�From its humble beginnings in 2003, when seven-spot people world Health Organization called themselves "Team Sarcoma" biked cc miles in Louisiana, the Team Sarcoma Initiative has become an international movement.
Sarcoma Knows No BordersMore than 8,000 people worldwide participated in this year's Initiative, surpassing the 3,four hundred who participated last year. Events in 14 countries were hosted by individuals, advocacy groups and medical centers seeking to resurrect awareness of sarcoma, a cancer that affects hundreds of thousands of people worldwide.
Carol Anuszewski of Thorofare, NJ, speaks for many Team Sarcoma participants when she says, "This is our inspiration: To see that those world Health Organization suffer today and in the succeeding get a chance at survival."
Sarcoma is a cancer of the connector tissues, such as nerves, muscles and bones. Sarcomas account for 15-20% of childhood cancers and about 1% of adult cancers. They ar often misdiagnosed, and many sarcomas withstand current treatments.
The Team Sarcoma Initiative is an internationally co-ordinated set of events to raise sentience of sarcoma and heighten funds to support sarcoma research, clinical trials, and patient and family services. Its mantra is "Sarcoma Knows No Borders," because sarcomas tin occur anyplace in the body and can move anyone in the world.
Bruce and Beverly Shriver of Ossining, NY, coordinators of the global exertion, said, "We believe the phenomenal increase in the Team Sarcoma Initiative in the last few old age is declarative of the pent up need for individuals and families world Health Organization have been affected by this disease to interact with each other and their doctors and nurses in a setting other than the traditional hospital setting."
Groups of all sizes coupled in a variety of activities during International Sarcoma Awareness Week, July 12-20. Pictures and stories have been gushing in to the Shrivers ever since.
"We hear stories of amazing resilience in the face of adversity, of incredible bravery when faced with treatments that are not stopping the increment of tumors, of people who unfeignedly inspire us with the way they carry on with their lives in spite of the aftermath of legion surgeries and extensive treatments. These stories tug at your warmheartedness. When you hear them, you bang that you must do something to make more people cognizant of this rare genus Cancer and to support research to come up a cure for it," the Shrivers said.
The following are highlights from just a few of this year's Team Sarcoma events.
Lori Brasic's son, Logan, is in treatment for osteogenic sarcoma, and she organized "Soccer 'Round the Clock" in Jackson, MI. Her actor's line capture the poignancy of the event: "Battles fought on the soccer field carried a special substance that night. Logan remained near the sidelines from dusk boulder clay dawn without rest. From the sidelines he cheered on the players, career out encouragement. As every player took the athletic field during Soccer 'Round the Clock, they were broken by a spirited whitney Moore Young Jr. man shouting and grin from the sidelines, balancing on his forearm crutches, the left leg of his shorts blowing evacuate in the breeze. Everyone there was touched and everyone lettered about 'The Forgotten Cancer.'"
John Glenny lost his 16-year-old son, Ryan, to Ewing's sarcoma in December. He felt a deep need to do something in Ryan's memory to promote sarcoma awareness and raise research funds, so he aforethought two events in Boone, NC, during International Sarcoma Awareness Week. "My initial hopes were a smattering of Ryan's friends active in the "Grind" (a skating contest) and possibly 40-50 friends and kin in the run. As it turned out, we had 35 skaters from as far away as Atlanta, GA, and nigh 100 runners. Hundreds of people in the area learned about sarcoma for the first-class honours degree time."
Rhonda Williams of Baton Rouge, LA, cherished to increment awareness in her state as well. Though the grueling handling for synovial sarcoma kept her from planning an event, she decided to send letters to her friends and family asking for $5 donations. She raised more than $6,000 for sarcoma research. "I am so delighted with this amount, as I never thought in my wildest dreams that this fiddling letter writing campaign would generate such a tremendous response. I'm receiving so many notes from masses thanking me for serving to institute sarcoma awareness to the people of this state of matter."
The Team Sarcoma Initiative has an international background, and about half of the participants were mired in events outside of the United States. In Mexico City, more than 1,900 people united in the "Sarcoma Knows No Borders Race and Walk" on July 20. One by one, survivors crossed the finished line: a youngster using crutches, another child wearing a mask to spare his immune organisation, and an amputee wave his munition in victory.
In China, physicians and nurses at TianJin Cancer Hospital held seminars and offered give up consultations in person and online. More than 600 people were reached during the week, many in outlying areas who needful information and assistance.
Medical centers more or less the domain participated in the Team Sarcoma Initiative. Dr. David Malkin of the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada, said, "This is a remarkable approach together of institutions focused on a common goal - to contribute to global cognition of the sarcoma problem with an ultimate mission to wipe out this disease. The Team Sarcoma events provide an opportunity to collaborate more effectively with other institutions working on the same problem, by highlighting the need for teamwork."
Dr. Piotr Rutkowski of Poland's Comprehensive Cancer Center added: "Especially of import is the fact that this is the patients' initiative and the number of participants is increasing. It means that this problem is recognized by more the great unwashed and it provides the chance for improvement of sarcoma treatment."
Ellen Johnson's father is an angiosarcoma patient. She was one of 26 women world Health Organization knitted children's chemo caps for 24 hours straight in Tuscaloosa, AL. She said, "The most moving aspect of the Knit-A-Thon was the response I got from total strangers. We advertised our case in the local newspaper and had several participants whom we'd never met before. This event has the voltage to turn so practically - in fact, I've already started planning for next year!"
Others ar planning for next year as considerably. The 2009 International Sarcoma Awareness Week has been scheduled for July 18-26, and 40 teams give already committed to the effort. Supporters are invited to conjoin in by planning or attending a 2009 Team Sarcoma event.
To hear more around Team Sarcoma and to read reports and scene photographs from more than 70 events, visit: http://www.team-sarcoma.net
About the Team Sarcoma InitiativeThe global Team Sarcoma Initiative is unified by the Liddy Shriver Sarcoma Initiative, an all-volunteer organization dedicated to improving the character of life for people dealing with sarcoma. The Liddy Shriver Sarcoma Initiative publishes peer-reviewed articles in the Electronic Sarcoma Update Newsletter; provides comprehensive, sarcoma-specific clinical tribulation information at SarcomaHelp.org; and has awarded and co-funded $762,000 in peer-reviewed research grants to day of the month.
Team Sarcoma Initiative
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