It's About Life
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Dear Friends,
A big part of the success of Lazarex comes from the support we receive from our friends in the community. A warmhearted thank you goes out to 1515 Restaurant and Lounge in Walnut Creek for including Lazarex as one of the charities to benefit from their 5th annual 1515 Friends & Family Golf Tournament! Thanks to all who participated and generously donated - Lazarex received $7,000 for our program services!
We also like to give back when we can. On July 23rd we sponsored a hole at the Danville Area Chamber of Commerce annual golf tournament. We enjoyed a fun day on the course, met some great people and helped support a worthwhile cause.
For the past 3 years Lazarex has been associated with GreatNonProfits.org and we need your help. If we can get just ten positive reviews by Oct. 31 we will be ranked as a top rated health non-profit for 2012. If you've been impacted by Lazarex, please share your story. Use this link to write a review: http://greatnonprofits.org/organizations/view/lazarex-cancer-foundation
Our key fundraiser of the year is coming up on September 29th. Our annual gala is on the U.S.S. Hornet in Alameda and features one of the most unique and accomplished Americans of my lifetime, Louis Zamperini. I can't wait to meet and hear from Louis, and I hope to see you there. Sadly our Huey Helicopter fundraiser has been canceled due to circumstances beyond our control! However there is plenty of fun in store for you.
We do all of this to enhance the quality of life for our Very Important Patients. That's why it delights me to report that Ruth, who came to us with recurring pancreatic cancer in 2008, has now remained cancer free for almost 3 years! We are all praying for similar results for our VIP Yalini, featured in this newsletter.
Please take a moment to reflect on all the goodness you help make possible through Lazarex. After all, it's about Life.
Sincerely,
Dana Dornsife
President, Lazarex Cancer Foundation |
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New and Fun Ways to Support Lazarex
September 29, 2012
Lazarex's Annual Gala "Battle for a Lifetime"
Time is running out! Buy your tickets now!
Please note: The Huey Helicopter fundraiser flights have been canceled due to circumstances beyond our control.
Join us on the aircraft carrier U.S.S Hornet, a national historic landmark based in Alameda, CA on September 29th from 6 p.m. to midnight for this year's gala entitled Battle for a Lifetime. Hear 95 year old guest speaker Louis Zamperini, a World War II Bombardier and prisoner of war, a 1936 Olympian, author and motivational speaker. His message of perseverance and forgiveness will inspire you. 
Besides Zamperini, all guests will enjoy a welcome with a military escort by the Side Boys, patriotic tunes from the USS Hornet Band and the1940's swing style harmonies of the Swinging Blue Stars while cocktails and appetizers are served. After a delicious dinner, the old school funk band JamFunkShus will get you up on your feet. There will be casino games, a photo booth and more for your amusement. Dress is cocktail attire.
For $350 per person you can help give the gift of hope and life and have great fun at the same time.
Tickets and Event information are available at https://lazarex.ejoinme.org/USSHornetGala.
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Introducing Karen Weixel
Karen Weixel has been a volunteer Medical Liaison for Lazarex for over 2 years. She is a friend, a compassionate advocate and a deeply appreciated member of our organization.
Karen Weixel graduated from CSU Chico with a degree in Community Health Education. After graduation she worked for the American Lung Association and developed their community outreach program.
In 2005 Karen was diagnosed with breast cancer. Through this experience she learned the importance of being very involved in one's treatment and the value that an outside advocate can bring to the process. It is with this personal experience in mind that Karen feels blessed with the opportunity to make use of this knowledge and expertise on behalf of others who are currently undergoing a similar life experience.
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Very Important Patient (VIP): Yalini
Yalini is a mother, a wife, a daughter, a friend, and she is also a statistic, a patient, and - we hope - a cancer survivor. With her blessing, we are sharing her story.
 Yalini left Sri Lanka with her family when she was 25 years old. She relocated to Boston with her family, where she lived for five years. On a trip to Toronto in 1998, she met her future husband, Ananthan, a young college graduate, who had just accepted a job in the United States. Several months later, they were married and living in the Bay Area where Ananthan worked as a civil engineer for the City of Dublin. By 2003 they had a son and a daughter. Yalini kept active being involved in her children's school, the Sri Lankan community, and in keeping her family happy.
Yalini had always been a healthy person. She eats a healthy vegetarian diet, is an active mother to two elementary school-aged kids, and had no reason to think her health was in jeopardy.
However, in late 2006 at age 38, she noticed blood in her stool. No pain, nothing unusual, but blood where it shouldn't be is never a good sign. She visited her doctor, who ran some tests. After all the routine tests were inconclusive, her doctor performed a colonoscopy and found a tumor.
The tumor was biopsied and within weeks Yalini was in surgery to remove a part of her colon that contained the tumor. Three months later, her doctor ran another scan to make sure everything was as it should be, but she found another larger tumor in the abdomen. Again, within weeks, Yalini underwent another surgery to remove the abdominal tumor. The diagnosis: metastatic neuroendocrine carcinoid cancer. Very rare.
 Although the surgery was successful to remove the tumor from her abdomen, when a scan was done two months later, her doctors found that the cancer had spread to other organs. At this point - known as Stage 4 cancer - the disease had spread to so many vital organs that surgery was no longer an option.
Since 2007, Yalini has participated in three different clinical trials at UC San Francisco in an attempt to treat the cancer with different types of chemotherapy combined with radiation. Despite these efforts, the tumors did not reduce in any noticeable way. Instead, the tumors continued to grow and new spots continue to sprout up. Treatment of this kind is not covered by insurance. Friends and family contributed most of the upfront money to get the treatment underway. But that didn't cover the entire $96,000 and that's when we learned about Lazarex Cancer Foundation. They have made all the difference in the world. They helped pay for the flights and accommodations in Houston, TX throughout the treatments. Through the strength she draws from her children, Yalini refuses to give up hope for a cure. Yalini has broken all the odds against her; there have been times when her family has been told to prepare for the worst and that she has three to six months to live, but she whole heartedly believes this disease will not keep her from attending her children's graduations and from being by her husband's side.
Patients like this month's VIP, Yalini, are benefiting from support like this every day. Please help us by who you think would be interested in Lazarex.
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PaleoCleanse for Life and for Lazarex
Sponsored by Fit Mind n Body
Please join Brandi Geiger MS, CMT & Dr. Lori Mancuso to learn how foods affect your body, as well as cleansing your toxic overload. Our bodies detox continuously as a natural function. It's only when our detox mechanisms become overloaded that the process becomes less efficient and symptoms may occur.
Toxins may  be internal or external in origin. Pollution or pesticides in our food source put undue stress on our detox organs, the kidneys and liver. Improper digestion and imbalanced gut ecology can compromise our detox pathways. It has been suggested that toxic overload contributes to more serious conditions such as auto-immune diseases, inflammatory/rheumatoid arthritis and neurological disorders such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. The goal of this program is to gently and slowly cleanse your body of toxins that add an extra burden so serious diseases like these can be avoided. This program should turn your liver into a healthy, cleansing machine. Symptoms which may be relieved by following a detox program include: digestive problems, bad breath Fatigue, irritability General malaise, constipation, headaches, itchy skin, skin rashes, joint pain, weight loss resistance and poor concentration. Where: Fit Mind n Body, 55 Oak Court, Danville, CA 94526 phone:925 984-9259 When: October 3,10,17, 24 at 10:30 am or 6:30 pm * 17th is 6:30 pm only Your $100 registration fee will benefit Lazarex Cancer Foundation.
*Supplements not included.
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 Team for Life Events -
Join Us, Donate, Have Fun!
Joining Team for Life gives you the chance to directly support Lazarex Cancer Foundation by participating in any endurance event where Lazarex has an official team OR by creating your
own fundraising event.
View all Team for Life events at: www.teamforlifelcf.org
Thank you and congratulations to all our Team for Life super heroes, faeries, and muggles who completed the 2012 Disneyland� Half Marathon! Your efforts on behalf of Lazarex and the patients we serve are deeply appreciated.
We are registering participants for these races:
Marine Corps Marathon
Sold Out but Team for Life has Bibs!
When: October 28, 2012
Where: Washington DC
Contact Team for Life to reserve your spot today or go to: Marine Corps Marathon 2012
Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon
When: November 10, 2012 Where: Orlando, FL Contact Team for Life to reserve your spot today or go to: Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon 2012
Big Sur Half Marathon When: November 18, 2012 Where: Monterey Bay, CA Contact Team for Life to reserve your spot today or go to: Big Sur Half Marathon 2012
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About Lazarex Cancer Foundation
Lazarex Cancer Foundation builds a bridge to hope, dignity and life for cancer patients and their families. We provide financial assistance to defray the costs associated with patient participation in FDA clinical trials. Additionally, we help patients navigate their clinical trial options and provide community education and outreach services. We believe that together we can build a bridge to hope. To learn more, please contact us at 925.820.4517, toll-free at 877.866.9523, or visit us at www.lazarex.org.
      
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