Fighting Lung Cancer

A Race to Remember

2011-03-07T20:35:00.000-08:00

'Race to Remember' a worthy event

By JOSHUA C. JOHNSON
Focus Daily News
Focuseditor@sbcglobal.net

5K celebrates beloved coach, raises awareness

CEDAR HILL—After more than two decades of service to the youth of Cedar Hill, Texas Coach David Milson will be remembered later this month as a 5K walk/run is held in his memory.

Coach David Milson spent 23 successful years coaching basketball at Cedar Hill High School with 676 career wins and two Class 5A state runner-ups in 2004 and 2009. Just weeks after his retirement in April 2010 he was shocked when diagnosed with lung cancer despite being a lifelong never-smoker. Despite a brave battle with lung cancer David Milson died on January 31, 2011 at the age of 53.

Rexanna's Foundation for Fighting Lung Cancer in partnership with Cedar Hill High School will host the “Run for a Purpose Legacy Run” in honor of David Milson on Saturday, March 26th at Cedar Hill High School.

This event will include a 5K walk/run, Kids K fun run, Health Fair and family fun including bounce houses and face painting. Immediately following the 5K a special dedication ceremony will take place in memory of David Milson. Please join us as we “Run for a Purpose” in David Milson’s memory to raise awareness and funds for lung cancer research.

Lung cancer is the No. 1 cancer killer of men and women in the world. Lung cancer kills more than breast, prostate, colon, liver, kidney and melanoma cancers combined. Yet, lung cancer is largely ignored and is the least funded of all major cancer. You can “Run for a Purpose” to help change these statistics.

The event is aimed at raising public awareness throughout the country about the very real dangers of lung cancer and most importantly, the common misconceptions about the cancer. All proceeds from Run for a Purpose Legacy Run go towards college scholarships for students who have been impacted by cancer and for lung cancer research at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.

Please join us to “Run for a Purpose” to fight against the worlds leading cancer killer. For details and registration visit www.runforapurpose.com .

When – Saturday, March 26, 2011 8:15am
Where – Cedar Hill High School – Cedar Hill, Texas
Contact- Stephanie Kruger at krugersk@sbcglobal.net
Registration – www.runforapurpose.com

Stand Together

2011-02-26T11:27:00.000-08:00

Public Health Threatened by Budget Cuts

We need your help. Right now, there is a major budget battle in Washington, DC and the health of our lungs and the air we breathe are at risk.

Last week, the House of Representatives passed a bill, called HR 1, which, if agreed to by the Senate, would result in massive budget cuts for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other agencies that help protect our lungs and general public health.

Although the American Lung Association acknowledges that the federal government has some really difficult decisions to make in trying to reduce spending, we also believe public health cannot be jeopardized. These budget cuts will have dire health consequences for all Americans, especially people with lung diseases, including lung cancer, asthma and emphysema.

HR 1 contains several cuts and provisions detrimental to public health:

• EPA's budget will be slashed by approximately one-third and the agency's ability to protect the public health from life-threatening air pollution will be severely limited.

• The CDC's budget will be reduced by 25 percent, limiting its ability to protect children from tobacco and severely hampering its ability to address diseases like asthma.

• The NIH budget will be cut by $1 billion—which means less research to find cures and treatments for diseases such as lung cancer, emphysema and asthma.

• Implementation of the Affordable Care Act will be blocked, meaning pregnant women enrolled in Medicaid will no longer be guaranteed help in quitting smoking; seniors will once again face the Medicare prescription drug "doughnut hole"; and children with asthma will again be denied coverage because of their pre-existing condition.

The Senate is expected to consider this funding bill when they return to Washington next week. We need your help. Send a strong message to your Senators that they must protect public health by restoring funding for these critical agencies, please send an email to your Senators now.

Please take a stand now!!

Lung Cancer and Dr. Oz

2011-02-07T18:21:00.000-08:00

http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/thursday-dr-oz-show

Check this out!!!

Put your running shoes on!!

2011-01-18T20:56:00.001-08:00

Rexanna's Foundation will be hosting two 5K & KidsK runs this Spring!

3/26/11 @ Cedar Hill High School - In Honor of David Hilson

4/2/11 @ McKinney North High School

Visit www.runforapurpose.com for more details!

Save the Date for Lone Star Huddle Up!

2010-08-26T07:01:00.000-07:00

Lung Stem Cells Vital To Lung Repair Associated With Poor Cancer Prognosis When Found In Tumor

2010-08-25T08:10:00.000-07:00

Check out this article!

http://biomedme.com/health-care/lung-stem-cells-vital-to-lung-repair-associated-with-poor-cancer-prognosis-when-found-in-tumor_9878.html

Interesting Article

2010-08-05T07:43:00.001-07:00

Check it out: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/13/health/13brod.html?_r=1&emc=tnt&tntemail1=y

Rallying for David Milson

2010-06-10T06:30:00.001-07:00

Ex-Cedar Hill coach David Milson battles cancer, recieves and outpouring of support from the Dallas area
Thursday, June 10, 2010

By: MARK DENT / The Dallas Morning News
mdent@dallasnews.com

Every season is a journey, a blur of timeouts and practices, of losses that sting and victories that spark, and of faces. David Milson remembers the faces, the people.

Thirty-one years coaching basketball, 31 years connecting.

"You can change somebody's life," he says, "by speaking to them."

He randomly spoke to a young stranger named Eddie Berumen one time at the state tournament in the '80s. Berumen later became his assistant and is now a high school head coach.

He took a child fishing in Spur, Texas, one day 30 years ago. The kid's mother, who now lives in Maine, thanks him for it to this day.

"I don't know quite how to explain it – it's David," Berumen says. "There's something special about him."

Milson, who spent the last 23 years coaching Cedar Hill, retired in April. Weeks later, he found out he had lung cancer, a type called adenocarcinoma, despite being a nonsmoker.

He's been down, of course, but the lows don't last long. Someone from the past is there to call or help, to become part of the present.

Someone is there for David Milson.

"How you treat people along the way surfaces in crises," says Tommy Thomas, a friend of Milson's and former coach of The Colony. "What a great example of how well he treated people in the last 25 years for how they're helping him now."

Family Important

He wanted to watch his daughter play basketball. It was really that simple.

Rylea played for Midlothian last year as a freshman, and Milson saw portions of maybe five games. Tanner, his son, was just wrapping up his final year of high school and preparing to play basketball at UNC-Wilmington.

Time had come for Milson, 52, to stop.

"I spent five or six years chasing Tanner around and loving every minute of it," Milson says. "Now I want to do that for my daughter."

What a coaching life. Milson grew up in Benjamin, Texas, a speck on the map west of Wichita Falls so small it doesn't even have a Main Street. He was the son of a principal and a secretary, and he earned $5,883 at his first job, coaching tiny Spur High School.

He advanced quickly, going from Spur to Olney to Munday to Cedar Hill. He won 676 career games, finished Class 5A runner-up twice, spoke with Bill Self and Rick Barnes , taught basketball in Spain and helped Mike Krzyzewski at Duke basketball camp.

"When we started at DeSoto," basketball coach Chris Dyer says about Milson, "we looked to see whose program we wanted to emulate. That's who we needed to be."

Illness struck earlier

Milson knew this feeling of disbelief and dismay once before. At age 15, he was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma, battled through the chemotherapy and beat the disease.

He admits it's different this time. Back then he worried only about if he could continue playing football and basketball. Now he has a wife, Val, and his children. When an oncologist diagnosed the cancer, he did what everyone would do. He thought about his mortality, and he Googled everything he could about his disease, negativity abounding.

"All this stuff," he says, "runs through your head."

Milson needed a lift.

And for so long, that had been his role.

When he first moved to Cedar Hill, he drove around in his car waving to everyone who passed by. He saw disruptions in the hallways at Cedar Hill and would perform magic tricks to calm the students down. He befriended kids who looked like they just needed someone to talk to. He drove players to the airport for their official college visits, waited with them until their flight departed and showed up the minute their plane touched down from the return trip.

"You're going to be better as a person because you know David Milson," his friend Rex Spain says.

Spain coached against Milson when he was at Munday, and, Milson being Milson, they got to know each other.

Spain heard about Milson's cancer in May, though the two hadn't stayed too close. He didn't know that Milson couldn't find a place to get treatment and that he wouldn't be able to go to the renowned MD Anderson Clinic in Houston until mid-June.

But he called Milson out of the blue, as did the Kruger family, other acquaintances of Milson. Spain's wife, Lisa, and Stephanie Kruger were part of Rexanna's Foundation, a group that helps lung cancer patients and has close ties with MD Anderson.

Milson didn't ask for any favors but not long after talking to them, he received a phone call from MD Anderson. He was now able to see doctors in mid-May.

Others have joined in to help. Thomas, the rival coach from the Colony, gave Milson and Val a place to stay when he was an outpatient for three weeks in Houston. Berumen sat with Milson's 78-year-old mother, Bo, at Tanner's Cedar Hill senior awards because Milson and Val were out of town. Friends have also organized a charity golf tournament to raise funds.

"Everybody's glad to do it," Spain says. "He's helped countless people."

The news from Milson's early appointments has been encouraging: two spots on the left lung and one on the right with no signs yet of spreading. He'll drive with the family to North Carolina next week to take Tanner to college and will probably undergo chemotherapy when he comes back.

Togetherness wins

Milson never yearned for the superstars in his 31 years of coaching. Of course, he wouldn't mind having one now and then. But no, for him, the best teams contained ordinary kids fusing together to do something special, to win.

"I believe you win," he says, "with average people doing above average things."

As a former coach, it's not surprising that Milson views his circumstance as a game, albeit a serious one. Right now, he's preparing and waiting.

And he has his team, people like the Spain family, Thomas, Berumen and the 2,000-plus who have already visited his blog on CaringBridge.org, average people who will do anything to help him win.

"Milson," Berumen says, "would do the same for us."

Check our this Article!!

2010-06-08T09:27:00.000-07:00

Selenium Shows No Benefit in Prevention of Lung Cancer

Dr. Daniel Karp

CHICAGO — Selenium, a supplement taken daily by millions in hopes of protection against cancer and a host of other diseases, has proven to be of no benefit in reducing a patient's risk of developing lung cancer - either a recurrence or second primary malignancy, according to results of an international Phase III clinical trial.

Results from the decade-long study, initiated by the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group, were presented today at the American Society of Clinical Oncology 2010 Annual Meeting by Daniel D. Karp, M.D., professor in the Department of Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

"Several epidemiological and animal studies have long-suggested a link between deficiency of selenium and cancer development," said Karp, the study's principal investigator. "Interest and research escalated in the late 1990's after a skin cancer and selenium study, published in 1996, found no benefit against the skin cancer, but did suggest an approximate 30 percent reduction of prostate and lung cancers. Our lung cancer research and another major study for the prevention of prostate cancer evolved from that finding."

These large, follow-up clinical studies investigating the naturally occurring mineral, however, have since proven disappointing. In 2009, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) halted SELECT, an international study of more than 35,000 men investigating if either selenium or Vitamin E, alone or in combination, could reduce the risk of prostate cancer. Both supplements failed to show benefit.

According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 219,440 people were diagnosed with lung cancer in 2009 and 159,390 died from the disease, making it the leading cause of cancer death in both men and women. When caught as early as Stage I, and the tumor is surgically resectable, however, and can even be cured in about 80 percent of the cases. In this population, a chemoprevention agent would be desirable, as the risk of recurrence in Stage I patients after surgery accumulates by one to two percent annually. For example, a patient's risk of developing a new cancer at 10 years is approximately 10-20 percent, said Karp.

From 2000 to 2009, the international NCI-sponsored Phase III study, enrolled 1,522 Stage I non-small cell lung cancer patients, all of whom had their tumors surgically removed and were cancer-free for at least six months post-surgery. Participants were randomized to receive either 200 micrograms of selenium or placebo. The study's primary endpoints were reduction of development of a new cancer, or second primary, and/or recurrence of their initial cancer.

The study was halted early after an interim analysis revealed that the progression-free survival was superior in the placebo arm: 78 percent taking the placebo were alive without recurrence after five years, compared to 72 percent on selenium. A total of 216 secondary primary tumors developed, of which 84 (38.9 percent) were lung cancers. Of those taking selenium, 1.9 percent developed a second primary tumor after the first year, compared to 1.4 percent taking placebo. In total, 3.66 percent of participants in the selenium arm developed a secondary primary tumor of any type after one year, compared to 4.1 percent in the placebo group.

Side effects were minimal and no different in both groups: of those taking placebo, 38 percent had grade 1 or 2 toxicity, and 3 percent had grade 3, compared to 39 percent and 1 percent, respectively in those taking the supplement. The study was stopped by the independent Data and Safety Monitoring Committee due to futility.

The researchers did find that in a small group of the lung cancer patients who were never smoked, selenium did provide a small benefit; however, the size of the group of patients, 94, was too small to be statistically significant.

"Our results demonstrate that selenium is not an effective chemoprevention agent in an unselected group of lung cancer patients, and it's not something we can recommend to our patients to prevent a second cancer from developing or recurring," said Karp. "These findings also remind us that never smokers may represent a unique disease and should be an area for special consideration for research focus.

"Given our results and that of SELECT, physicians now can point to two large NCI-sponsored Phase III trials and tell patients that, at this time, the only definitive studies that have been conducted have been negative," said Karp.

In addition to Karp, other authors on the study include: John Ruckdeschel, M.D.; Sandra Lee, ECOG; Gail Shaw, M.D.; Steven Keller, M.D.; Steven Belinsky, Ph.D.; Seena Aisner, M.D.; Omer Kucuk, M.D.; Jean MacDonald; and Mary Steele.

Important Info!

2010-05-31T12:24:00.000-07:00

LUNG CANCER ALLIANCE HAILS MAINE DELEGATION SUPPORT FOR LUNG CANCER MORTALITY REDUCTION ACT

Thanks Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME) and Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-ME) for Joining Congressman Michael Michaud (D-ME) and Endorsing Legislation

Washington, DC (Wednesday, May 26, 2010) - Today, Lung Cancer Alliance (LCA) commended Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME) and Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-ME) for joining Congressman Michael Michaud (D-ME) as cosponsors of the Lung Cancer Mortality Reduction Act (LCMRA), a bi-partisan, bi-cameral bill that establishes the first ever multi-agency, comprehensive research program targeted all aspects of lung cancer.

After recent meetings in Washington, DC with LCA President & CEO Laurie Fenton Ambrose and LCA-Maine Lead Advocate and long time lung cancer survivor, Deb Violette, Senator Snowe and Congresswoman Pingree joined as cosponsors of Senate Bill S. 332 and its House companion measure HR 2112. Congressman Michaud cosponsored the House bill this past December.

"It is so exciting to see momentum continue to build in support of a national plan of action for lung cancer", said Laurie Fenton Ambrose, President & CEO of LCA. The willingness of members of the Maine delegation to join other Senate and House colleagues and demand that lung cancer no longer be ignored and that it be addressed with greater compassion, increased resources and a comprehensive plan – is what will ultimately end lung cancer as we know it."

The Lung Cancer Mortality Reduction Act, authorizes a five year program to reduce the mortality rate of lung cancer which continues to be the leading cause of cancer death among men, women and in every ethnic group in Maine and in every state across the country. Additionally, military men and women are at increased as compared to their civilian counterparts.

"We must elevate lung cancer to a national public health priority and commit to reducing lung cancer mortality as quickly as possible. That is what the Lung Cancer Mortality Reduction Act is poised to do," commented Senator Snowe.

"Lung cancer continues to claim the lives of more people than any other cancer, yet vital research is still severely under funded," said Congresswoman Pingree. "I am committed to ensuring that a comprehensive plan of action is put in place to reduce the deadly impact of this disease.

S. 332 and HR 2112 requires the Secretaries of Health and Human Services, Defense and Veterans Affairs to combine forces on a comprehensive, coordinated plan of action with funding authorized for five years to accomplish the mortality reduction goal.

"As a survivor, I am proud to be represented by these elected leaders who listened to the facts and understood that the time is now to act to reverse decades of stigma and neglect too long attached to lung cancer, said Deb Violette, and I will continue working with any interested party in Maine to improve outcomes for the entire lung cancer community."

For more information abou the Lung Cancer Mortality Reduction Act please visit www.lungcanceralliance.org.

Lung Cancer Alliance is the only national non-profit organization dedicated exclusively to patient support and advocacy for those living with or at risk for lung cancer. Lung Cancer Alliance is committed to leading the movement to reverse decades of stigma and neglect by empowering those with or at risk for the disease, elevating awareness and changing health policy.

***Information from Lung Cancer Alliance

Lung Cancer in Never Smokers

2010-03-19T20:10:00.000-07:00

GENE VARIATION LINKED TO HIGHER RISK OF LUNG CANCER IN NEVER SMOKERS

Variations in a gene called GPC5 have been identified which might contribute to a significantly higher risk of developing lung cancer in people who have never smoked. The findings from the largest effort to outline the genetic changes involved in lung cancer in never smokers (LCINS), published in an Article Online First in The Lancet Oncology, suggest that GPC5 might be a new target for investigation and drug development, and could be used to identify high-risk individuals.

Lung cancer in people who have never smoked (defined as those who have smoked less than 100 cigarettes in their lifetime) is an increasing public-health problem, responsible for a quarter of all lung cancer cases worldwide. Despite attempts to identify the specific genetic mechanisms responsible, the causes of lung cancer in never-smokers remain poorly understood. Recent studies have identified several candidate genes that have a moderate effect on the risk of lung cancer, but no study has identified the genetic basis of lung cancer in never smokers.

Ping Yang from the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, USA, led an international team in a four-stage study to try and identify genetic variations responsible for increasing the risk of LCINS. The researchers began by examining DNA samples from 754 never smokers, and analysed 331918 DNA variants known as single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 377 matched case-control pairs* to find the genetic variations most likely to alter the risk of lung cancer in never smokers.

The Mayo genome-wide association study used conditional logistical regression, a type of statistical analysis, to identify associations between SNPs and lung cancer risk while controlling for history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), exposure to second-hand smoke, and family history of lung cancer. Two specific genetic markers or SNPs (rs2352028 and rs235209) emerged as significant.

To validate their findings, the researchers took the 44 most frequently occurring genetic alterations from the Mayo study and assessed them in two additional independent groups of never smokers: 735 (328 patients and 407 healthy controls) from the MD Anderson Cancer Centre in Houston study and 253 (92 patients and 161 healthy controls) from the Harvard University in Boston study. The two SNPs remained significant in both these replication sets.

A further replication of rs2352028 was done in 530 never smokers in the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA) study. The authors estimate that more than 10% of lung cancer cases in never smokers could be attributed to genetic variations at this locus.

Finally, a series of statistical analyses and analyses of gene-expression levels were done to further clarify the causal relationship between the two validated SNPs and the risk of LCINS. The results strongly indicated that the top two SNPs were associated with LCINS through their regulation of GPC5 expression.

Further tests showed that GPC5 expression levels were 50% lower in adenocarcinoma (the most common form of lung cancer) than in matched normal lung tissue, indicating that reduced GPC5 expression could be specific for adenocarcinoma in never smokers.

The authors conclude: “Genetic variants at 13q31.3 alter the expression of GPC5, and are associated with susceptibility to lung cancer in never smokers…Future studies are needed to investigate the regulatory effects of these SNPs (or tagged variants) and the functional role of GPC5 in lung tumorigenesis.”

In an accompanying Comment, Ramaswamy Govindan cautions that: “Even though this study reports a two-fold reduction in GPC5 expression in adenocarcinoma tissues compared to matched normal controls, it is far from clear how reduced GPC5 expression could predispose individuals to lung cancer. More studies are needed to confirm these preliminary observations in the tumour samples from those with no history of tobacco smoking.”

http://www.exchangemagazine.com/morningpost/2010/week11/Friday/031910.htm

COUNTDOWN BEGINS: 26 DAYS!!!

2010-03-06T12:09:00.000-08:00

Run for a Purpose is only 26 days away! You don't want to miss out on this event. We are having a 5K run, Mile Fun Run & KidsK March 27th in McKinney, TX.

Check out www.runforapurpose.com to register and find out more about this event!!!

Run for a Purpose!

2010-02-11T14:53:00.000-08:00

All that has been on my mind lately is running. I wake up thinking about it, dream about it, and talk about it 24/7. This hasn't happened overnight, but has been a progression for me. I started running about 6 months ago, but it is even more on my mind and thoughts because of the 1st Annual Run for a Purpose! This is a 5K, 1Mile Fun Run, & KidsK. All of the proceeds go to Lung Cancer research at M.D. Anderson and student college scholarships. So you might ask yourself why do I Run for a Purpose??? *to raise awareness about lung cancer, to raise money for lung cancer research and college scholarships, to have fun, to be healthy, and to run for someone who cannot. Leave us comments why you Run for a Purpose.

www.runforapurpose.com (for more info or to register - this race used chip timing!)

Run for a Purpose!!!

2010-02-03T09:47:00.001-08:00

Get excited! We are having a 5K run, 1 mile walk/run and KidsK in McKinney, Texas on March 27th. So mark your calenders to make it out to this awesome event. Below is the paper copy of the application. The application will provide all the information needed for the run. Feel free to copy this and fill out and mail in. Pass the information on to friends and family. Please be looking out for another post with out actual website where you can register for the event online. If you have any questions about the run, or the application please email me at Lindsey.Vaughn@hotmail.com

Looking forward to seeing you there!

www.rexannasfoundation.com

GoodSearch for Rexanna's Foundation

2010-01-28T20:15:00.000-08:00

We have something new and exciting we'd like to share with you! It's the new Rexanna's Foundation for Fighting Lung Cancer toolbar - once added to internet explorer new or Firefox, each time you shop at more than 1,300 stores (from Amazon to Zazzle!) a percentage of your purchase will automatically be donated to Rexanna's Foundation for Fighting Lung Cancer - at no cost to you (and you may even save money as the toolbar provides coupons and deals as well!). The toolbar also has a search box and each time you search the Internet, about a penny is donated to Rexanna's Foundation for Fighting Lung Cancer.

Please pass this along to all of your friends. The 2 minutes it takes to add this toolbard to your browser can make a lifetime of difference!

Get the toolbar NOW!
http://www.goodsearch.com/toolbar/rexannas-foundation-for-fighting-lung-canc
er

50 MILES!!!

2010-01-07T08:34:00.000-08:00

Yes, you heard this right! Our T.E.A.M. Coordinator is not only making a difference with the T.E.A.M programs, but she is taking a stand and raising money for the foundation. She raised $2500!!! You ask how....RUNNING 50 MILES!!! YES 50!!!

Personally, I have never heard of anyone doing that in my life! It takes a long time to just drive 50 miles! :) Check out a few words from this amazing person who is making a difference in the fight against lung cancer!

Hello!

Well, The Cactus Rose is done.. my legs are dead, but I feel fantastic. I want to say thank you to those of you who donated, prayed, or supported us with your thoughts. Overall the course was WAY HARD! My brother in law talked about the "hills". That is NOT the Texas Hill Country.. THOSE ARE MOUNTAINS! We didn't quite make the time that we were shooting for, but we finished. I was somehow able to finish 5th in girls and overall we finished 21st of 55 finishers.

We started when it was dark... and came to the peak of our first "hill" right at sunrise. The view was incredible. At that moment, I could feel postive energy flowing through me! I felt like a champ after the first 25miles and was ready to take on the rest of the beast. I'm pretty sure Rexanna was pushing me up the hills and cringed as I sang out of tune, "Aint no mountain high enough" to push us through it.

The ending was sweet... 50 miles... we made 50 miles. Who does that? Well it was just a small feat as there were 50 others running the 100mile! We were emotional and teared up as we held up our Rexanna sign. The run was awesome. Doing it for this cause made it possible. There was never a time I even thought about quitting. THANK YOU for helping us get to our goal! We're almost there!

Kristen & her brother-in-law, Troy waiting to start the race!

Half way through...25 miles

Coming up on the finish line! woohoo!

Time Clock

Thank you Kristen for all you are doing and will continue to do!

Save the Date!

2009-12-12T21:04:00.000-08:00

Mark your calendar for March 27th. Rexanna's Foundation is going to be having a 5K event in McKinney, Texas.

We need:

Sponsors
Volunteers
Runners
Advice

Comment if you are interested in any of these areas!

IT'S ALL GOOD!

TAPHERD Conference

2009-12-06T16:36:00.000-08:00

Well, let me just tell you that Rexanna's Foundation made headway at the TAPHERD Conference in Arlington. TAPHERD(Texas Association of Physical Health, Education, Recreation and Dance) had hundreds of elementary, middle school and high school coaches, as well as health teachers/educators attending the conference. There were at least 100 booths of different vendor and programs. Rexannas Foundation hosted a booth!

Our goal was to promote the T.E.A.M portion of Rexannas Foundation. We want to reach as many elementary, middle and high school students, by educating them about the negative effects of tobacco and cigarettes. At the elementary level we promoted our bracelet fundraiser. $1 for 1 bracelet. An easy, yet powerful fundraiser. Having every elementary kiddo wearing a T.E.A.M bracelet would show they are being educatated on the negative effects of tobacco. By kids paying $1 they can be empowered to know that they are helping to make a difference in the fight for lung cancer. Lastly we hope the kids will pay it forward, by going home and selling a bracelet to their family and friends. With this, it gives them an opportunity to talk about what T.E.A.M means and lung cancer.

At the middle school and high school levels we have several different fundraiser ideas and events that can be used to raise awareness in the fight against lung cancer. We have full out fundraisers(similar to jump rope for the heart) or events such as 5Ks that can be held at the school along with Huddle Up Challenges. Hosting a Rexanna's Foundation event at the high school level automatically qualifies that high school to recieve a college scholarship for a student who has been affected in some way by cancer.

If you are interested in more information please contact us @ Kristen.rexannasfoundation@yahoo.com. Kristen Alex is the T.E.A.M coordinator and would love to hear from you.

Here are a few pictures from the conference!

Megan, Stephanie, Lindsey, Kristen

People checking out the booth and gathering information.

Kristen sharing about T.E.A.M

One of the many people that we met that have been personally affected by lung cancer.

Lone Star Huddle Up!!!

2009-11-21T20:12:00.001-08:00

What a success. This event gets bigger and better each and every year. Silent auction, live auction, great BBQ, raising awareness for lung cancer, RICK TREVINO, and fun! If you weren't able to make it this year, plan on coming next year! We want you there! We want to raise money for lung cancer and get the word out about this disease.

Thank you so much to all of the volunteers who helped make this event amazing. You know who you are! You guys are the best. We could not do it without you. Thank you to all of the donors, sponsors, and Rick Trevino.

Lindsey Vaughn and Linda Sheppard

Rick Trevino

Tree of Hope

Rick Trevino

Bertha Halfmann and Lindsey Vaughn

Amber Spain and Rex Spain

Lindsey Vaughn and Sara Valentine

Amber Spain and Lindsey Vaughn

Austin American Statesman Article!

2009-11-05T17:09:00.000-08:00

Check it out and comment about it!!!

http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/health/entries/2009/11/03/lake_travis_educator_honored_a.html#comments

Facts

2009-10-24T13:38:00.000-07:00

Total Research Funding per death, 2007
Breast Cancer 24,000
Prostate Cancer 12,000
Lung Cancer $1,400

Five Year Survival Rates, 2007
Breast Cancer 87%
Prostate Cancer 99%
Lung Cancer 15%

(facts provided by the Joan Greata Lung Cancer Foundation Newsletter)

Kaleidoscope

2009-10-18T17:12:00.000-07:00

You have to make this event on your calendar so you can check it out. Tune into FOX from 4:00-5:30 p.m. (EST) on Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 26) 2009 – immediately following the FOX Thanksgiving Day football telecast – “Kaleidoscope on Ice.” This combines the beauty of ice skating, the excitement of song, and the brave message of Suvivorship to raise awareness of key issues surrounding women and cancer. (Don't miss Superstar Cancer Survivors: Olivia Newton-John, Dorothy Hamill & Scott Hamilton (both making a historic return to the ice) in the most touching and entertaining holiday special ever.

Kaleidoscope is an event that focuses on issues and events surrounding women and cancer. Kaleidoscope is a program designed to recognize women and the key role they play in the battle against cancer - as patients, caregivers, and advocates. Its mission is to address issues surrounding women and cancer by helping educate women to be proactive with their health and by honoring all cancer survivors, including the more than 713,000 women who are diagnosed with cancer each year in the United States.

For more information http://www.womenandcancer.com./

2009-10-05T18:36:00.000-07:00

This video was made by a junior high student and his principal watched the video. The principal was a smoker for the past 42 years. He was so moved by the pic of the grandfather dying, he stopped smoking that day and called his daughter who had just “given” him his first grandchild and told her she would not have to watch him die….

Each one … reach one… we make the difference!

New Avenues

2009-09-27T08:58:00.000-07:00

Primary lung cancer shifts to metastatic disease by suppressing a family of small molecules that normally locks the tumor in a noinvasive state.

“Existing treatments have little success against cancer that has spread to other organs, so finding a way to prevent metastasis could have a huge impact on survival,” said senior author Jonathan Kurie, M.D., professor in M. D. Anderson ’s Department of Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology.

For this to be done researchers/doctors will need to understand what initiates metastasis. In the following information they show that microRNA-200 is one of those central cues that initiate metastasis. MicroRNAs are single-stranded bits of RNA that regulate messenger RNA expressed by genes to order the creation of a specific protein.

All primary tumors in a strain of mice prone to metastatic lung cancer became invasive and spread when miR-200 was suppressed. Protecting miR-200 from blockade completely prevented metastasis in another group of the mice, the researchers found.

Tumors shift between noninvasive and invasive state

The team found that miR-200 needs to be shut down for the primary tumor to change from stationary epithelial cells to mobile mesenchymal cells. This epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is recognized as a crucial step in metastasis, which causes 90 percent of all cancer deaths.

An estimated 80 percent of all solid tumors originate in the epithelial cells, which line an organ or its cavities and are generally immobile. Mesenchymal cells are mobile and can differentiate into many different cell types.

When the team profiled a panel of 40 human lung cancer cell lines that had been characterized on the basis of EMT features (epithelial versus mesenchmyal) and site of origin (primary lung tumor versus metastasis), miR-200 expression was highest in those cells with epithelial features and was the best of more than 700 microRNAs tested as an indicator of metastatic or primary origin.

“Highly metastatic lung cancer cells had completely shutdown miR-200 expression, that’s what triggered EMT in those cells,” Kurie said. “When we went back and forced overexpression of miR-200, the cells remained locked in the epithelial state and could no longer metastasize.”

The team also found that the cancer cells could shift from epithelial to mesenchymal and back depending on the cell’s context. The same cells that remain epithelial in Matrigel become “blatantly mesenchymal” when moved to the mouse model and assume an intermediate state when growing in plastic dishes.

Matrigel is a gelatinous mixture that is designed to simulate the complex environment that cells occupy called the extracellular matrix.

“If you take the tumors out of the mice and back to the matrigel, they revert to epithelial cells,” Kurie said. “These cells are highly plastic and responsive to the extracellular environment.

“The idea that these highly plastic cells are the source of metastasis indicates that metastatic capacity is a regulatable tumor cell function. That’s new,” Kurie said. “Identifying the signals that govern plasticity could lead to a novel way of targeting and preventing metastasis.”

Kurie and colleagues continue to work on identifying upstream regulators of miR-200 that might provide targets for therapy.

The researchers started with a strain of mice that develops metastatic lung cancer based on mutations in the Kras oncogene and the tumor-suppressing p53 gene. Cell lines isolated from these mice were introduced in wild type mice and the resultant tumors characterized for metastatic potential.

All tumor cell lines were profiled for gene expression. “The thing that popped out strongly was an EMT signal present in the metastatic cells but not in the non-metastatic cells,” Kurie said.

The team then profiled the tumors for microRNA expression. Out of thousands of miRNAs, only the miR-200 family of five miRNAs, along with three others, emerged as differentially expressed. The other three are being studied.

More information can be found @ www.mdanderson.org/newsroom
Reference info:

Co-authors with Kurie were first author Don Gibbons, M.D., Ph.D., Wei Lin, M.D., Zain Rizvi, and Nishan Thilaganathan, all of the Department of Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology; Chad Creighton, Ph.D., and Yiqun Zhang of the Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center at Baylor College of Medicine; Philip Gregory, Ph.D., and Gregory Goodall, Ph.D., of the Centre for Cancer Biology, Hanson Institute in Adelaide, Australia; and Alexander Pertsemlidis, PH.D., and Liqin Du, Ph.D., of the Eugene McDermott Center for Human Growth and Development at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.

The research was funded by grants from the National Cancer Institute, including the Lung Cancer Specialized Program of Research Excellence; the David M. Sather Memorial Fund, the Armour Family Lung Cancer Research Fund and the Dan L. Duncan Cancer Center at Baylor College of Medicine. Gibbons also was supported by a Young Investigator Award from The ASCO Cancer Foundation and an International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) Fellow Grant.

Calling all Volunteers!

2009-09-07T18:15:00.001-07:00

If you are interested in volunteering with Rexanna's Foundation for Fighting Lung Cancer, let us know! We would love to hear from you and love to hear where you would like to help serve. We have space for you! You can email us at Lindsey.Vaughn@hotmail.com

Save the Date!!!

2009-08-21T05:31:00.000-07:00

It is getting to be that time of the year again....LONE STAR HUDDLE UP!!!

Who: YOU
What: Live auction, silent auction, good food, good music(Rick Trevino!), fun people
When: November 14th, 2009
Where: Salt Lick Pavilion in Driftwood, Texas

Let us know if you have any questions or would like to help with this event. You an email at: lindsey.vaughn@hotmail.com

T.E.A.M Blast Off!!

2009-08-04T19:29:00.000-07:00

Kristen Alex shares about coaching school experience!

I wanted to send a quick note to give you a small taste of what we have been experiencing with T.E.A.M. at the two conventions this week. While in San Antonio at TAHPERD, we singed up over 90 schools and passed on Rexanna's story to hundreds of people. Lisa, Bertha and I were totally jazzed by the reception and excitement this project is generating. We were riding that high all the way to and through girls coaching school . We started off the set up morning with Kevin Halfmann appearing out of the blue to help us unload and we termed him our "angel"! The conference began with excitement as Sheri, Stephanie, and Sandy all roped in people based on past knowledge of who they were or the town shirts they were wearing. We stole moments here and there to tell our own Rexanna stories and renewed our passion for why we do what we do. At girls, we took in another 80 schools!!! So we are about double where we were last year and still have two more to go!!
I just can not say thank you enough to all of you who came together to get this thing rolling. We have two more weeks and I just can't tell you how pumped I am about this project. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!

Lisa, Bertha, Kristen

Bertha & Kristen

Sheri, Sandy, Kristen, Stephanie

200 Letter Challenge

2009-07-09T07:32:00.000-07:00

The 200 Letter Challenge is Still ON!!!

Alright Foundation members, blog readers, friends and family. We need your help! Our goal is 200 hundred letters and we believe that we can do that and MORE. We have an opportunity to make people aware of Lung Cancer and its effects, through Oprah.(cool) The Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation has begun writing letters to Oprah asking her to do a show on "Lung Cancer Matters." We can do our part to help make society aware of this disease by sending letters and representing our foundation.

All you have to do is click here

Let us know if you have written a letter by commenting!
Thanks for all you do in getting the word out.

GIANT STEPS

2009-07-06T20:31:00.000-07:00

A GREAT VICTORY IN PROTECTING KIDS FROM TOBACCO!

It is my great pleasure to tell you that the US Senate just passed the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (S 982/HR ), which gives the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the authority to regulate the manufacture, marketing, and sales of tobacco products. The bill was approved in a bipartisan vote of 79 to 17. After more than 10 years of hard work, this lifesaving legislation will soon become law!

This is a major achievement and one that would not have been possible without the hard work and persistence of volunteers and staff nationwide. In the past few weeks alone, more than 5,000 phone calls were placed to members of Congress.

Today history has been made. Thanks to this legislation, we can make cancer history too!

2009-06-17T19:38:00.000-07:00

Resources

2009-06-08T19:09:00.001-07:00

http://www.lungusa.org/

http://www.lungcanceralliance.org/

http://www.cancer.org/docroot/home/index.asp

http://www.mdanderson.org/

www.cancer.gov

www.facebook.com - don't forget to Join Rexanna's Foundation

Go Granger Elementary!!!

2009-06-03T19:03:00.000-07:00

Granger Elementary held a T.E.A.M event to raise money for the foundation. Kyle Valenti was the student who raised the most money at Granger. So, on field day, he was rewarded with throwing a pie in the face of Christi Ray, the P.E. coach, in front of the entire student body and about 200, plus parents.

Way to go Kyle....
Way to take one for the TEAM, Christi!

Pictures from DC

2009-05-31T08:46:00.000-07:00

Lisa Spain, the Executive Director of Rexanna's Foundation for Fighting Lung Cancer, and President, Stephanie Kruger traveled to Washington DC to meet with legislators and advocate on behalf of Lung Cancer and the Foundation. The letter in the last post shares some thoughts and feelings from the trip, but here are a few pictures!

A group of lung cancer advocates.

Lisa Spain and Stephanie Kruger in front of the White House

Lisa Spain, Executive Director, in front of the Capital Building

Stephanie Kruger, President, in front of the Capitol Building

Letter from the Executive Director

2009-05-28T18:03:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone,
Just sending out the latest update on Rexanna’s Foundation. As I sit here on a plane heading back to Houston from Washington, D.C. I can’t help but be reflective. I am beyond grateful for the place in which our Foundation is today – and that is a tribute to everyone who dedicates there time, energy and support. I also have that sharp ache in the very core of my body as I have shared the story of Rexanna’s fight with lung cancer many times over this week. The clarity of our mission and our fight has never been clearer and more evident than this week. I sit here also in amazement – to think that 1 voice can have an impact and multiplied many times over can really make a difference. Finally I am proud of being able to say that Rexanna’s Foundation was a part of something so special and certainly the beginning of a larger effort to eradicate this ugly vicious lethal disease of lung cancer.

Two days – yes just two short days and yet I have clarity of what joined efforts with a common purpose can accomplish in such a short time. This week Stephanie & I stood shoulder to shoulder with lung cancer survivors, caregivers and others in the fight as we converged on Washington, DC to have our voice heard. What was interesting was I was focused on our voice being heard but I left with the stories and the voice of survivors and those stories so similar to mine that I was haunted and humbled by the sheer force of this disease.

Brandi – 21 yr old Division 1 athlete and college Junior at East Carolina University, a NEVER SMOKER, was diagnosed with lung cancer in November ’08. She is precious – you can’t help but question how? Michael’s wife just days prior to delivering their newborn son finds out she has stage IV lung cancer, only to die 9 months later. There is Mike, a tall young athletic guy with 2 young children, right now fighting for his life looking for the latest in treatment options…he is from California. He may come to Texas – we told him to consider M.D. Anderson – and he is – he said anything because he wants to win the fight. Before we left he told me he would trade cooking dinner for Rex and I for a place to stay…I said “come on!” Melanie, from Maryland, she is in stage 1, she feels lucky to have found it early. Thing is she went to be checked because in the past 3 years she has lost her 2 brothers and father to lung cancer. Jerry had an edge to him, nice but you could feel the fear and anger combined. He told his story of being a law student, studying crazy long hours and stressed yet resisting the common temptation of lighting up; yet his classmate so addicted even stepped out of class to light up. Jerry ,an attorney in D.C., is in the midst of treatments right now with Stage IV lung cancer, his classmate, disease free, is the President of the United States.

Story after story – what resonated was this was real life, real time and happening all around us! Seventy people from all over the U.S. there in D.C. with a common purpose and passion. Sharing their story and trying to convince the legislators to help us in this fight.
In those two days, we laughed together, we cried together and we bonded in solidarity in the knowledge that we all know the realities of this vicious disease. It attacks stealth-like until it is too late, and it is relentless in taking our sons, daughters, mothers, wives, brothers, best friends, sisters, dads, cousins, etc in the prime of their lives in a short amount of time. So fast that you are stunned in the reality and many are numb to what to do.

You guys we are the face for this disease which has so few survivors! We are their stories! WE have to share, we have to tell someone. In 2009 over 185,000 people of all walks of life will die from lung cancer. Over 10,000 will be from Texas! Many will not even get treatment because the news will be they have so little time. Many will be young women who are never smokers, the fastest growing demographic acquiring the disease to date. Over 60% will be folks who have not lit up a cigarette ever in their lives or have not lit up in decades but will not be faced with a disease and life expectancy which averages 15 months. We must speak up! We must wade into the fight! Now more than ever you can make a difference.

I was thinking as I was listening to the stories about our Foundation, our roles as board members and advisors. I was thinking of our economy and the negatives that can be associated with a foundation in these stressful times. But then I paused and realized – it is the voice we need! It is the numbers of people willing to be heard. We can make a difference individually and collectively with our voice. Our voice needs to tell the story. Our individual stories. How lung cancer has impacted us personally. Our stories of the stark realities of this disease. This needs to be a part of who we are and what we do. I was blessed to be in D.C. so was Stephanie. We each had hundreds of really good excuses NOT to be there. But we were! And wow – I am so glad we were.

Each of you have your story. Each of you said YES when I came to you one at a time to talk about being a part of Rexanna’s Foundation. Each of you are amazing! Wonderful! And I am thankful to know you and share this journey with you! My request is not about fundraising – so breathe a sigh of relief if you were worried. This is about awareness – creating a knowledge level out there about lung cancer & Rexanna’s Foundation which needs to be heard!
Here are some thoughts to consider…

· When was the last time you handed out a Rexanna’s Foundation bracelet? Need more? Let us know.
· When was the last time you shared your personal story – why you are a part of Rexanna’s Foundation?
· When was the last time you handed out some of our brochures?
· When was the last time you visited our website?

I know we are all busy and consumed with our day to day lives – but I can assure you that in our day to day lives we have the opportunity to share the mission...touch a life…share our story. Just in the everyday opportunities of life and work.
I am thankful and humbled to know each of you and appreciate all you have done for the foundation. Because of each of you there IS a foundation and trust me…because of each of you – WE DO HAVE A VOICE…and it is being HEARD!!!

Many thanks!!! It’s All Good!
Lisa
Lisa Spain, Executive Director
Rexanna's Foundation for Fighting Lung Cancer

2009-05-26T20:40:00.000-07:00

When was the last time you checked out Rexanna's Foundation website?

If you can't remember maybe it's time to check it out and let someone else know about it! :)

http://rexannasfoundation.org/

200 Letter Challenge!!!

2009-05-23T12:17:00.000-07:00

Alright Foundation members, blog readers, friends and family. We need your help! Our goal is 200 hundred letters and we believe that we can do that and MORE. We have an opportunity to make people aware of Lung Cancer and its effects, through Oprah. (cool) The Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation has begun writing letters to Oprah asking her to do a show on "Lung Cancer Matters." We can do our part to help make society aware of this disease by sending letters and representing our foundation.

All you have to do is click here

Let us know if you have written a letter by commenting!
Thanks for all you do in getting the word out.

No More Excuses. No More Lung Cancer.

2009-05-18T19:25:00.000-07:00

There's no question that millions of lung cancer patients have died because of smoking.
But it's also true that over 50 % of the people now being diagnosed with lung cancer are non-smokers or former smokers.
In spite of this, the stigma of smoking is still so great that lung cancer is under-funded, under-researched, and generally ignored by Congress.
Even though lung cancer kills more people than breast, prostate, colon, liver, melanoma, and kidney cancer.
COMBINED.
It's time to end this.
It's time to treat lung cancer research with the same urgency that we bring to every other major cancer.
Because the most lethal cancer in the country can no longer be hidden behind a smoke screen.

It's Just the Beginning...

2009-05-16T21:00:00.000-07:00

"What oxygen is to lungs, such is hope to the meaning of life." Emil Brunner