October
Druid Hills Golf Club
(404) 377-1766
Dear Friends and Family:
We thank all of you for your prayers and tremendous support over the last year. As you know, Patrick has Stage IV neuroblastoma. Neuroblastoma is the most common extracranial solid tumor in children and accounts for 8% to 10% of all childhood cancers. Stage IV denotes any primary tumor with dissemination to distant lymph nodes, bone, bone marrow, liver, skin, or other organs. It took 10 cycles of toxic chemotherapy and one cycle of monoclonal antibody therapy to rid Patrick of this terrible disease. The last cycle of chemotherapy was so strong that he required autologous stem cell rescue to survive. He is still at high risk for relapse and at risk for secondary cancers like leukemia as well as infertility, scoliosis, and other significant side effects. Simply put, the current treatments for neuroblastoma are not good enough. We plan to change that.
We are very excited to have formed the Patrick R. Chance Fund for Neuroblastoma Research in collaboration with CURE Childhood Cancer, Inc. CURE is a non-profit organization based in Atlanta that is dedicated to conquering childhood cancer. Since 1975, CURE has provided millions of dollars for research, education, and support of patients and families. We are very proud to be affiliated with CURE. In the coming months, we will have a dedicated page on CURE’s website (www.curedhilhdhoodcancer.org) that will tell Patrick’s story, explain the purpose of the Fund, and also allow on-line, tax-deductible donations. The purposes of the Fund will be to provide funding for research and clinical trials related to neuroblastoma, especially those conducted by physicians a the AFLAC Cancer Center. We hope that you will continue to support this new endeavor. Philanthropy is the life-blood of research. Your contributions may or may not benefit Patrick directly, but we promise he will take great pride in knowing that your love for him will benefit others.
Neuroblastoma Research
There is a large focus at the Aflac Cancer Center of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA) on the study and treatment of neuroblastoma. Three members of the Aflac faculty are members of the Children’s Oncology Group Neuroblastoma Disease Committee, which is the national body that oversees the development of clinical trials for the treatment of newly diagnosed neuroblastoma patients throughout the United States. CHOA is also part of the NANT organization (New Approaches to Neuroblastoma Therapy), a select group of 14 institutions pioneering novel treatments for neuroblastoma that has either recurred or failed to respond to initial treatment.
From the scientific perspective, researchers at the Aflac Cancer Center are studying different aspects of neuroblastoma at the biologic level. Pioneering research is being done on a new compound that attacks tumor cells in a totally different way and that has not been previously tested in pediatric cancer. This drug will hopefully be in pediatric trials within the next two years. Researchers know that a better understanding of how neuroblastoma cells work will lead to the development of new treatments that will either work differently or will complement more conventional chemotherapy. Unfortunately for the group of more than 20 investigators at the Aflac Cancer Center and Emory University, funding is highly competitive, and given the current fiscal climate, only approximately 10% of submitted grant requests are actually funded. This makes reliance on other forms of financial support, specifically philanthropy, critically important to the successful continuation of the research.
How to Help
There are many ways to help Patrick help others through direct gifts and participation in our golf tournament at Druid Hills Golf Club on Monday, October 6, 2008 . We have many ideas regarding fundraisers, and we will keep you posted of opportunities as they arise. Last year we raised over $100,000 and donated every dollar to support research at the AFLAC Cancer Center. We want to do more.
Direct Gifts
Direct gifts are
the most efficient way of helping Patrick help others. Your gifts are 100% tax
deductible and might be matched by your employer. Please make your checks
payable to "CURE Childhood Cancer/Press
On" 1835 Savoy Drive, Suite 317, Atlanta,
Georgia 30341-1000. Please note on the check or in your cover letter that the
gift is being made to the Patrick Chance Fund so that your contribution is
earmarked for neuroblastoma research. You can also donate online at
www.curechildhoodcancer.org by clicking on the Donate Now button at the top
left corner. In the “comments” section, please put “Patrick Chance Fund.”