June 23, 2014 will mark exactly 11 years since I found out I had cancer, with the discovery of a tumor on my T 10 vertebra. I still have the hospital bracelet! The next morning I had emergency surgery on my spine. and my cancer journey had begun--radiation followed by 12 months of chemotherapy. I have been more than fortunate --you can view my video story, which I made a number of years ago, by clicking the link below. Ewing Sarcoma is nasty, usually showing itself in children and teens. It is aggressive, debilitating and more than awful, as are all sarcomas, which originate in the connective tissues of the body including bones, cartilage, muscles, fat, blood vessels. nerves and other supportive tissues. Research for sarcoma, because of its rarity--only 1% of all known cancers, but with more than 70 varieties--lacks the funding the more widely diagnosed cancers receive. 15,000 people of all ages are diagnosed with sarcomas yearly, with approximately 6.000 losing their battle.
Pittsburgh Cure Sarcoma (PCS), comprised entirely of volunteers, is helping to change that. Each of us has been affected by sarcoma—we are patients, survivors, physicians, caregivers, researchers and family members who have, sadly, lost loved ones. We are extraordinarily fortunate that Pittsburgh is leading the way in sarcoma research, clinical analysis and treatments at, among others, Hillman, Children’s, AGH, WVU, University of Pittsburgh Schools of Medicine and Dentistry, UPMC Shadyside and UPMC Musculoskeletal Oncology Lab. Your extremely generous donations over the years have funded more than $2,678,758 in this life saving research since our inception in 2011. Last year’s 5K event realized an astounding $388,000 and enabled us to grant $460,708 to 21researchers and clinicians.
Last year our team, Never Mind the Bollocks Let’s Cure Sarcoma, raised $23,700-placing us in the top 3 of 76 fabulous teams. Simply amazing!! PCS all volunteer organization works year round to plan this event, and as a member of the race committee as well as a member of the board of directors I am overwhelmed with pride. While we work tirelessly to plan and pull off an inviolable and successful event, it is the donors themselves that make the difference. Obviously, I am referencing you! Sincerely, I cannot thank you enough for your incredible generosity in support of Sarcoma research. Here's to another stellar event in finding a cure with your continued, unwavering support.
https://youtu.be/OU6_BIWicLg
