Happy Two-Year Anniversary to All of Us: March 6, 2008
It’s hard to believe we are turning two-years old today. It seems like only a few moments ago when I awoke to hear the devastating news about Dana Reeve. Two weeks ago, I was with Deborah Morosini, Dana’s sister, in Atlanta, to help the beautiful family of Joan Gaeta begin their Foundation. Next stop was New York City and appearing on Nancy Grace and attending the CancerCare Gala. Final stop was Washington, D.C., meeting with Senator Chuck Hagel and then on to meet with the Lung Cancer Alliance to discuss all we have yet to do. I will celebrate my four-year anniversary on March 17th, as a Lung Cancer survivor. I thank you all, in advance, for all we have accomplished in this short amount of time, and for joining us in the eradication of Lung Cancer. Please enjoy this issue of THE LUNG TIMES and if you haven’t signed up to receive our newsletter, please sign up today. Thank you for making Lung Cancer Matter.
THE LUNG TIMES
Catching My Breath on March 6, 2008
Dear Friends:
Today is a big day. It is the 2nd anniversary of our foundation.
Cheers to all of you for helping to make a difference. For decades, most of the world has ignored Lung Cancer; the pathetically unacceptable 15.5% survival rate today is the same as it was 40 years ago. But thanks to you, we’ve made a seismic shift.
There’s no stopping us now. We started with one goal two years ago: we won’t slow down until we eradicate Lung Cancer.
We’ve just returned from a whirlwind trip to champion our message in Washington D.C., New York City, and Atlanta. Our aim was to rally the forces and cement connections with alliance partners committed to our goal. View slideshow here:
Or click here for a higher-quality version.
Special thanks to Dr. Paul Scheinberg at St. Joseph’s Hospital for connecting us with many from the Gaeta’s to Nancy Grace.
On March 17th, I’ll also celebrate my 4th year as a Lung Cancer survivor.
Thanks for joining me in making a difference.
Bonnie J. Addario
“We must not, in trying to think about how we can make a big difference, ignore the small daily differences we can make which, over time, add up to big differences that we often cannot foresee.” -Marian Wright Edelman
Top Stories on Our Tri-City Crusade to Fight Lung Cancer, One Step at a Time
Steppin’ Out in Atlanta
Connecting Family Ties: Dr. Deborah Morosini (sister of Dana Reeve) and her family joined our family to support the Joan Gaeta Foundation at their first annual dinner gala in honor of their mom, Joan, who passed away last July. View the Joan Gaeta video here:
We also had a chance to celebrate the launch of the Florence Hays Erb Clinical Specialty Center at Saint Joseph’s Hospital in Atlanta. Our friend Bill Erb founded the center in honor of his beloved wife, Florence Hays Erb.
Stepping Up in New York City
Tuning in to the Global Fight Against Lung Cancer: The February 25th Nancy Grace show featured Bonnie and Deborah Morosini, MD, exposing the underfunding of Lung Cancer and the quest for early detection. Thank you, Nancy. The phones have been ringing off the hook from Baton Rouge to Scranton, Pennsylvania, to little towns in Texas, and all over the country.
A Ticket to Ride: Bonnie and team rode the subways in Manhattan to check out the DemandACatScan campaign.
CancerCare: As invited guests, we joined the crowd at the CancerCare’s 25th Annual Human Services Awards Dinner.
The Breakfast Club: We swapped stories from the battleground frontlines with fellow Lung Cancer advocates Susan Mantel from Joan’s Legacy, Barbara Freundlich, Regina Vidaver from National Lung Cancer Partnership, Beth Ada Stern from Lungevity, Angie Morrissey from Thomas G. LaBrecque Foundation, and Win Boerkel from CancerCare.
Stepping Forward in Washington, D.C.
Senate Resolution 87: While we wait for movement on this resolution, we met with Senator Chuck Hagel, Resolution 87’s main author, declaring Lung Cancer a national health priority and ordering health agencies to develop a comprehensive, coordinated program to cut the Lung Cancer mortality rate in half by 2015. Thank you, Senator Hagel, for your continued support.
Partners in Crime Against Lung Cancer: We explored and discussed strategies for the year ahead with Lung Cancer Alliance. Thank you to Laurie Fenton-Ambrose and Sheila Ross for hosting us and presenting what we can do together to continue to make a difference.
