Not only is September ‘Childhood Cancer Awareness’ month, it is now recognized as ‘Blood Cancer Awareness Month’. Read on…

Washington, DC (September 23, 2010) – The U.S. House of Representatives today passed House Resolution 1433, declaring September 2010 as ‘Blood Cancer Awareness Month.’ The resolution helps raise awareness and support for issues affecting blood cancer patients within the halls of the Capitol.

“Awareness Month is an opportunity to increase the public’s understanding of blood cancers and encourage people to support the funding of research to find cures and education programs to help patients have the best possible outcomes throughout their cancer experience,” explained John Walter, president and CEO of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. “The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society would like to thank Representatives Walter Jones and Betsey Markey for introducing and supporting this resolution, and all of our volunteers who called and emailed their representatives to urge their support.”

Remarkable progress has been made in treating patients with blood cancers. Sixty years ago there were few effective treatments for children or adults with blood cancer and the rate of survival was very low. Today, about 75 percent of children with acute leukemia and nearly 80 percent of children and adults with Hodgkin lymphoma are cured. Advances in the treatment of blood cancers have also led to new treatments for other cancers. In fact, in the last decade, 47 percent of new cancer therapies approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) were first developed and approved to treat a blood cancer.

Despite these advances, more than 900,000 people in the United States currently have some form of blood cancer and fewer than 50 percent of newly diagnosed patients will survive five years past that diagnosis. Every ten minutes someone dies from a blood cancer and more than 53,000 will die from one this year.

“Congress has been supportive of issues affecting blood cancers in the past,” said Walter, “and we thank them for that support. But more needs to be done to fight these deadly diseases – increased research funding, access to affordable treatments, and improved care planning for survivors, just to name a few issues that need to be addressed.”

About The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society ® (LLS) is the world’s largest voluntary health agency dedicated to blood cancer. The LLS mission: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. LLS funds lifesaving blood cancer research around the world and provides free information and support services.

Founded in 1949 and headquartered in White Plains, NY, LLS has chapters throughout the United States and Canada. To learn more, visit www.LLS.org or contact the Information Resource Center at (800) 955-4572, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET.

From: www.lls.org

Not uncommonly, FOH has become quieter and smaller over the years. However, I, personally, would like to see it continue in whatever capacity it can. I promise to update the blog on our website more regularly! And keep the communication lines open. In exchange, will you email me at carole@friendsofheroes.org and let me know whether you are walking this year and, if you are, where and when?

Also, don’t forget to let your local office know you are joing FOH so that we receive credit for your participation! If you need help with this, let me know. I have connections, lol!

That’s it for my first blog of 2010! Walks are starting! Let’s see what FOH can do this year! I look forward to hearing from you all soon!

Thurs. 9/10 – Beth Ann – Hoover, AL

Fri. 9/11 – Kathie – St. Peters, MO

Sat. 9/12 – Beck – Sparks, NV

Please send pictures or a report after your walk so we can celebrate with you!  I’ll put them on the FOH website too!

Thanks for all you do!  Have a great walk night!

The Light the Night season is fast approaching and it is the perfect time to remember WHY we are walking.  Please join us by adding a comment to this post about why you are walking for Friends of Heroes, how you found us and what you would like to see in the coming years.  Let get this party started!!!!

Friends of Heroes has a forum to keep in touch with the national team?  Please join us at http://friendsofheroes.proboards80.com/index.cgi

This is a great way to find out what other teams are doing, to keep up and offer support to cancer patients and just chit chat.

This year, Friends of Heroes wants to honor these warriors who have battled more in their lives then most adults will ever endure.  To nominate a child to be one of Friends of Heroes, Hero of the month, please send in their Name, Age, Parent/guardian’s e-mail, a quick story on this child and how they have touched your life to teamleaders@friendsofheroes.org

Please note that we can only accept nomiations that have the consent from the child’s  parent or guardian.

In conjunction with the LLS National Board of Directors meeting held March 13th in Newark, N.J., the Therapy Acceleration Program Governance Committee reviewed the progress of the Cleveland Clinic partnership in the Clinical Trials Program Division and approved a third LLS-supported trial to open at the Clinical Trial Center for Hematologic Malignancies.  This Phase I/II trial will combine two approved therapies, Lenalidomide and Rituximab, for maintenance therapy following high-dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplantation in patients with B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Also exciting is news that the Cleveland Clinic will utilize three of its community treatment centers when it becomes a trial site for LLS’s partner, Aegera Therapeutics, and the ongoing Phase I/II trial of a new drug (AEG35156). The Cleveland Clinic’s main campus and three regional hospital centers will begin recruiting patients with relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), small lymphocytic lymphoma or follicular lymphoma for treatment with Aegera’s AEG35156, that inhibits a molecule called X-Linked Inhibitor of Apoptosis (XIAP). This is a significant step toward LLS’s goal of enhancing access to clinical trials by “taking the trial to the patient.”

In order to leverage its successful clinical trial partnership with the Cleveland Clinic and to further address issues that currently limit clinical trial participation, LLS hosted a 1 1/2 day workshop this past February in San Francisco. Ron Levy, M.D., professor and chief, Division of Oncology at Stanford University, led discussions in which clinical trials experts reviewed ongoing models for early phase blood cancer treatment trials, including roles for-profit companies and government agencies can play, and considered how LLS can best use its resources to help increase participation in practice-changing trials. Workshop discussions provided many insights that will enable future partnerships for the LLS Clinical Trials Program.

Source: LLS.org (eNewsline)

Save money with Gap Inc’s nationwide Give & Get coupon which will support The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS).

This Thursday March 12 -Sunday March 15 – Gap Inc‘s 30% discount coupons will also provide a 5% donation (of LLS coupon-holders’ net purchases) to LLS.

Send this today, to all your friends and families. Forward this email or copy this URL and pass it on. http://www.gapgiveandget.com/np/lls.html

Gap Inc stores include: Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy. The coupons are for in-store purchases only and they are good in both the USA and Canada.

Simply go to the Give & Get coupon page, print a coupon and go shopping. You can print as many as you need, to shop at different Gap Inc stores.

Please include the areas that you feel  you are strongest at, such as social relations (myspace, facebook, twitter, etc), technical,  fundraising, organizational, or just about anything you feel will help out our team as a whole.

“Both Carole and Beck have been extremely helpful and supportive over the years. I am confident the team will advance under their leadership!” said Jennifer Burgess, National Co-captain 2007 & 2008

Please join us in welcoming Carole and Beck! They are both so honored to help lead such an amazing team.

Meet Carole Franklyn

“I am a married mom of two: Makenna is 8 and Aidan is 4. I live in Virginia , about 20 miles outside of Washington , DC . I work fulltime as an HR Specialist and Executive Assistant for a healthcare management company. Besides FOH, I love to read, be with my kids and volunteer at their schools. I am also active with CancerWarriors and been a proud sponsor of three kids: Amazing Jacob (an angel in Heaven), McKayla (OT 2+ yrs) and Princess Chloe (OT 6 months) who I got to meet in person! Last year, I was on my local LTN committee, but decided that this year I would devote my time to FOH.

“My son was born in June 2004 and while I was home on maternity leave, I discovered BabyCenter and through that, Allie’s story. I have been a member of Friends of Heroes since before it was Allie’s Angels. That little girl, and the many other children since her, have touched me in a way I never could have predicted – maybe because I had young children or maybe because I was looking for something “more” in my life. Whatever the reason, FOH has found a place in my heart.

“Over the past three years, I have become more and more involved in FOH. I started out on the Task Force and have moved up to my current position. I am looking forward to many great things from FOH this year! Most importantly, I’d like to spread the word about us as well as increase the involvement from all of you. It takes all of us to make FOH a success!”

Now meet Beck Marko

“I am Beck, a stay at home mom of three kiddos ages five, four and three years old, and I have been happily married for 7 1/2 years to my husband Vince.  Leukemia and Lymphoma Society has been a huge part of my life since I first read about baby Allie on her family’s web page.  I chose from that day forward that I would make it my job to do as much as I can to help find the cure for cancer.

“Since then I have served on several committees including 2004-2008 Northern Nevada Man Women and Celebrity of the year events, I chaired the 2007 Northern Nevada Light the Night walk, I have also served three years on the Friends of Heroes planning team.  In 2007  I was a task force teammate, 2008 I was in charge of social networks and then I was honored with the chance to work along side Carole as a co-captain to such a wonderful team in 2009.

“I have had the wonderful opportunity to meet so many wonderful people and can’t wait to make 2009 a WONDERFUL year!!!!! Outside of Friends of Heroes, I love to make homemade soaps, crafts, teaching Sunday school at our church and just being a mama.”

More About National Co-captains

After the unprecedented fundraising success and teamwork of Friends of Heroes (then Allie’s Angels ’04 and Friends of Allie ’05), a succession plan was created to ensure the future of Friends of Heroes. This plan provided for two national co-captains and a team leader committee.

Friends of Heroes National Co-Captains are passionate about the LLS mission and devote much of their spare time to help the team. As a co-captain, they serve a two-year term and draw from their previous experience as national team leaders. Typically, the co-captain terms are staggered to provide continuity and to enable them to share and pass on their experience. Since a new co-captain was not installed in 2008, two new co-captains will lead Friends of Heroes in 2009.

Congratulation!!!!

I wanted to say a HUGE thank you to David’s cookies http://www.davidscookies.com/ for donating this wonderful prize!

Also thank you to ALL of our walkers from 2008!  You all did an amaizing job.

The team learders are also looking for personal stories that has led you to Light the Night and Friends of Heroes.  

Please e-mail us your suggestions and questions to teamleaders@friendsofheroes.org

We especially recognize our top 14 walkers: Renee Rubio, Angie Adams, Devan Griffin, Sean Haines, Kevin Wichers, Eric O’Neil, Howard Brunetti, Michelle Brunetti, Kathie Eberle, Candy Bartsch, Beck Marko, Robin Brunet and Brandon Kelley!!! Each of these walkers raised over $1,000.

THANK YOU to our walkers for making a difference with each dollar!