"Blogging for Joan" has moved!
www.bloggingforjoan.org and www.bloggingforjoan.com should redirect there automatically.
However, the direct URL is
http://www.gaetafund.org/blogging-for-joan1.html.
See you there!
Friday, September 23, 2011
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Check out our new, redesigned web site!
http://www.forjoan.org/
New, sleek interface! Easier navigation! Same great resource!
Leave a comment and let us know what you think...
New, sleek interface! Easier navigation! Same great resource!
Leave a comment and let us know what you think...
Friday, September 16, 2011
New Method for Detecting Lung Cancer Unveiled
When lung cancer strikes, it often spreads silently into more advanced stages before being detected. In a new article published in Nature Nanotechnology, biological engineers and medical scientists at the University of Missouri reveal how their discovery could provide a much earlier warning signal.
"Early detection can save lives, but there is currently no proven screening test available for lung cancer," said Michael Wang, MD, PhD, assistant professor of pathology and anatomical sciences at MU and a corresponding author for the article. "We've developed highly sensitive technology that can detect a specific molecule type in the bloodstream when lung cancer is present."
Worldwide and in the United States, lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related death. In the U.S., more than 221,000 people will be newly diagnosed with lung cancer in 2011, and more than 155,000 people will die from the disease this year.
MU researchers used blood plasma samples to detect a change in a specific small ribonucleic acid (microRNA) molecule that is often elevated in lung cancer patients. The scientists put an extract of blood plasma through a protein-based nanopore, which is a tiny hole in a thin membrane that is just big enough for a single molecule to pass through. By applying an ionic current to the nanopore, the scientists measured changes in the current that occur when the microRNA molecule associated with lung cancer is present.
"That altered current acts as a signal or bio-signature that is related to lung cancer," said Li-Qun Gu, PhD, an associate professor of biological engineering at MU and a corresponding author for the article. "Our new nanopore sensor is selective and sensitive enough to detect microRNAs at the single molecular level in plasma samples from lung cancer patients.
"While there are many research labs that focus on nanopore applications, this is the first time that nanopore technology has been used to detect lung cancer," Gu added. "This technology could possibly be used in the future to detect other cancer types as well as other types of diseases with specific DNA or RNA in the blood."
Provided by University of Missouri School of Medicine
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Jogging for Joan - Join our team today!
November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month!
There are two Lung Cancer Awareness 5Ks coming up in Atlanta area.
We are drafting "Jogging for Joan" teams at each one of these events.
No More Excuses 5K
Supporting Lung Cancer Alliance
Saturday, November 5
North Point Shopping Center
Alpharetta, GA
Click HERE to join our team and register!
Breath Deep Atlanta 5K
Supporting LUNGevity Foundation
Saturday, November 12th
Georgia Tech Campus
BioTech Courtyard
315 Ferst Avenue
Atlanta, GA 30318
Click HERE to join our team and register!
Spread the word!
Lung cancer matters, too. Nobody deserves it.
And, you do not have to smoke to get it.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
5th Annual Dancing for Joan! Save the Date!
The Fifth Annual Dancing for Joan is set for Saturday, February 25th, 2012!
Dancing for Joan is our annual fund raiser that honors Joan’s love of dancing. It is a festive evening of cocktails, dinner, great music, dancing, silent auction, and a “call to action” in the fight against lung cancer.
Dancing for Joan is a fun and exciting way to honor important contributors in the crusade and to raise the funds needed for research and awareness.
We our very proud to be celebrating our fifth anniversary of fighting lung cancer and hope you will join us.
Sponsorship packages are now available! We offer four affordable sponsorship packages to fit any budget. Click here for their descriptions and to purchase. Or, you may contact us at (404) 0987-0792 or gaetafund@gmail.com for more information.
Watch this space for more information as it becomes availalbe! Spread the word!
85% of the net proceeds from Dancing for Joan will be invested in the Addario Lung Cancer Medical Institute (ALMCI). Learn about our affliation with ALCMI here. Visit ALCMI online at http://www.alcmi.net/.
Dancing for Joan is our annual fund raiser that honors Joan’s love of dancing. It is a festive evening of cocktails, dinner, great music, dancing, silent auction, and a “call to action” in the fight against lung cancer.
Dancing for Joan is a fun and exciting way to honor important contributors in the crusade and to raise the funds needed for research and awareness.
We our very proud to be celebrating our fifth anniversary of fighting lung cancer and hope you will join us.
Sponsorship packages are now available! We offer four affordable sponsorship packages to fit any budget. Click here for their descriptions and to purchase. Or, you may contact us at (404) 0987-0792 or gaetafund@gmail.com for more information.
Watch this space for more information as it becomes availalbe! Spread the word!
85% of the net proceeds from Dancing for Joan will be invested in the Addario Lung Cancer Medical Institute (ALMCI). Learn about our affliation with ALCMI here. Visit ALCMI online at http://www.alcmi.net/.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
The Last Refrigerator
by Rob Densen
Originally published August 30th, 2011 on The Huffington Post.
I came home Monday night, took one look at my wife, and knew something was desperately wrong.
"Honey, what is it?" I asked, half inquiring, half -- by way of my sheepish intonation -- signaling my acceptance of the blame for whatever was awry in her life.
"The refrigerator.... It's dead."
"Dead, as in finito? Beyond any reasonable hope of repair?"
"Dead as in last week's vegetable lasagna is lying in the sink, a disgusting, slimy mush. And your no-sugar-added fudge pops? Let's just say you don't want to know what they look like."
And then came the knockout punch. "This is your fault."
I couldn't argue. For the last week or so, as our 14-year-old refrigerator struggled for its last few cooling breaths, I was making my wife miserable in her search for a replacement, something that should, normally, be a mindless, checklist task.
Our late refrigerator was a full-length side by side, with beveled wood panels on the doors which we got to match the cabinetry when we remodeled the kitchen. When it came to a replacement, I had relented on figuring out how to match the cabinets, but I was insistent on a side by side. My wife preferred the fridge-on-top-with-French-doors-freezer-on-the-bottom arrangement that is all the rage.
For the record, my preference for a side by side wasn't just a matter of style. With a reconstructed knee, a frozen shoulder, and two bulging discs in my back wrapped around a giant lazy streak, I generally go out of my way to avoid any sort of bending motion. It's not impossible, just a little uncomfortable.
In the week we dilly-dallied, the food was melting in the fridge -- and my wife was on the way.
The next night I returned home and all was fine. "I ordered the top/down model. It will be here Thursday."
She had been to her Pilates class earlier in the day and, in the midst of a long discussion with her instructor, it all became clear. "I realized," she said, "that this will be my last refrigerator."
A Life Measured in Kilowatt Hours
I couldn't argue with her. Not with the logic and, most regrettably, not with the truthfulness of that statement. My wife has Stage IV lung cancer. Given the arc of the disease and the quality of refrigerator design and construction, it is highly probable that this will be her last refrigerator. The question is, are we also on our last washing machine, hairdryer or big screen TV?
It is unbelievably painful -- but sobering and highly instructive -- to look at lung cancer that way. Diagnosed with lung cancer and you're not talking decades, but kilowatt hours.
It is an incredibly virulent disease. Overall, lung cancer has a 15% five-year survival rate. Stage IV lung cancer, the most common staging at diagnosis, has a 4% survival rate. Look at it this way: by the time you've finished reading this post, two more Americans will be diagnosed with lung cancer. They are likely to be dead within five years.
Here's another cold, hard and, I hope, unacceptable fact: 160,000 Americans will die of lung cancer in 2011 -- three times more than the next most deadly cancer and more than prostate, breast, pancreatic, pediatric and colon cancer COMBINED.
And while breast cancer grabs the attention, the funding dollars and the 5K walk participants, the fact is that close to 70% MORE WOMEN will die of lung cancer this year than will die of breast cancer. Many of them will be women like my wife who never smoked, Indeed, cancer in women who never smoked is one of the fastest growing cancers. No one knows why. Regrettably, not many people are even asking the question.
Of Lung Cancer and Consumer Electronics
We're so good at -- and obsessed with -- technological innovation for applications both frivolous and mundane. Yet, we're so bad at deploying our ample resources -dollars and brainpower -- against a disease that devastates close to a quarter million families every year.
Go into any consumer electronics or appliances store and you will be dazzled by the technological innovation. It's all so head-spinning that I need to take a Dramamine before going to the Apple Store.
Our new fridge? It's probably good for 20 years. Plus, the ice cube dispenser knows exactly how many ice cubes I take in my Diet Coke. The picture on my HDTV is so clear that I saw shaving cream in Brian Williams' ear the other night and, even as I write this, the cell phone in my jacket pocket is secretly capturing the inner-most thoughts of the guy sitting next to me on the train. I may be exaggerating, but not by much.
Finally, consider this -- last year, Apple spent $1.8 billion on R&D (Microsoft spent more than four times that amount) Want to know what the National Cancer Institute spent researching lung cancer, the number #1 cancer killer by a factor of three -- about $282 million.
We can communicate globally without concern for time or distance, access the world's libraries from our desktops, tap orbiting satellites to map the most routine trip, and short gold with a swipe on our phone. We've made a Jackass movie in 3-D -- and there are smartphone applications that fight acne. But we can't figure out how to diagnose lung cancer early, or why non-smoking women are getting cancers in record numbers, or how to boost overall lung cancer survivability from a mere 15%?
Something is badly off in our world. Shameful, actually. There's an app for that. It's called compassion.
For more information or to support lung cancer research and advocacy, please visit one or more of the following sites: Uniting Against Lung Cancer, OneBreath, The Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation, National Lung Cancer Partnership, or the Lung Cancer Alliance
Originally published August 30th, 2011 on The Huffington Post.
I came home Monday night, took one look at my wife, and knew something was desperately wrong.
"Honey, what is it?" I asked, half inquiring, half -- by way of my sheepish intonation -- signaling my acceptance of the blame for whatever was awry in her life.
"The refrigerator.... It's dead."
"Dead, as in finito? Beyond any reasonable hope of repair?"
"Dead as in last week's vegetable lasagna is lying in the sink, a disgusting, slimy mush. And your no-sugar-added fudge pops? Let's just say you don't want to know what they look like."
And then came the knockout punch. "This is your fault."
I couldn't argue. For the last week or so, as our 14-year-old refrigerator struggled for its last few cooling breaths, I was making my wife miserable in her search for a replacement, something that should, normally, be a mindless, checklist task.
Our late refrigerator was a full-length side by side, with beveled wood panels on the doors which we got to match the cabinetry when we remodeled the kitchen. When it came to a replacement, I had relented on figuring out how to match the cabinets, but I was insistent on a side by side. My wife preferred the fridge-on-top-with-French-doors-freezer-on-the-bottom arrangement that is all the rage.
For the record, my preference for a side by side wasn't just a matter of style. With a reconstructed knee, a frozen shoulder, and two bulging discs in my back wrapped around a giant lazy streak, I generally go out of my way to avoid any sort of bending motion. It's not impossible, just a little uncomfortable.
In the week we dilly-dallied, the food was melting in the fridge -- and my wife was on the way.
The next night I returned home and all was fine. "I ordered the top/down model. It will be here Thursday."
She had been to her Pilates class earlier in the day and, in the midst of a long discussion with her instructor, it all became clear. "I realized," she said, "that this will be my last refrigerator."
A Life Measured in Kilowatt Hours
I couldn't argue with her. Not with the logic and, most regrettably, not with the truthfulness of that statement. My wife has Stage IV lung cancer. Given the arc of the disease and the quality of refrigerator design and construction, it is highly probable that this will be her last refrigerator. The question is, are we also on our last washing machine, hairdryer or big screen TV?
It is unbelievably painful -- but sobering and highly instructive -- to look at lung cancer that way. Diagnosed with lung cancer and you're not talking decades, but kilowatt hours.
It is an incredibly virulent disease. Overall, lung cancer has a 15% five-year survival rate. Stage IV lung cancer, the most common staging at diagnosis, has a 4% survival rate. Look at it this way: by the time you've finished reading this post, two more Americans will be diagnosed with lung cancer. They are likely to be dead within five years.
Here's another cold, hard and, I hope, unacceptable fact: 160,000 Americans will die of lung cancer in 2011 -- three times more than the next most deadly cancer and more than prostate, breast, pancreatic, pediatric and colon cancer COMBINED.
And while breast cancer grabs the attention, the funding dollars and the 5K walk participants, the fact is that close to 70% MORE WOMEN will die of lung cancer this year than will die of breast cancer. Many of them will be women like my wife who never smoked, Indeed, cancer in women who never smoked is one of the fastest growing cancers. No one knows why. Regrettably, not many people are even asking the question.
Of Lung Cancer and Consumer Electronics
We're so good at -- and obsessed with -- technological innovation for applications both frivolous and mundane. Yet, we're so bad at deploying our ample resources -dollars and brainpower -- against a disease that devastates close to a quarter million families every year.
Go into any consumer electronics or appliances store and you will be dazzled by the technological innovation. It's all so head-spinning that I need to take a Dramamine before going to the Apple Store.
Our new fridge? It's probably good for 20 years. Plus, the ice cube dispenser knows exactly how many ice cubes I take in my Diet Coke. The picture on my HDTV is so clear that I saw shaving cream in Brian Williams' ear the other night and, even as I write this, the cell phone in my jacket pocket is secretly capturing the inner-most thoughts of the guy sitting next to me on the train. I may be exaggerating, but not by much.
Finally, consider this -- last year, Apple spent $1.8 billion on R&D (Microsoft spent more than four times that amount) Want to know what the National Cancer Institute spent researching lung cancer, the number #1 cancer killer by a factor of three -- about $282 million.
We can communicate globally without concern for time or distance, access the world's libraries from our desktops, tap orbiting satellites to map the most routine trip, and short gold with a swipe on our phone. We've made a Jackass movie in 3-D -- and there are smartphone applications that fight acne. But we can't figure out how to diagnose lung cancer early, or why non-smoking women are getting cancers in record numbers, or how to boost overall lung cancer survivability from a mere 15%?
Something is badly off in our world. Shameful, actually. There's an app for that. It's called compassion.
For more information or to support lung cancer research and advocacy, please visit one or more of the following sites: Uniting Against Lung Cancer, OneBreath, The Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation, National Lung Cancer Partnership, or the Lung Cancer Alliance
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Request for Services: Complete Audio/Video Equipment and Service for 02/25/2012
On Saturday, February 25th, 2012, we will proudly produce our FIFTH ANNUAL "Dancing for Joan" fund raiser for the Addario Lung Cancer Medical Institute.
We are currently looking for complete audio and video equipment and services for our event. (Sound sytem/amp/mixing board/3 or 4 large, flat screen monitors, etc.) The vendor who had so graciously donated their equipment and services in the past is no longer in the equipment business. We are very thankful for their support.
We would be extremeley grateful for an in-kind donation of one day's equipment rental and services for a great cause.
If you or someone you know can provide such services and would be willing to volunteer, please call us at (404) 987-0792 or send an e-mail to gaetafund@gmail.com.
Thank you very much!
(Please spread the word! Repost, Retweet, e-mail......)
We are currently looking for complete audio and video equipment and services for our event. (Sound sytem/amp/mixing board/3 or 4 large, flat screen monitors, etc.) The vendor who had so graciously donated their equipment and services in the past is no longer in the equipment business. We are very thankful for their support.
We would be extremeley grateful for an in-kind donation of one day's equipment rental and services for a great cause.
If you or someone you know can provide such services and would be willing to volunteer, please call us at (404) 987-0792 or send an e-mail to gaetafund@gmail.com.
Thank you very much!
(Please spread the word! Repost, Retweet, e-mail......)
Friday, August 12, 2011
"The Day I Found Out" by Bonnie Addario #lungcancer
As we keep stating, we are very proud to be an affiliate of The Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation and to be raising funds for their lung cancer research arm, ALCMI.
What you will see and hear in the video below is a big reason why. Here is Bonnie's story. Please take a moment an watch this video.
www.twitter.com/thedayifoundout
www.twitter.com/bonniejaddario
www.twitter.com/forjoan
What you will see and hear in the video below is a big reason why. Here is Bonnie's story. Please take a moment an watch this video.
www.twitter.com/thedayifoundout
www.twitter.com/bonniejaddario
www.twitter.com/forjoan
New Fighters in the War Against #LungCancer!
Our friends down in Macon, Georgia, Abby's Dream, have officially formed The Abby's Dream Foundation!
Check them out here. Spread the word!
Check them out here. Spread the word!
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