These Women are Resolved in the Fight Against Cancer
I am involved with many special events that are raising
money for cancer research at the National Foundation
for Cancer Research (NFCR), and I am so grateful for all of them. One in
particular that I attended this month in Washington, DC was the Daffodils &
Diamonds 2016 Luncheon to benefit NFCR at the Columbia Country Club. What an
inspiring day – over 300 women gathered in resolve to raise money for cancer
research, and share the emotional bond of hope for a cure.
The Daffodils and Diamonds Luncheon was founded by
Bethesda’s Alice-Anne Birch in honor of her mother and sister, both of whom
succumbed to the disease. Alice-Anne was co-chair this year with Anne Muir,
also of Bethesda. The luncheon is held to raise funds for NFCR, specifically
for breast and ovarian cancers. The
Daffodils and Diamonds Committee is a group of strong and accomplished women
who have resolved to move forward together in the fight against cancer. Thanks
to their hard work and generosity, hundreds of thousands of life-saving
research dollars have been generated for NCFR’s advanced cancer research. Last
year the event raised over $100,000 for seed money for research.
This year was particularly special for me and for all
involved. This year marked the 35th anniversary of the luncheon –
wow 35 years! It also announced the establishment of the Daffodils &
Diamonds Accelerator Fund. The goal of this designated fund is to allocate
funding to promising cancer research projects that the Daffodils & Diamonds
committee will select for investment through NFCR. It is exciting because it
allows these amazing women to have the power to put seed money into the
laboratory of their choice, with the hope that this will accelerate the
development of that technology. This is a unique and targeted funding model,
and one that is perfectly suited for NFCR. For over 40 years NFCR has been providing
consistent, continuing, sustainable, reliable funding for research. Check out
some of the researchers
that NFCR has been funding for many years.
This year was also bittersweet as my friend, dear Anne Muir delivered
A Message of Hope, paying tribute to her son Stephen, who succumbed to stage 4 Non-Small
Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) in September at age 45. Stephen had been elected
to the NFCR board just a week before he was diagnosed. Anne’s message of hope
was that, while her son’s cancer was found too late, there is promise of new discoveries
in lung cancer treatment and diagnosis, and with the help of the 300+ women of
Daffodils & Diamonds, the monies raised over the past 35 years have made
and will continue to make a difference as we all seek to find a cure for
cancer.
I was also humbled to be recognized at the luncheon as they
paid tribute to me and Beverly Goering in the “Salute to Survivors”. What an
honor to stand up in front of these dedicated women who work so hard on this
event and are so committed to cancer research. My wife and I were blown away by
the heartfelt response from the women at our table, which also included 3 other
survivors. Special thanks also to Alison Starling, News Anchor,
WJLA-TV, ABC7 in Washington, for hosting the luncheon for the 11th
time, and for telling my story.
So once again, I am inspired by the commitment of people
like the women of Daffodils & Diamonds, who show that we are truly “all in
this together”. We all can make a difference in supporting the basic scientific
research (seed funding) that has led to the discoveries of today, and the will
lead to the discoveries of tomorrow. I am just one part of this ecosystem, and
will continue serving as the #CancerResearchEvangelist
bringing people together to support scientists in the laboratory.