Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Please Join Me

The big event is almost here: The American Cancer Society Action Network breakfast. Its purpose is to ensure that cancer research is a national priority.

The breakfast will take place on July 10 from 7-8:30 am at the Oracle Conference Center in Redwood Shores. I am coming to you, my friends, to ask for your help. I am hosting a table at this important event (which is chaired by my amazing oncologist Dr. George Fisher) and would deeply appreciate it if you would join me at my table. The contribution request is small ($100 is a suggestion) but means so much.

Please let me know by this Friday, July 3rd if you will join me. For those of you who have already committed to participating - thank you. I hope that the rest of you will join me next week and make a strong statement that we want to beat this deadly disease.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Cancer Research Meets Politics

When the man who is keeping you cancer-free asks for help, the response requires no hesitation. My amazing oncologist Dr. George Fisher is that man. And the help he’s asking for combines two of my favorite things: raising money for cancer research and of course, politics.

To that end, I have joined the Host Committee and am a Table Captain for the 2009 “Bay Area Research Breakfast.” It’s a benefit for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN). ACS CAN is the non-profit, non-partisan advocacy affiliate of the American Cancer Society. We’re dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem, working to support policies that will make cancer research a top national priority.

Cancer research is the engine behind our ongoing progress in the fight to defeat cancer. Research offers hope to millions of people who face cancer – both for better treatments, enhanced opportunities to prevent and detect the disease early and improve quality of life for people touched by cancer. But like those experiencing cancer, those who conduct lifesaving cancer research need an advocate to fight on their behalf. ACS CAN is that voice!

To forward the goals of ACS CAN, the ACS CAN “2009 Bay Area Research Breakfast” will take place on July 10 from 7:00 – 8:30 a.m. at the Oracle Conference Center in Redwood Shores. World-renowned cancer researcher Dr. Mina Bissell, from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, will be our keynote speaker. Dr. Bissell is the 2008 American Cancer Society National Medal of Honor recipient. But the best part about coming is that you’ll get to meet Dr. Fisher!!!

Please support and attend this wonderful event as a guest at my table. Of course if you live outside of the area, I’m sure that they would still be happy to take your donation. During the event, all guests will be asked to support ACS CAN at the highest level possible with a suggested minimum of $100.

In addition, they are also looking for sponsors and several of my dear friends have stepped up to the plate. (Thank you Union Pacific and Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroads!) If that is of interest to you or your company, I would love to talk with you about it.

Please let me know if you will be able to support this magnificent effort and join me at my table. I am very concerned about filling my table – so please please please come!

I know that a breakfast meeting is hard, but isn’t it worth it to wake up to cure cancer?!

Monday, June 1, 2009

Father's Day Fund - The Perfect Gift!

Now that it’s June, I’m sure that you are all wondering what the heck to give your father for Father’s Day. Fortunately, I have the perfect answer to your troubles. I am thrilled to announce that my friends at the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association have done it again. They are moving forward with the Father's Day Fund for the second year in a row. Thanks to your support last year, the Father’s Day Fund is now a well established charitable effort.

As you may recall from last year, it was around this time they were talking about how many people they knew who were either cancer patients or survivors and came up with a brilliant idea. They would encourage people to give the gift of a cure for cancer for Father’s Day, rather than another tie or other useless gift.

So, they created this incredible website http://www.fathersdayfund.org/. They’ve updated the website from last year – giving is just as simple, but there are more card designs to choose from and now you can download them yourself. They’ve also linked in commercial e-card services for people to use if they’d like.

They hope to make 2009 even more successful than 2008. As you may recall, they got great TV coverage on ABC News which featured my family (you can click on the link on the upper left hand side of my blog to view the clip).

Just to remind you, they do not handle the money themselves, this site simply directs you to the cancer research institutions (my favorite being Stanford, of course). However, they would love for you to let them know if you participated, so that they can determine the success of their efforts.

Please spread the word to everyone you know - friends, colleagues and all your social networks. Forward the website information and visit them online yourself over the course of the next three weeks.

Oh - and one other piece of news - I went for blood work and my CT scan today at Stanford. Amazingly, they got back my results this afternoon and I was informed that my blood work was normal and that the CT scan showed "no evidence of disease." Hallelujah.