Give a Tribute Gift That Makes a Difference

She was a competitive ballroom dancer, a wonderful mother of two, a loving wife, and an experienced coach and consultant. In the words of her husband, Bob: Borbala Bunnett was a “gift from God.”

Not surprisingly, what many people found hard to process was that this vibrant woman was also facing a tough pancreatic cancer journey.

At the age of 46, concern over unexplained weight loss and stomach pain led to the discovery and diagnosis of advanced pancreatic cancer blocking her gastrointestinal system. Borbala took on her cancer diagnosis as she took on everything in life …with focus, positive energy, sincere thoughtfulness, deeply caring compassion for others, and to live life to the fullest with her family.

The mom of Sophie and Benji (then 3 and 1 years old) underwent surgeries and chemotherapy while enduring extreme weight loss such that she was virtually incapacitated. Choosing to spend her remaining time with her children as much as possible, she went into Hospice at home in December 2022.

According to Bob, she fought valiantly, despite extreme and growing pain. Bob recalls her spending whatever moments she could being the best possible mom to their kids.

Toward the end of Borbala’s journey, she turned over her feeding and caretaking fully to Bob. He says it was “something I never knew I could be capable of — changing her dressings and giving her medications every 4 hours, taking care of her every need round the clock.” At the end, Bob was relieved by 24-hour Hospice Nurses — but first Borbala insisted that Bob show the Nurses how to change her dressings, which Bob considered ”the highest praise since the Nurses were the real pros, but Borbala trusted me so much with her care.”

She passed away in August 2023 with Bob at her side. She is memorialized in the limited edition book Borbala Bunnett—Thank God Such A Woman Existed, the perpetual trophy for the Borbala Bunnett Top Female Teacher Award at the Ballroom Beach Bash in San Diego, California, the active CSCNT Borbala Bunnett Memorial Fund, the forthcoming video “The Celebration of  Borbala’s Life,” and in family memorials at Bluebonnet Hills Memorial Park in Colleyville, Texas, and Budapest, Hungary.

Leaving a Lasting Impact in Honor of Borbala

Early on after her diagnosis, Bob recalls a school mom sharing with him that there was a support group for patients and caregivers nearby — Cancer Support Community North Texas (CSCNT) — and handed him a card. He remembers thinking: “I don’t need help” – Bob, the son of a Lutheran minister, says he was “built for this role” providing emotional support to the friends and family who were grieving and as an active parent to his kids.

Later, as he started exploring ways to give back in the pancreatic cancer nonprofit space, Bob said he was looking for something that was more than just donating money — an organization that was “meaningful and impactful.” One day when dropping off his kids at school, Haley Kinson, Director of Admissions at Primrose in Westlake at Entrada, shared how the school strongly supports CSCNT. She touted it as a great organization to consider as it helps all people with cancer by providing mental health and social support at no cost to them.

Bob agrees: “After learning more, I felt I could honor Borbala in a meaningful way through a gift to CSCNT. CSCNT will help people who do need social and emotional support along their journeys — it’s a critical service my kids and I will be proud knowing we helped make happen for cancer patients and their families.”