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| 1100 people gathered for the Ben Towne Foundation's BENefit 2013 (Image: Bryce Covey Photography) |
Around
here, autumn is the time when many charities host fundraisers. Gregg
and I are always pleased to attend the Ben Towne Foundation's annual
BENefit. We've had the privilege of being an active part of this event
from its inception, and watching it grow each year lifts my heart like
no other "gala" can.
Though
the thing that drew us together with the Townes is the worst thing that
has ever happened to us, our friendship goes far beyond that loss. It
includes our sense of humor, commitment to family, a lot of
coincidences, shared tastes and
sensibilities, fierceness, passion and joie de vivre. It is pure
pleasure to be counted among their friends and supporters, and to do all
that we can to share their message and raise awareness of it.
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| Jeff & Carin Towne with Dr. Michael Jensen (Image: Bryce Covey Photography) |
Though there are always some moments during the
program that make me cry, most of my emotions at the BENefit are joyful,
because the Ben Towne Foundation is getting the job done - making my
dreams of a
cure for pediatric cancer come true,
in this time and place. Through their efforts, the pace is accelerating
here in Seattle under the leadership of Dr. Mike Jensen and
Dr. Rebecca Gardner (two special favorites of mine), among others.
The Katie Gerstenberger Endowment for cancer research supports their laboratory.
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| Reba & Mary-Jane with me |
Joining us at our table were my parents, brother Jim
and sister-in-law Caroline, and our friends Reba, Bill, Mary-Jane and
Brian. Let me give you a few statistics about our table:
60% of us had our only daughter die from pediatric cancer. Every single person at our table
(100%) had suffered the loss of someone close to them as a result of pediatric cancer. For
20% of our table, it was their ONLY child (
100% of
the children in that family). All of us want to see this disease wiped
out, with as few side effects, as quickly as possible. And we were in
the right place to help the researchers accomplish that.
The news is good, my friends: the first patient in the
clinical trial of T-Cell therapy
continues to enjoy remission, gained after only 9 days of treatment,
with side effects of flu-like symptoms during that time. Her mother was a guest at the BENefit, and spoke to the audience about what our support for this therapy means to her. The next
patient is ready to enroll, and it looks as if the clinical trial will
soon be expanded to include a much broader range of ages - open for more
patients to be treated and cured in this new, non-toxic way!
Did you know that it can
cost 10 times more to treat a child with traditional chemotherapy than with T-Cell therapy
- and surgery costs even more? The bill for Katie's care was in the
neighborhood of a million dollars, for which we were (thank God) covered
by medical insurance - but there are many whose finances are completely
wiped out by such treatment, and without the promise of a cure!
Think of it this way: you could spend
$350,000
for a patient to endure chemo, which can cause secondary cancers, organ
damage, susceptibility to infections and reproductive problems - or
$30,000 for
a patient to have T-Cell therapy, with no long-term damage whatsoever,
and continuing immune-system support for remission. Which would you
choose for your child - or for yourself? What would you like to see
become the "norm?"
On this day - the very one on
which Katie was admitted into the hospital in 2006 - people such as
Katie, Carin and Jeff Towne, Dr. Jensen and Dr. Gardner inspire me. Who (or what) inspires you to give?
Dear Friends,
The one bright spot during this time was that Katie's dream of being a bridesmaid came true. She was the maid of honor for her cousin Andrea's wedding to Mike Cunningham. Katie LOVED being their maid of honor. We treasure those memories.
