We are about halfway through Lung Cancer Awareness Month and I would like to offer some information about a fantastic organization. If you are reading this,  you likely know about this group. But, even if you do, I encourage you to sit back with your favorite beverage and take a few minutes to watch the video at the end of this post.

When supporting any cause or charity with a financial gift, prudent questions are “Where does the money go?”, “How effective is the organization?”, “Is it worthy of my support?”, "What are they doing?", "What have they done?" I ask these questions myself before choosing to financially support any charitable cause.

This video, narrated by their Senior Director of Patient Services and Programs, Danielle Hicks, does an excellent job of answering these questions for The Bonnie J.  Addario Lung Cancer Foundation (ALCF).

My family and I met the Addarios shortly after our mother died in 2007.  We were immediately struck by their sincerity, warmth - and tenacity.  But, we were also impressed by their team and how they were attacking the lung cancer problem with intelligence and professionalism.  In 2010, The Joan Gaeta Lung Cancer Fund proudly became an affiliate of ALCF.  And, since 2012, those of you in Georgia have been able to order Lung Cancer Awareness License Plates - a first in the United States.  85% of the annual tag fee goes to ALCF’s research institute.

You can also donate directly to ALCF via this link.  Please to watch the video and consider a donation during this important month.

Thank you,

​Joseph A. Gaeta
The Joan Gaeta Lung Cancer Fund

https://www.supportalcf.org/InLovingMemory/joangaeta

We cannot think of a better way to kick of Lung Cancer Awareness Month 2016 than with this excellent Q&A with a leader in the movement - and our friend - Bonnie Addario.  Please read this inspirational and informative interview from Genentech:  https://www.gene.com/stories/qa-bonnie-j-addario

The Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation has a full-page ad in the June issue of Delta Air Lines' Sky Magazine! Way to go, guys!  Thanks for spreading the word and helping to save lives!

Burbank, CA (August 18, 2015) – Start up legend Tim Draper will donate one million dollars to charity if as many viewers watch ABC Family’s unscripted series “Startup U” on Tuesday, September 1 at 10:01PM ET/PT on ABC Family.
 
On Saturday, Tim Draper announced via Twitter and Facebook that he will donate one million dollars to charity if one million viewers tune-in to Tuesday’s all-new episode. Not only does Draper have a long history of donating to worthy causes close to his heart, but he is a champion of entrepreneurism; his life’s mission is to create a better future for everyone. “I believe in the series and the great work these kids are doing. What better way to support them than connecting it back to a worthy cause? This is a win/win situation for everyone, but especially the charities.”
 
Charities that will benefit from Draper’s benevolence are ones very close to his heart, including the Parkinson’s Institute (in honor of his mother, who fights this disease), Bizworld, Tourettes Association of America (his brother-in-law and nephews are affected), Smith College Women’s business plan competition, Endeavor (supports third world entrepreneurship), Defy (works with former prisoners when they have paid their debt to society, Cal Arts and California State Summer School for the Arts, and the Addario Lung Cancer Foundation (amember of his staff is a survivor).
 
Viewership will be measured by all methods, including mobile and online viewing, L+3 and L+7.
 
In Tuesday’s episode, titled “Bro’s & Bras,” it’s Evangelism Week, which teaches the students how to become experts at selling their brand. Tim putseveryone in yet another challenging situation when he sends them to San Francisco to sell men and women’s underwear to the many shoppers in Union Square. There’s a catch, though: they have to sell the undergarments based on only a picture, with no actual product. Frustrated by the process, Tony makes a decision that irritates Sequoia and his classmates. Sharon meets with resistance when she pitches Hotpoint to various venues around the Bay Area, only to have things get tougher when Tim puts her in the hot seat. Meanwhile, Michael Volpatt (Partner, Larkin/Volpatt Communications) and Charlie meet with several students to evaluate their brands.
 
“Startup U” is produced by Ugly Brother Studios, a Sky Vision partner. Mike Duffy, Tim Duffy, Tim Draper, Perry Dance and Ted Iredell serve as executive producers.
 
Part of the Disney|ABC Television Group, ABC Family is distributed in 94 millionhomes. ABC Family entertains and connects to audiences with bold, relatableprogramming that celebrates the epic adventure of becoming an adult, from first kiss to first kid. ABC Family's programming is a combination of network-defining original series and original movies, quality acquired series and blockbuster theatricals. “WATCH ABC Family” is an authenticated service which allows viewers with participating TV subscription services access to 24/7 live viewing of the network, as well as continued on-demand access to such popular series at home and on-the-go via a wide array of devices. ABC Family is also the destination for annual holiday events with "13 Nights of Halloween" and "25 Days of Christmas."
 
ABC Family Media Relations: Joelle Johnson, (818) 569-7746, [email protected]
 
For additional press materials, please visit http://www.disneyabcpress.com/abcfamily/
 
Facebook: www.facebook.com/StartUpUTV

Twitter: twitter.com/StartUpUTV

SAN CARLOS, Calif., July 24, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation (ALCF) will honor Fred R. Hirsch, M.D., Ph.D., with the 2015 Addario Lectureship Award for his continued leadership and expertise in lung cancer treatment and research. Dr. Hirsch, CEO of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (ISLAC), will receive the award at the 16th International Lung Cancer Congress held on July 30 – August 1 in Huntington Beach, California.

"Dr. Hirsch's contribution and dedication to lung cancer research is truly remarkable," said Bonnie J. Addario, 10-year lung cancer survivor and founder of the ALCF. "Dr. Hirsch is a cancer survivor which makes him very sensitive to patients and increases his commitment to their survival. We are thrilled to present him with the eighth Addario Lectureship Award to highlight his commitment to eliminate lung cancer worldwide. "

Known best for his unsurpassed research on the diagnostic tool, fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH), colleagues David Gandara M.D., Associate Director, Clinical Research at the UC Davis Cancer Center and Roy Herbst, Ensign Professor of Medicine and Chief of Medical Oncology at the Yale Cancer Center have nicknamed him the "Big Fisherman."

Dr. Hirsch has been a professor of medicine at the University of Colorado Cancer Center and professor of medicine and pathology at the University of Colorado, Denver since 1999. He also serves as the conference president for the World Conference on Lung Cancer. Dr. Hirsch received his MD and PhD from the University of Copenhagen, Denmark and served as chief physician at the department on oncology at the Finsen Center in Copenhagen from 1996 to 1999. He has been a supervisor for many European and Asian post-doctoral trainees in his lab at the University of Colorado Cancer Center.

"There is no one in the entire world that has been more dedicated to IASLC and addressing lung cancer worldwide," said Paul Bunn, Jr., MD, distinguished professor, division of medical oncology at the University of Colorado and James Dudley chair in lung cancer research. "Fred has a unique perspective – he is not only both a pathologist and a medical oncologist but also has trained and practiced in both Europe and the U.S. He has been involved in studies of lung cancer diagnosis, staging, prevention, early detection and treatment that have revolutionized the care of lung cancer patients. He works diligently to bridge international ties for lung cancer and recognizes it is a global disease that requires a global effort."  

Dr. Hirsch received the Mary J. Matthews Distinguished Scientific Award from ISLAC, the Japanese Lung Cancer Society Merit Award, the British Medical Association Medical Book Award, The Annals of Oncology Award, the Lise and Gunnar Waerums Foundation Award, the Fru Agnes Andressons Memory Award and the Lung Cancer Foundation of America Young Investigator Award, among many others. He has authored hundreds of peer-reviewed papers and has current funding for his work on Squamous Cell lung cancer from ISLAC.

"Dr. Hirsch is working diligently to bridge international ties for lung cancer, sparking a global effort to address a global disease," said Addario. "We are honored to recognize him as a scientist, a physician and a friend."

Past Addario Lectureship Award recipients include:

• 2014 Recipient: Roy S. Herbst, M.D., Ph.D., Ensign Professor of Medicine and Chief of Medical Oncology, Yale Cancer Center
  
• 2013 Recipient: Tony Mok, M.D., Professor in the Department of Clinical Oncology, Chinese University of Hong Kong in Prince of Wales Hospital in Hong Kong
  
• 2012 Recipient: D. Ross Camidge, M.D., Ph.D., Director of the Thoracic Oncology Clinical Program and Associate Director for Clinical Research, Colorado University Cancer Center
  
• 2011 Recipient: William Pao , M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Medicine, Ingram Associate Professor of Cancer Research, Director, Personalized Cancer Medicine, Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center
  
• 2010 Recipient: David R. Gandara , M.D., Associate Director, Clinical Research, UC Davis Cancer Center
  
• 2009 Recipient: Harvey Pass , M.D., B.A., Director of the Division of Thoracic Surgery and Chief of Thoracic Surgery, New York University Medical Center
  
• 2008 Recipient: Paul A. Bunn, Jr. M.D., Principal Investigator and Director, University of Colorado Cancer Center
  

The ALCF has supported the Lung Cancer Congress for the past eight years and serves as a co-sponsor along with the IASLC. The annual three-day event provides physicians with practical information about the clinical implications of lung cancer screening, the latest clinical data impacting the treatment of lung cancer and novel agents and strategies that are changing the future of lung cancer therapy.

About the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation
The Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation (ALCF) is one of the largest international philanthropies (patient-founded, patient-focused and patient-driven) devoted exclusively to eradicating lung cancer through research, early detection, education and treatment. The Foundation's goal is to work with a diverse group of physicians, organizations, industry partners, individuals, patients, survivors and their families to identify solutions and make timely and meaningful change and turn lung cancer into a chronically managed disease by 2023. The ALCF was established on March 1, 2006, as a 501c(3) non-profit organization and has raised nearly $25 million for lung cancer research and related programs.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150724/242089 
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140730/132466 
 
SOURCE Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation

San Carlos, Calif. (July 23, 2014) – The Addario Lung Cancer Medical Institute (ALCMI) today launched a new study, the Genomics of Young Lung Cancer, to understand why lung cancer occurs in young adults, who quite often are athletic, never smokers and do not exhibit any of the known lung cancer genetic mutations. ALCMI, a patient-centric, international research consortium and partner of the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation (ALCF), is facilitating this first-of-its-kind, multi- institutional, prospective genomic study in order to identify new genome-defined subtypes of lung cancer and accelerate delivery of more effective targeted therapies. 

“It’s heartbreaking when you meet young adults with lung cancer, who should have their full lives ahead of them but instead are fighting for their lives because of the lack of lung cancer treatments,” said Bonnie J. Addario, stage 3B lung cancer survivor and founder of ALCMI and the ALCF. “This groundbreaking study will investigate why young adults under the age of 40 are getting lung cancer and whether they have a unique cancer subtype, or genotype, that can be treated differently.” 

Our evolving understanding of the disease and new molecular tools suggest that young age may be an under-appreciated clinical marker of new genetic subtypes. An important goal for this research study is to reveal new lung cancer sub-types of lung cancer requiring distinct treatment strategies. 

“Leveraging this study as a proof of principle, ALCMI is also characterizing other specific patient populations to support emerging data that lung cancer diagnostic and therapeutic interventions are more effective when individualized, and personalized approaches are brought to bear," Steven Young, President and COO of ALCMI, who also points out this study represents a unique public-private collaboration between the ALCMI consortium and Foundation Medicine, Inc. 

The Genomics of Young Lung Cancer study is centrally managed by ALCMI while the Principal Investigator (study leader) is Barbara Gitlitz, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Southern California, Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center. 

"This study lays the groundwork for discovery of novel targetable genotypes as well as heritable and environmental risk factors for lung cancer patients under 40,” Dr. Gitlitz said. "We'll be evaluating 60 patients in this initial study and hope to apply our findings to a larger follow-up study in the future." 

Other investigators include Geoffrey Oxnard, MD, (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute), David Carbone, MD, PhD (The Ohio State University), and Giorgio Scagliotti, MD, PhD and Silvia Novello, MD (both at the University of Torino in Italy). Patients may enroll in the study regardless of where they live, and will not need to travel to any of the above institutions. 

For more information about the study, please contact Steven Young, president of ALCMI, at (203) 226-5765 or [email protected]. Lung cancer patients living in the United States will not need to travel to any of the above institutions to participate (but may do so), and may learn more at https://www.openmednet.org/site/alcmi-goyl. Individuals living outside the U.S. may contact ALCMI at [email protected] for information on how to participate. 

Lung Cancer Facts 

• In 2014 alone, more than 224,000 new cases of lung cancer will be diagnosed in the U.S., and the American Cancer Society estimates nearly 160,000 Americans will die of the disease.
  
• The ACS estimates there are 400,000 people in the U.S. living with lung cancer, and about 8,000 of those are under age 45.
  
• Nearly 4,500 people under 45 will be diagnosed with lung cancer in 2014.
  
• Nearly 80 percent of new lung cancer patients are former or never-smokers.
  
• Lung cancer takes more lives than breast, prostate and colon cancers combined and it accounts for 27 percent of all cancer deaths. It is the second leading cause of all deaths in the U.S.
  
• Lung cancer is the leading cancer killer in every ethnic group and since 1987 has killed more women every year than breast cancer.
  
• The five-year survival rate for lung cancer has changed little in more than 40 years – from 12 percent in 1970 to 16 percent today.
  

About the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation 

The Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation is one of the largest philanthropies (patient-founded, patient-focused, and patient-driven) devoted exclusively to eradicating Lung Cancer through research, education, early detection, genetic testing, drug discovery and patient-focused outcomes. The Foundation works with a diverse group of physicians, patients, organizations, industry partners, individuals, survivors, and their families to identify solutions and make timely and meaningful change. ALCF was established on March 1, 2006 as a 501c(3) non-profit organization and has raised more than $15 million for lung cancer research. To learn more, please visit www.lungcancerfoundation.org. 

About the Addario Lung Cancer Medical Institute 

The Addario Lung Cancer Medical Institute (ALCMI), founded in 2008 as a 501c(3) non-profit organization, is a patient-centric, international research consortium driving research otherwise not possible, evidenced by ALCMI's current clinical studies CASTLE, INHERIT EGFR T790M, and the Genomics of Young Lung Cancer. ALCMI overcomes barriers to collaboration via a world-class team of investigators from 22+ institutions in the U.S. and Europe, supported by dedicated research infrastructures such as centralized tissue banks and data systems. ALCMI directly facilitates research by combining scientific expertise found at leading academic institutions with patient access through our network of community cancer centers – accelerating novel research advancements to lung cancer patients.