Love, faith, provide armor in cancer fight for Maddens
In memory of Mr. Herman Madden.
Showing posts with label Lung Cancer Warriors. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lung Cancer Warriors. Show all posts
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Young cancer survivor touches senator
from NEWS & RECORD
news-record.com
Greensboro, North Carolina
By: Doug Clark, Staff Writer
news-record.com
Greensboro, North Carolina
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Check out the Upstate Women's Show - Featuring Lung Cancer Survivor, Keish Kirkland of WYFF 4
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Jacksonville.com reports: Times-Union reporter free to fly again after cancer fight
After 8 weeks of chemotheropy, tests come back cancer free.
By Jessie-Lynne Kerr
The news from the doctors last week was very positive - the latest PET/CAT scan showed no return of the cancer that was discovered in my lungs March 10.
They even said I could attempt to return to a somewhat normal, at least for me, way of life and try the things that got put on hold while I fought the cancer.
The combination of aggressive chemotherapy and twice-a-day radiation killed the tumors after just eight weeks. Another week of chemo followed, depleting my white blood cell count and necessitating shots of Neupogen to stimulate the bone marrow to make more.
Most of June was spent getting daily low-dose radiation to the brain, since small-cell lung cancer, the type I have, has a tendency to return with a vengeance and go to the brain.
It was painless, but it took its toll in other ways.
My eyebrows now must be deftly drawn and brushed on each morning with the latest from Maybelline.
And the radiation killed parts of the stubble that had begun to reforest my bald scalp. At first it looked as if it continued to grow in that pattern, I would be sporting a Mohawk.
But soon, some of that melted away, too. Now it is just a circular patch of very dark stubble on the very crown of my head, and a rather ugly misshapen patch below. And I can't blame it on being a rookie at football camp.
Didn't someone famous once say that a woman's crowning glory was her hair?
It is hard to imagine that now in my case.
I faced reality and took care of some necessary stuff we don't like to talk about because it means we are confronting our own mortality. I have paid for my cremation and for the interment of my ashes at the memorial garden at church. A lawyer prepared my will, designation of health surrogate, living will and all that legal stuff to spare my son the tasks.
Cleared to go on my own way for three months without any further treatment, except for a monthly irrigation of the port in my chest to facilitate getting chemo, I am to call the radiologist if I experience any bone pain, seizures or cough up bloody mucous.
He told me it could be up to three months before the overwhelming fatigue I am experiencing eases up. My esophagus, which was burned by the radiation, is healing nicely and I am not too worried about the 20 pounds or so that I've lost due to a poor appetite because I was (and still am) overweight. But for those of you trying to lose some weight, find another way.
My lung doctor told me I was doing great but when I told him of my anxiety waiting to get the results of the latest scan, he told me that is called "scanxiety." I had a tendency to think the worst whenever a felt a twinge that seemed somehow different.
After all this, you would think I'd be due a vacation, right?
Well I have one planned. In February I bought a round-trip airline ticket to New York to attend a Hall of Fame induction ceremony at my high school on Staten Island. I had to cancel because of the lung cancer.
But now I have been cleared to fly again and I plan to go to New York the first week of October and visit a cousin. We plan to drive up to her cabin in the Adirondacks for a few days and take in Mother Nature's repainting of the landscape.
Life - now - is good. And with only a 20 percent chance I'll be here in five years, every moment is too precious to waste.
Read more.
By Jessie-Lynne Kerr
The news from the doctors last week was very positive - the latest PET/CAT scan showed no return of the cancer that was discovered in my lungs March 10.
They even said I could attempt to return to a somewhat normal, at least for me, way of life and try the things that got put on hold while I fought the cancer.
The combination of aggressive chemotherapy and twice-a-day radiation killed the tumors after just eight weeks. Another week of chemo followed, depleting my white blood cell count and necessitating shots of Neupogen to stimulate the bone marrow to make more.
Most of June was spent getting daily low-dose radiation to the brain, since small-cell lung cancer, the type I have, has a tendency to return with a vengeance and go to the brain.
It was painless, but it took its toll in other ways.
My eyebrows now must be deftly drawn and brushed on each morning with the latest from Maybelline.
And the radiation killed parts of the stubble that had begun to reforest my bald scalp. At first it looked as if it continued to grow in that pattern, I would be sporting a Mohawk.
But soon, some of that melted away, too. Now it is just a circular patch of very dark stubble on the very crown of my head, and a rather ugly misshapen patch below. And I can't blame it on being a rookie at football camp.
Didn't someone famous once say that a woman's crowning glory was her hair?
It is hard to imagine that now in my case.
I faced reality and took care of some necessary stuff we don't like to talk about because it means we are confronting our own mortality. I have paid for my cremation and for the interment of my ashes at the memorial garden at church. A lawyer prepared my will, designation of health surrogate, living will and all that legal stuff to spare my son the tasks.
Cleared to go on my own way for three months without any further treatment, except for a monthly irrigation of the port in my chest to facilitate getting chemo, I am to call the radiologist if I experience any bone pain, seizures or cough up bloody mucous.
He told me it could be up to three months before the overwhelming fatigue I am experiencing eases up. My esophagus, which was burned by the radiation, is healing nicely and I am not too worried about the 20 pounds or so that I've lost due to a poor appetite because I was (and still am) overweight. But for those of you trying to lose some weight, find another way.
My lung doctor told me I was doing great but when I told him of my anxiety waiting to get the results of the latest scan, he told me that is called "scanxiety." I had a tendency to think the worst whenever a felt a twinge that seemed somehow different.
After all this, you would think I'd be due a vacation, right?
Well I have one planned. In February I bought a round-trip airline ticket to New York to attend a Hall of Fame induction ceremony at my high school on Staten Island. I had to cancel because of the lung cancer.
But now I have been cleared to fly again and I plan to go to New York the first week of October and visit a cousin. We plan to drive up to her cabin in the Adirondacks for a few days and take in Mother Nature's repainting of the landscape.
Life - now - is good. And with only a 20 percent chance I'll be here in five years, every moment is too precious to waste.
Read more.
Friday, July 3, 2009
LA Daily News reports: Equality and better treatment sought for lung cancer patients
As an emergency physician, Dr. Michael Weitz battles illnesses to save the lives of others.
In his own personal fight with lung cancer, he is battling the stigma that his disease carries.
Weitz, who is one of the 215,000 people diagnosed each year with lung cancer, knows what others think: "You did it to yourself," the Woodland Hills man said.
But Weitz never smoked cigarettes - did nothing he knows of that would infect the delicate tissue of his lungs.
Yet even for those with lung cancer who have never smoked, the condition comes with a negative stereotype. They often are asked, "Did you smoke?"
It's a perception health advocates say needs to be shattered. Why, they ask, should state or federal funding toward the detection and treatment of lung cancer be any different than, say, for illnesses associated with obesity, alcoholism or other kinds of cancer?
"We have to get to the point of saying it doesn't matter," said Kim Norris, a Los Angeles resident who founded the Lung Cancer Foundation of America.
The foundation's goal is to raise enough funds to lead to lung cancer research and treatment. The five-year survival rates for all stages of lung cancer haven't changed in decades, a result of little progress toward finding better treatments, Norris said.
Norris and others note that research for lung cancer treatment remains "under-funded, under-researched and under-reported," because government funders view it as the "the black sheep" of cancers.
"Just because smoking is legal - and the Department of Defense once handed out cigarettes during wars - doesn't mean (those who smoked) deserve (lung cancer)."
Read more.
In his own personal fight with lung cancer, he is battling the stigma that his disease carries.
Weitz, who is one of the 215,000 people diagnosed each year with lung cancer, knows what others think: "You did it to yourself," the Woodland Hills man said.
But Weitz never smoked cigarettes - did nothing he knows of that would infect the delicate tissue of his lungs.
Yet even for those with lung cancer who have never smoked, the condition comes with a negative stereotype. They often are asked, "Did you smoke?"
It's a perception health advocates say needs to be shattered. Why, they ask, should state or federal funding toward the detection and treatment of lung cancer be any different than, say, for illnesses associated with obesity, alcoholism or other kinds of cancer?
"We have to get to the point of saying it doesn't matter," said Kim Norris, a Los Angeles resident who founded the Lung Cancer Foundation of America.
The foundation's goal is to raise enough funds to lead to lung cancer research and treatment. The five-year survival rates for all stages of lung cancer haven't changed in decades, a result of little progress toward finding better treatments, Norris said.
Norris and others note that research for lung cancer treatment remains "under-funded, under-researched and under-reported," because government funders view it as the "the black sheep" of cancers.
"Just because smoking is legal - and the Department of Defense once handed out cigarettes during wars - doesn't mean (those who smoked) deserve (lung cancer)."
Read more.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
WYFF4 of Greenville: Keisha Kirkland Extends Thanks For Support
On the last day of her treatment for stage three lung cancer, WYFF News 4 Weather Anchor Keisha Kirkland extended a video thank you to all viewers for the messages and calls of support.
Kirkland was diagnosed in November and shortly afterward underwent surgery to remove the upper right lung mass.
Go here to view what Keisha has to say in her own words.
Kirkland was diagnosed in November and shortly afterward underwent surgery to remove the upper right lung mass.
Go here to view what Keisha has to say in her own words.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Top NC advocate of smoking ban has lung surgery
The powerful state House Democratic leader who drove the Legislature to pass a statewide indoor smoking ban had surgery Tuesday to remove part of his lung, his legislative aide said.
House Majority Leader Hugh Holliman, D-Davidson, had surgery at Forsyth Medical Center in Winston-Salem and was recovering in the hospital's intensive care unit, his legislative assistant, Carol Bowers, said after speaking with the legislator's wife, Ellen.
Holliman had a lower lobe of his right lung removed, Bowers said. Test results will determine later whether the removed section was cancerous, Bowers said. He was in stable condition Tuesday, hospital spokeswoman Freda Springs said.
Holliman's surgery came a week after he was collecting plaudits from Gov. Beverly Perdue as the driving force behind legislation that will ban smoking inside restaurants and bars when it takes effect in January. Perdue called the law a turning point for the state that remains the country's largest tobacco grower.
Read more.
House Majority Leader Hugh Holliman, D-Davidson, had surgery at Forsyth Medical Center in Winston-Salem and was recovering in the hospital's intensive care unit, his legislative assistant, Carol Bowers, said after speaking with the legislator's wife, Ellen.
Holliman had a lower lobe of his right lung removed, Bowers said. Test results will determine later whether the removed section was cancerous, Bowers said. He was in stable condition Tuesday, hospital spokeswoman Freda Springs said.
Holliman's surgery came a week after he was collecting plaudits from Gov. Beverly Perdue as the driving force behind legislation that will ban smoking inside restaurants and bars when it takes effect in January. Perdue called the law a turning point for the state that remains the country's largest tobacco grower.
Read more.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Time for the "Golf for Conner" fundraiser golf tournament!
Join The Christopher Conner Foundation in making the 2nd Annual Golf for Conner Tournament a success! They are looking teams, sponsors, and silent auction items for the 2nd annual "Golf for Conner" tournament. Any donation would be greatly appreciated. The foundation realizes times are tough, but every little bit counts. Please help them get the word out to as many people as possible.
Please visit the "Golf for Conner" group page on Facebook.
Below is some more information on the tournament, as well as a link to the registration and sponsor forms.
Thanks for your help!
Time for the "Golf for Conner" fundraiser golf tournament!!
The link above will allow you to print the registration form & also the sponsor form. Send them in ASAP!!
What:Golf Tournament fundraiser event in honor of our dear friend Chris Conner.
This event will host an array of musical talent throughout the day into the eveningincluding a Silent Auction. All profits will go towards an Educational Fund for his son Ace Conner & also to support the Christopher Conner Foundation.
Where: The Country Club of Lexington1066 Barr RoadLexington, SC 29072
Where: The Country Club of Lexington1066 Barr RoadLexington, SC 29072
When:Wednesday, May 20th, 2009Morning & Afternoon Tee Times7:30 am Registration, Shotgun Start at 8:30 am (30 teams)12:00 pm Registration, Shotgun Start at 1:30 pm (30 teams)
Silent Auction:Forms attached
If anyone has contacts they may be able to collect an Auction Item from, it would greatly be appreciated!
Contacts:
Brad Alewine, Shannon Howard Pooser, Molly Palmer Lowder, Brent Caughman, Charles Wilkie
"Golf for Conner"
PO Box 566Lexington, SC 29071
803-214-2226
Thursday, May 7, 2009
The Boston Herald reports: Cancer sidelines Jerry Remy, voice of Red Sox
Jerry Remy, the voice of the Red Sox [team stats] for more than 20 years, is fighting the aftereffects of lung cancer and will be out of the broadcast booth indefinitely.
Remy underwent surgery late last year, NESN revealed yesterday, and has since battled an infection and pneumonia.
On his Twitter site, Remy said he suffered his setback as he left for spring training. “In hindsight, it was a mistake to go and I am paying the price for it now,” he wrote.
He added he’ll be back in time “to take the team all the way to the 2009 World Series.”
Read more.
Remy underwent surgery late last year, NESN revealed yesterday, and has since battled an infection and pneumonia.
On his Twitter site, Remy said he suffered his setback as he left for spring training. “In hindsight, it was a mistake to go and I am paying the price for it now,” he wrote.
He added he’ll be back in time “to take the team all the way to the 2009 World Series.”
Read more.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Routine Exam May Have Been Life-Saver for Greenville's WYFF Weathercaster Keisha Kirkland
If you're young and healthy, it's easy to think that there's not much reason to worry about your health and that an annual physical is something that other, older people have to think about, not you.
But for WYFF 4 Weathercaster Keisha Kirkland, getting that annual physical may have just saved her life.
Keisha, 36, said that she felt perfectly healthy, but because of a family history of heart disease, she had some tests run several months ago.
Her heart was fine, but doctors found that she had the beginning stages of lung cancer.
"I’ve never smoked. I’m young, you know, in shape, I exercise, eat well," Keisha told WYFF News 4's Jane Robelot. "But, hey, I’m still dealing with this."
Dr. James Stephenson of Greenville Hospital System, Keisha's surgeon, said discovering the cancer was almost as unlikely as her chances of having it.
"She decided to have a calcium scoring test to look for heart disease due to some family history," Stephenson said. "Just by chance this abnormal area in her lung was noted on that scan."
Read Keisha Kirkland's Bio.
But for WYFF 4 Weathercaster Keisha Kirkland, getting that annual physical may have just saved her life.
Keisha, 36, said that she felt perfectly healthy, but because of a family history of heart disease, she had some tests run several months ago.
Her heart was fine, but doctors found that she had the beginning stages of lung cancer.
"I’ve never smoked. I’m young, you know, in shape, I exercise, eat well," Keisha told WYFF News 4's Jane Robelot. "But, hey, I’m still dealing with this."
Dr. James Stephenson of Greenville Hospital System, Keisha's surgeon, said discovering the cancer was almost as unlikely as her chances of having it.
"She decided to have a calcium scoring test to look for heart disease due to some family history," Stephenson said. "Just by chance this abnormal area in her lung was noted on that scan."
Read Keisha Kirkland's Bio.
The New York Times: Voices of Lung Cancer
Lung cancer is the biggest cancer killer in the country, killing more than 160,000 people a year. Yet the disease remains low on the list of cancer funding priorities. In 2006, the National Cancer Institute spent $1,518 for each new case of lung cancer and $1,630 for each lung cancer death. By comparison, the agency spent $13,452 per death on breast cancer, which takes 41,000 lives annually.
Read more.
Read more.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Breath of Hope: Lung Cancer The Invisible Disease
A new lung cancer documentary has been released and has started airing on Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) Stations across the country.
“Breath of Hope: Lung Cancer The Invisible Disease” is an hour long documentary that profiles lung cancer survivors from across the country, including LCA-MA advocate Kevin Brumett.
Hosted by Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning actress S. Epatha Merkerson of Law and Order fame, “Breath of Hope” attempts to eradicate the stigma of lung cancer by sharing the perspectives of survivors and their families as well as information from leading experts in the field.
The documentary, produced by CRW Productions in partnership with CancerCare and with input from LCA, has aired in more than 15 major markets, showing the true face of the disease in San Francisco, Philadelphia, Denver, Orlando, Indianapolis and Knoxville, TN.
For more information about “Breath of Hope”, or to see where and when it will air, please visit the documentary website, http://breathofhope.net/.
Friday, April 10, 2009
News from Winston-Salem: Local Radio DJ Remains Upbeat About Battle With Cancer
A beloved local radio DJ gave his first media interview on Friday about his recent battle with lung cancer.
Bill Dobson, who goes by "Brother Bill" on his afternoon radio show at WTQR-FM, in Greensboro, announced several weeks ago that he was undergoing surgery to treat the disease.
Dobson said he had been experiencing pain for a year and a half but struggled to get a conclusive diagnosis.
"Everybody thought it was everything from arthritis to you name it," Dobson said in an interview on WTQR Friday morning.
Bill Dobson, who goes by "Brother Bill" on his afternoon radio show at WTQR-FM, in Greensboro, announced several weeks ago that he was undergoing surgery to treat the disease.
Dobson said he had been experiencing pain for a year and a half but struggled to get a conclusive diagnosis.
"Everybody thought it was everything from arthritis to you name it," Dobson said in an interview on WTQR Friday morning.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
A Week in the Life Of a Lung Cancer Survivor
Being alive and dragged at is a heck of a lot better than the alternative, so full speed ahead it is. Maybe the medicines will help the rash. The cold is much better already. Hopefully the rash means the Tarceva is working and my next scan will be a thing of beauty. Maybe the girls will win tonight’s volleyball game and the Cubs will win the World Series. See, there’s my old optimist finding the sunlight once again.
www.nationallungcancerpartnership.org
www.nationallungcancerpartnership.org
Lung Tube coming April 23rd
LungTube–Carol Lin Reports
The Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation and Carol Lin Reporting are teaming up to bring you the most provocative, compelling and relevant stories about Lung Cancer patients and caregivers—their solutions, stories of survival and what it means to be “One In A Million.”
The Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation and Carol Lin Reporting are teaming up to bring you the most provocative, compelling and relevant stories about Lung Cancer patients and caregivers—their solutions, stories of survival and what it means to be “One In A Million.”
Stories, reported by award-winning, veteran broadcast journalist and former ABC News and CNN anchor/correspondent Carol Lin, will help the world understand the courage of survivors, the need for early detection and the truth that Lung Cancer is everyone’s challenge. You’ll meet Doreen Schmitt, NEVER-smoker, mother of three, who is outwitting her fatal diagnosis with grit and courage even as her husband is battling colon cancer. Then there’s Gabby, age seven, whose own diagnosis has made her the youngest of heroes as she raises awareness. This is just a taste of what’s to come.
Read more.
Read more.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
WIS News: 5K race hopes to raise awareness of how to quit smoking
Are you ready to kick some butt, as in cigarette butts?
The South Carolina Tobacco Collaborative and several other groups are teaming up for their 3rd annual "Strong Bodies Kick Butts" 5K race.
Read more.
The South Carolina Tobacco Collaborative and several other groups are teaming up for their 3rd annual "Strong Bodies Kick Butts" 5K race.
Read more.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Tigard's McCormick is fighting to teach
A Tigard middle school teacher refuses to let cancer get in between her and her students
Fowler Middle School teacher Susan McCormick sat in her sixth-grade classroom for the first time in a long time Friday, looking up at her whiteboard. Nearly all of her 120 students had made a pilgrimage to her whiteboard over the past few months to scribble notes in dry-erase marker saying they missed her, wishing her well, or writing in big blue letters “Go Dodgers” – one of her favorite baseball teams.
“These kids are my medicine,” McCormick sighed, looking up at what she calls her “wall of support” with a smile and wet eyes.
Her other medicine is chemotherapy and radiation to treat her two cancers doctors found last year. Diagnosed with stage-three lung cancer in October and then with pancreatic cancer just weeks later during a PET scan, McCormick has lost her hair, her physical strength and months of seeing her students – but refuses to lose her will to live.
“Currently, I’m a cancer patient, but you can refer to me as a cancer survivor,” McCormick said.
Fowler Middle School teacher Susan McCormick sat in her sixth-grade classroom for the first time in a long time Friday, looking up at her whiteboard. Nearly all of her 120 students had made a pilgrimage to her whiteboard over the past few months to scribble notes in dry-erase marker saying they missed her, wishing her well, or writing in big blue letters “Go Dodgers” – one of her favorite baseball teams.
“These kids are my medicine,” McCormick sighed, looking up at what she calls her “wall of support” with a smile and wet eyes.
Her other medicine is chemotherapy and radiation to treat her two cancers doctors found last year. Diagnosed with stage-three lung cancer in October and then with pancreatic cancer just weeks later during a PET scan, McCormick has lost her hair, her physical strength and months of seeing her students – but refuses to lose her will to live.
“Currently, I’m a cancer patient, but you can refer to me as a cancer survivor,” McCormick said.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Joan Gaeta Lung Cancer Foundation Makes $15,000 Donation to Addario Lung Cancer Medical Institute
The national, virtual lung cancer institute is dedicated to accelerating the discovery, development, and delivery of new and more efficient treatment options for lung cancer patients.
March 17th, 2009 (Atlanta, GA)
Today, The Joan Gaeta Lung Cancer Foundation announced their first donation explicitly geared toward lung cancer treatment research. The foundation is donating $15,000 to the newly-created Addario Lung Cancer Medical Institute (ALCMI).
ALCMI was established by lung cancer survivor Bonnie J. Addario in 2008. A 501(c)3 non-profit organization, it was created to be a national, virtual lung cancer institute – an honest third-party broker that will develop and direct high-quality tissue specimen repositories, data systems, and foster collaboration.
“Our mission statement includes advocating for research,” said foundation president Joe Gaeta. “We believe that ALCMI and its collaboration model will advance the research and treatment of lung cancer and finally begin to increase the survival rate of this horrible disease – a survival rate that has remained virtually unchanged for nearly 40 years. We are extremely confident that ALCMI is the single-best use of our research funds.”
“We are eternally grateful to the Gaeta foundation for their extremely generous donation and, more importantly, for their historic endorsement and partnership with ALCMI,” said ALCMI founder, Bonnie Addario. “Thanks to donations like this, we move one step closer to increasing the survival rate of lung cancer. We are so very happy to have the Gaetas join us in our common fight.”
The Joan Gaeta Lung Cancer Foundation is grateful for all of their donors who have supported them since their inception in the fall of 2007. “Without the generosity of our supporters, we could not have made this investment in the future of lung cancer research. We thank each and every one of them,” said Joe Gaeta.
About The Addario Lung Cancer Medical Institute
Concerned by the continued lack of meaningful progress against Lung Cancer, in 2006-2007, the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation assembled the field’s foremost researchers, clinicians, and business leaders from academic and community medical centers, biopharmaceutical companies, and the investment community in order to ask a fundamental question: “If money for research and development was not a barrier, and a true collaboration could be achieved, what would you require to achieve a cure for Lung Cancer in the least amount of time?”
The overwhelming consensus response was to establish a national, virtual Lung Cancer institute—an honest third-party broker that would develop and direct high-quality tissue specimen repositories, data systems, and fostered collaborations. As a result, Lung Cancer survivor Bonnie J. Addario established the Addario Lung Cancer Medical Institute (ALCMI) in 2008 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
ALCMI is dedicated to catalyzing and accelerating the discovery, development and delivery of new and more effective treatment options for Lung Cancer patients.
Contact: Tony Addario, CEO, tony@lungcancerfoundation.org or Sheila Von Driska, Secretary, svondriska@alcmi.net
About The Joan Gaeta Lung Cancer Foundation
Established in the fall of 2007, The Joan Gaeta Lung Cancer Foundation was created to raise awareness, to educate the public, and to be an advocate for research. They also strive to eliminate the stigma of lung cancer and support survivors and their loved ones in our local community.
A life long non-smoker, Joan Gaeta was a devoted wife, teacher, and mother of five. Diagnosed in early 2004, she fought a three and a half year battle before succumbing to the cancer in July of 2007.
Contact: Joe Gaeta, President, (404) 435-7376, gaetafoundation@gmail.com.
March 17th, 2009 (Atlanta, GA)
Today, The Joan Gaeta Lung Cancer Foundation announced their first donation explicitly geared toward lung cancer treatment research. The foundation is donating $15,000 to the newly-created Addario Lung Cancer Medical Institute (ALCMI).
ALCMI was established by lung cancer survivor Bonnie J. Addario in 2008. A 501(c)3 non-profit organization, it was created to be a national, virtual lung cancer institute – an honest third-party broker that will develop and direct high-quality tissue specimen repositories, data systems, and foster collaboration.
“Our mission statement includes advocating for research,” said foundation president Joe Gaeta. “We believe that ALCMI and its collaboration model will advance the research and treatment of lung cancer and finally begin to increase the survival rate of this horrible disease – a survival rate that has remained virtually unchanged for nearly 40 years. We are extremely confident that ALCMI is the single-best use of our research funds.”
“We are eternally grateful to the Gaeta foundation for their extremely generous donation and, more importantly, for their historic endorsement and partnership with ALCMI,” said ALCMI founder, Bonnie Addario. “Thanks to donations like this, we move one step closer to increasing the survival rate of lung cancer. We are so very happy to have the Gaetas join us in our common fight.”
The Joan Gaeta Lung Cancer Foundation is grateful for all of their donors who have supported them since their inception in the fall of 2007. “Without the generosity of our supporters, we could not have made this investment in the future of lung cancer research. We thank each and every one of them,” said Joe Gaeta.
About The Addario Lung Cancer Medical Institute
Concerned by the continued lack of meaningful progress against Lung Cancer, in 2006-2007, the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation assembled the field’s foremost researchers, clinicians, and business leaders from academic and community medical centers, biopharmaceutical companies, and the investment community in order to ask a fundamental question: “If money for research and development was not a barrier, and a true collaboration could be achieved, what would you require to achieve a cure for Lung Cancer in the least amount of time?”
The overwhelming consensus response was to establish a national, virtual Lung Cancer institute—an honest third-party broker that would develop and direct high-quality tissue specimen repositories, data systems, and fostered collaborations. As a result, Lung Cancer survivor Bonnie J. Addario established the Addario Lung Cancer Medical Institute (ALCMI) in 2008 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
ALCMI is dedicated to catalyzing and accelerating the discovery, development and delivery of new and more effective treatment options for Lung Cancer patients.
Contact: Tony Addario, CEO, tony@lungcancerfoundation.org or Sheila Von Driska, Secretary, svondriska@alcmi.net
About The Joan Gaeta Lung Cancer Foundation
Established in the fall of 2007, The Joan Gaeta Lung Cancer Foundation was created to raise awareness, to educate the public, and to be an advocate for research. They also strive to eliminate the stigma of lung cancer and support survivors and their loved ones in our local community.
A life long non-smoker, Joan Gaeta was a devoted wife, teacher, and mother of five. Diagnosed in early 2004, she fought a three and a half year battle before succumbing to the cancer in July of 2007.
Contact: Joe Gaeta, President, (404) 435-7376, gaetafoundation@gmail.com.
Fear of routine tests often triggers 'scanxiety' in cancer patients
Judi Rothman found out a year ago that she had colon cancer that had spread to her liver.
Every day since then, she has lived with worry.
She can push it beneath the surface of her life most of the time. But the minute her doctor tells her it's time for another CAT scan, the fear springs like a cobra, suddenly too big and menacing to ignore.
"In the back of your mind, it's always there that the other shoe is going to drop, and that becomes more active in the days before that CAT scan until I hear what happened," said Rothman, who is 61 and lives in the Northeast. She gets CAT scans every other month to monitor her cancer.
"I always think the worst," she said.
Rothman suffers from what cancer patients call "scanxiety," the fear that punctuates their lives as "routine" tests approach.
Every day since then, she has lived with worry.
She can push it beneath the surface of her life most of the time. But the minute her doctor tells her it's time for another CAT scan, the fear springs like a cobra, suddenly too big and menacing to ignore.
"In the back of your mind, it's always there that the other shoe is going to drop, and that becomes more active in the days before that CAT scan until I hear what happened," said Rothman, who is 61 and lives in the Northeast. She gets CAT scans every other month to monitor her cancer.
"I always think the worst," she said.
Rothman suffers from what cancer patients call "scanxiety," the fear that punctuates their lives as "routine" tests approach.
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