her three children with extreme dedication. "Before I had my son," narrated Professor Anne Marie Nickel of Physics and Chemistry, "Firouzeh told me to focus on cuddling, loving and enjoying my baby every time he needed a cuddle, even in the middle of the night when I was exhausted."
Firouzeh was born and raised through her early childhood in the historical city of poets, wine and flowers, Shiraz, situated in Southwestern Iran. USA became her second home after her arrival here in 1978 when she was only 19. She earned a bachelor's degree from the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) in Chicago, and master's degree in mechanical engineering from UW-Madison. Her upbringing being nourished by two diverse cultures made her personality a very valuable amalgam of Eastern and Western values. Professor Mike Swedish said that he talked to Firouzeh about the ill health of his mother and thereafter Firouzeh always wanted to know how his mother was doing — even when Firouzeh became ill herself, lying at the hospital bed she asked Professor Swedish how his mother was doing! "She always cared," Professor Swedish said remembering Firouzeh.
There are a thousand stories to tell about Firouzeh — who she was to many as a friend, mentor and teacher — how she got involved in defining the future for many young adults, like my own daughter, and in the past for her own younger sister (a successful dentist) as well. I chose to tell the story of who she was as a human being.
Firouzeh, early on during her diagnosis, came to know that she had the most common and aggressive type of primary brain tumor. She knew that treatment could involve chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery, all of which were palliative measures, meaning that they were not going to provide a cure. She was aware that five-year survival rate of the disease had remained unchanged over the past 30 years and stands at less than three percent. Firouzeh knew that at the end she was not going to win this battle with the monster, "Glioblastoma multiforme," a grade 4 most malignant cancer. She, at a time when the bravest of brave would have broken down and cried on their knees, decided that she was going to smile, strive and fight. In the most difficult of her evenings, she smiled back at her hospital and home visitors, held the hands of her friends, talked about the system of education in the USA and all over the world, laughed and criticized the below average standard of TV programs, read literature, talked about writing her memoirs after getting well, worried about her children, her family and her husband whom she loved dearly and every given time when asked, "Hey, Firouzeh, how are you?" She responded, "Good, Good, Good."
Firouzeh's younger sister, Farzaneh summed her up when she said, "She was a peace-keeper, she never fought, even when provoked — she never fought with anyone." I believe Firouzeh was a highly intelligent human being with lots of class. She knew where a fight was pointless and where a war was needed to be waged. She lost her war with a brain tumor but she fought it with remarkable valor and extreme nobility. Life is beautiful and the presence of people like Firouzeh makes it worth living. I am so proud of having been Firouzeh's friend, and I miss her tremendously.
Gul Afshan
Physics and Chemistry Department
MSOE
MSOE Alumni E-news, January 2008
CampusLines, December 2007