Gunnar Nilsson's Cancer Foundation

A proud, wealthy, single mother.
Despite her small stature, she soon became known as person to fear. When her tenants did not conduct themselves in a way that she found appropriate they were told off with a string of Danish profanities. As a matter of fact she was never heard to utter a word in Swedish during the well over 40 years she lived in Sweden. In the autumn of 1948 the couple's much longed-for son was born. He was given the name Gunnar and grew up to be a handsome young man, something his father, unfortunately, never lived to see. In May 1964, when Gunnar was only 15, Arvid passed away. He left behind a construction company, an empire of properties and Elisabeth became a single mother. Perhaps the story would have ended here. But this single mother had, as mentioned, a will of steel. She let Stig, Arvid's son from a previous marriage, take over the construction company and she herself managed the properties. She forced herself to go on living for the sake of her son. Gunnar was interested in cars from an early age, and with his mother's genes it was probably not a coincidence that he started to compete. And no less surprising that he chose the fastest racing sport - Formula 1. He was used to life in the fast lane.

With the same determination it was not long before he, alongside Ronnie Peterson, was on his way to becoming one of the foremost racing drivers in the world. Elisabeth was very proud of her son's success and over the years they had developed a very rare relationship. No matter where in the world Gunnar happened to be for his competitions he would ring his mother every day to tell her how he was. All the years they spent together after Arvid's death simply meant that they were very precious to each other.

Life was shattered but her will was unbroken
Just how successful Gunnar Nilsson might have become is anyone's guess because at this point the unthinkable happened in Elisabeth Nilsson's life. Her son was diagnosed with testicular cancer. He fought the disease, but in vain, and he died in the autumn of 1978. At 71, Elisabeth Nilsson was alone. Despite this, her strong will was not broken but her anger had found a new target. She would take on the monster that had taken her son away. She had learnt that cures could be developed. Only a few months after Gunnar had passed away a new method of treatment was launched that in one sweep brought the mortality rate of testicular cancer down to 10% from 90%. Nobody knows what would have happened had it arrived a year earlier. So, only a year after Gunnar's death she created what would be her life's work, Gunnar Nilsson's Cancer Foundation.

The idea was that the foundation would inherit her entire estate the day she died. In its first year the foundation led an unobtrusive existence but then Elisabeth donated the summerhouse that she and Arvid had owned in Viken and the foundation quickly converted it into money. At the end of the 1980's she donated one of her properties and then the foundation could begin spending money in earnest for cancer research. But then, on Christmas Eve 1989, she realised that she had nothing to wait for. She decided to immediately donate her whole fortune to the foundation and summoned the family's lawyer to do it the very same day. She died two years later, with the conviction that one day her wish will come through at last. When she has beaten cancer once and for all.