Evansville CureSearch for Children's Cancer-2013 Walk

A national non-profit foundation whose mission is to fund and support children’s cancer research and provide information and resources to all those affected by children’s cancer. www.curesearchwalk.org/evansville

Evansville CureSearch for Children’s Cancer Walk –

www.curesearchwalk.org/evansville

Event Schedule
Registration/Check In


Opening Ceremony and Walk

Event Location
Garvin Park
North Main St. and Heidelbach Ave.
Evansville, IN 47711

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NASCAR Driver Jeff Gordon on the CureSearch Walk, click here = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYkyjd7Q0qw&feature=youtube_gdata_player

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Dear Friends,

On behalf of the Inaugural Evansville CureSearch Walk Committee, I would like to thank you for visiting our Facebook page. I sincerely hope you will join us in our efforts to raise awareness and life saving research funds for Children’s Cancer.

The Inaugural Evansville CureSearch for Children’s Cancer Walk will be held at Garvin Park on October 20th at 10 am, registration to begin at 9 am. It should be a fun event that will include a walk around beautiful Garvin Park and an opportunity to walk around the basepaths of historic Bosse Field (weather permitting).

There will be music, face painting, and local mascots, including Evan the Otter. Even Santa Claus will be flying in from the North Pole to support local families that have been affected by Cancer and to help raise funds to fight this awful disease.

At the Opening Ceremonies, past and present children cancer patients will be honored on stage as CureSearch heroes during a medal ceremony, which is followed by a balloon release to reflect and remember children who lost their battle with cancer.

Please click www.curesearchwalk.org/evansville to learn more about the walk, sign up to join us as a walker, and/or make a tax deductible donation to this worthy organization.

Respectfully,

Michael C. Feller
Inaugural CureSearch Walk Volunteer Committee Chair

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What is CureSearch for Children’s Cancer and why should I support them?

Since most people I talk to have never heard of “CureSearch”, I thought it would be helpful to share my personal story on how I came to know this worthy organization….

In December of 2009, I received the news that every parent fears…”Your child has cancer”.

My child was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive children’s cancer, Hepatoblastoma (Cancer of the Liver). Hepatoblastoma occurs in 1 out of every 1,000,000 children in the U.S.

As you can imagine, my family was devastated by the news. I can still remember vividly the pain and utter disbelief that I felt at that time. After the initial shock, I was soon on a mission to find out everything I could about Hepatoblastoma, the research that had been completed over the years, survival rates, typical treatment plans, etc. A retired physician friend of mine referred me to his friend at the St. Mary’s Hospital Medical Library in Evansville, IN, and off to work I went. I spent days combing through papers, published research, medical textbooks, etc. to learn all I could about this terrible disease. I copied every single piece that I could find on Hepatoblastoma.

I reviewed the RESEARCH papers that I had compiled on my child’s cancer and I began to put them in chronological order. As I read the RESEARCH documents over and over and over again something became very evident to me. The treatment protocols for my child’s type of Cancer had changed dramatically over the years, and for the better. 40 years ago Hepatoblastoma was literally a death sentence. 20 years ago the treatment was severe and required extensive chemotherapy with low survival rates. Just 5 years prior to my child’s diagnosis, the treatment for the condition may have required initial chemotherapy treatments to shrink the cancerous tumor, resection of the tumor, and follow up chemotherapy. But due to the RESEARCH efforts of many medical professionals, and funding from the National Cancer Institute as well as funds raised through the National Childhood Cancer Foundation, a.k.a. CureSearch for Children’s Cancer; my child was able to enter a new clinical trial that spared him the initial effects of chemotherapy as long as regular blood tests were administered with favorable results. RESEARCH had suggested that this was a path to pursue.

3 Quick Facts:
1) Cancer is the #1 cause of death by disease in children.
2) 1 child in 5 diagnosed with cancer dies.
3) RESEARCH is the key!!!...RESEARCH has dramatically improved survival rates, up from 48% to 78% over the last 20 years.

I felt like my family was the direct beneficiary of the RESEARCH efforts put forth by many people over many years. My wife and I decided soon after to do whatever necessary to pay it forward in an attempt to help the next parent that gets the news that their child has cancer. We will “never forget” our experience in the in-patient pediatric oncology unit at Riley Children’s Hospital. Quite simply, it broke our hearts into a million pieces to see the infants and children battling for their lives. (I’ve included a short video that is worth watching. It is from the Children’s Cancer advocacy group called The Truth 365 and includes content from children that are battling cancer, researchers, as well as parents of children that have battled cancer.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAe3-3C2dno&feature=youtube_gdata_player


At one of our return visits to Riley Children’s Hospital I asked my child’s Oncologist, who is also the department head of Pediatric Oncology, his opinion on the organization best suited to help improve Pediatric Cancer RESEARCH as I expressed my family’s deep desire to help those that may be diagnosed 5, 10, 15, 20 years from now. He recommended “CureSearch” for Children’s Cancer.

Before I committed to raising funds for CureSearch, I felt it prudent to do my own due diligence. After looking at virtually every possible cancer-focused organization known to man, I was drawn back to where my child’s oncologist had started. I also realized that the reason most people have never heard of CureSearch is because they don’t advertise. In fact, over 94 cents of every dollar raised by CureSearch goes directly into the programs it supports. They spend very little on administration and fundraising, and depend primarily on volunteers to pass along their message. I easily subscribed to this, and was willing to work harder at raising funds. I felt more comfortable asking others for their support knowing the organization is run efficiently and that the money would be put to good use. I’ve attached two links of 3rd party entities that rate non-profit organizations, and a CureSearch “Where Your Money Goes” pie chart for your review. I welcome you to do your own due diligence as you consider supporting us.
http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=4167
http://www.bbb.org/charity-reviews/national/cancer/curesearch-in-bethesda-md-3141
http://www.curesearch.org/Where-Your-Money-Goes/

Access the CureSearch 2011 Annual Report at http://content.yudu.com/Library/A1uqw5/2011AnnualReport%7CCur/resources/index.htm?referrerUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.curesearch.org%2FAnnual-Report%2F


CureSearch’s core focus is on finding better treatments and eventual cures for Children’s Cancers. This is where I wanted to focus my efforts. It is important to note that my support for CureSearch only lies with my belief that they are best suited to find ways to improve treatments for those that have or will be diagnosed with children’s cancer. I’m committed to the cause and would support any organization(s) I felt was best suited to improve treatments and move closer to finding cures for Children with Cancer.

CureSearch for Children’s Cancer supports the RESEARCH initiatives of the Children’s Oncology Group. The Children’s Oncology Group is the preeminent Children’s Cancer RESEARCH organization in the world. It is a RESEARCH collaborative of over 8,000 experts in childhood cancer at more than 200 leading children’s hospitals (i.e. Riley Children’s Hospital, St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, Kosair Children’s Hospital, St. Louis Children’s Hospital), universities, and cancer centers. This unparalleled collaborative effort provides the information and support needed to answer important questions in the fight against cancer. The Children’s Oncology Group treat over 90% of all children diagnosed with cancer in the United States. CureSearch funds the CLINICAL TRIALS and laboratory RESEARCH efforts in partnership with the Children’s Oncology group in an effort to find better treatments and cures for all children’s cancers. (Attached is a Truth 365 video from the new CureSearch CEO discussing importance of collaboration and working together http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXil2qnMFkM&feature=youtube_gdata_player )

Once I was convinced that CureSearch was the most appropriate organization to achieve my objective of trying to find better treatments and eventual cures for those with Children’s Cancer and for those that will be diagnosed in the future, I needed to find something challenging to do that would inspire people to give….

In 2011, thanks to an invitational entry into the Boston Marathon that fell in my lap, I traded in my dress shoes for running shoes and literally went from running 20 miles the previous decade, to 20 miles per week all in an effort to raise funds for pediatric cancer research. I am proud to say, through the kind heartedness of others, I was able to raise over $25,000 for the cause. Here's the story in The Evansville Courier:
http://www.courierpress.com/news/2011/apr/06/sons-bout-with-cancer-inspires-new-marathoner/

Earlier this year, CureSearch approached me to organize the Inaugural CureSearch Walk in Evansville. I told them I would be honored….and here we are today.

I sincerely hope you will partner with us, not only this year, but in years following as we attempt to make a meaningful difference in the fight against Children’s Cancer.

Please sign up to walk and/or to make a tax deductible donation at www.curesearchwalk.com/evansville .

If you have any questions, would like to volunteer, or get involved please contact me directly at m_feller@ml.com.

Only RESEARCH Cures Children’s Cancer.


Respectfully,

Michael C. Feller