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

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

Amanda Chen is a health researcher at Self Care Catalysts, a health research company based in Toronto and San Francisco.

She is conducting a self-funded, proprietary research on the Cancer Patient Journey.  She is looking for patients to participate in a 30-minute online survey. This survey will explore the journey of cancer patients as they cope with their illness, their treatment experience, decision making process, the role of their caregivers and supporters, and more. The insights drawn from this survey will be used to develop health solutions and programs that better meet patients’ needs. All participants will be compensated for their time.

You can download the .PDF file below to learn more.  You can also contact Amanda directly at [email protected].

Sonia Williams of Spotlite Radio interviews President and CEO of The Joan Gaeta Lunt Cancer Fund, Joe Gaeta. From April 15th, 2014.

On February 18, don't miss the leaders and armies of lung cancer advocacy groups as they align like the stars to discuss efforts to achieve the goal and raise funds to commit to this "cost of living with lung cancer."

Join members of the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation, American Lung Association, Dusty Joy Foundation, Lung Cancer Foundation of America (LCFA), and Lungevity for an unprecedented collaboration in the fight to end lung cancer.

"Now that we've heard what the experts have to say, what can we do together to move the needle forward?" 
       - Danielle Beltramo - Hicks

Whether you join us in ALCF’s Living Room or attend remotely through Livestream on your computer, you will be informed about Living with Lung Cancer.

If you are having trouble getting the live stream working, click here for help and troubleshooting tips.

The Patient Handbook, “Navigating Lung Cancer, 360 Degrees of Hope,” is the first-ever comprehensive, up-to-date patient resource for Lung Cancer. 

For a hard copy of the handbook please email [email protected] or click below to download a copy.

Watch Lung Cancer Survivors Bonnie J. Addario and Emily Bennett Taylor talk about survival, friendship, and hope on the Steve Harvey Show!

SAN CARLOS, CALIF., JUNE 20, 2013 — /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation is creating a new patient-focused approach to standard of care for lung cancer with the launch of the Patient 360 Community Hospital Program. The program uses a collaborative, multi-disciplinary model to provide an individualized approach to care, giving the patient access to the newest and most effective diagnostic and therapeutic techniques for their specific needs.

"What we're finding is by using a team approach to individualized care we can begin to incrementally increase the survival rate of people diagnosed with lung cancer," said Bonnie J. Addario, a stage 3B survivor and founder of the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation (LCF). "Because 80 percent of patients receive treatment at their local community hospital, these are the centers where the greatest good can be done for the greatest number."

Working with an elite team of pathologists and specialists to create an unsurpassed paradigm for lung cancer treatment, the LCF is in essence creating lung-specific centers of excellence in the community hospital setting. The program ensures that every patient receives molecular testing, combined with a multi-disciplinary team approach and selected treatment options unique to the patient's needs.   

"The 360 Program's multidisciplinary approach is unique because it coordinates the standard of care for patients individually, giving each patient what's right for them." Addario said. "So the oncologist, the radiation oncologist, the pathologist, the pulmonologist, and the surgeon are all communicating and collaborating, not just with academic, industry and technology, but internally as well." 

During the first six months of the pilot stage of the program, preliminary metrics and data have shown that patient outcomes have improved dramatically.

• 100 percent of patients in program have been molecular tested
  
• Diagnosis to treatment time has improved 77 percent, from an average of 45 days down to 10 days
  
• 62 percent of patients in program have had tumor board review
  
• Patient satisfaction is 100 percent = very good
  
• 26 percent of patients treated are diagnosed at stage 2B or lower

The program is rigid in its standard of treatment. Every patient in the pilot 360 program received molecular testing to better determine personalized treatments, as will be the case for all future patients as the program expands to more community hospitals in the coming years. Three new hospitals are expected to enlist by the end of 2013 and 30-50 by the end of 2015.

The program's process focuses on early detection, diagnosis, treatment and treatment monitoring, and patient follow up. Critical in the program's standard of care is ensuring all patients receive molecular testing, which uses DNA, RNA and proteins to test for specific states of disease. In lung cancer, molecular testing is used to determine potential patient response to targeted therapy.

The LCF has received generous support from a number of distinguished industry partners, including GE Healthcare, Pfizer and Boehringer-Ingelheim. GE Healthcare provided in-kind services from its oncology solutions division to help create the program's flow and metrics. The LCF is working with Boehringer-Ingelheim and Pfizer in partnership to broaden the overall awareness of multi-disciplinary collaborations that incorporate personalized testing to initiate timely and appropriate lung cancer treatments. Boehringer-Ingelheim also leads the letstestnow.com campaign, set up to improve patient outcomes through a multidisciplinary approach to biomarker testing in advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

"Every community hospital that joins us and implements this new multi-disciplinary, patient-centric approach to standard of care will be given a formal seal of excellence awarded by the LCF, signifying that no lung cancer patient is left behind," Addario said.

The pilot program launches during a time when an estimated 228,190 new cases of lung cancer will be diagnosed in the United States this year. The American Cancer Society also estimates 159,480 Americans will die from the disease this year. 

The facts about Lung Cancer cannot continue to go unnoticed:

• In the last 45 years 50 million people worldwide have died from lung cancer.
  
• Every day 450 more die, 19 every hour and one every three minutes will die in the US and 1.4 million worldwide every year.
  
• It is the leading cancer killer in every ethnic group, and since 1987 lung cancer has killed more women every year than breast cancer.
  
• Yet the five-year survival rate for lung cancer is only 15.7 percent, and it has remained unchanged for more than 40 years.
  
• This staggering loss of life has gone unnoticed too long, and the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation is on a mission to change that.
  
• The LCF funds clinical research that leads to life-saving discoveries and treatments and provides critical support services and educational programs to empower patients and create hope. 
  

"The Foundation is powering progress through ground-up initiatives, educating patients to identify solutions and make timely and meaningful change," Addario said. "The LCF is empowering patients to take a seat at the table wherever discussions are being made about their care. We are committed to improving the standard of care and believe that chronically managed lung cancer using molecular testing to determine personalized therapies is the future of lung cancer treatment and the pathway to increasing the survival rate."

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, early detection, education, and treatment. The Foundation works with a diverse group of physicians, organizations, industry partners, individuals, survivors, and their families to identify solutions and make timely and meaningful change.  BJALCF was established on March 1, 2006 as a 501c(3) non-profit organization and has raised more than $10 million for lung cancer research.

SOURCE Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation