Message from Rick Dunetz, Founder and CEO
Major Events of 2010
The Side-Out Protocol
Life with Cancer Grant
Website Improvements
Dig Pink Tour 2010
Fourth of July at the White House
Dig Pink Rally 2010
Rock the Pink™ Festival
Looking Toward the Future
In Loving Memory of Gloria Dunetz
Message from Rick Dunetz, Founder and CEO
To all our supporters,
We cannot promise an end to cancer. Nor can we insure that your loved ones will not receive a breast cancer diagnosis someday. We can, however, build upon the current knowledge and treatment of breast cancer and help to expand the options through the funding of cutting edge research. New efforts are also under way to improve the foundation’s outreach to advocacy and compassionate support organizations.
2010 is the seventh year in existence for The Side-Out Foundation, and we are pleased to report steady progress in the expansion of our activities nationwide. We support those of you who fundraise as well as those who have breast cancer, and we help educate young women athletes so they can become effective advocates.
Side-Out team members are constantly studying specifics about the disease and spreading news articles via social media. Indeed, cancer is personal. My mother, Gloria, passed away in August, and it is her memory that pushes us forward. Everything we do and all that we accomplish is dedicated to her. We are committed to do what we can to make a difference for all those living with cancer, and we strive to present the volleyball community as a changing force in the realm of breast cancer.
Thank you for helping us to tackle our mission of making a significant and identifiable difference in the lives of breast cancer patients and their families.
Sincerely,
Rick Dunetz
Founder and CEO
“I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something.
And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can.”
–Edward Everett Hale
The Side-Out Foundation announced its first clinical trial in February, 2010 which utilizes the approach of personalized medicine and targeted therapy to recommend treatment regimens for patients with metastatic breast cancer.
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This clinical trial (SO-BCA-001), is laying the groundwork for biologically based treatments for breast cancer, utilizing molecular profiling of the patient’s tumor tissue to find potential targets and select treatments for individuals with metastatic breast cancer. The results will expand the knowledge of cancer cell gene expression and protein abnormalities in relationship to disease response to targeted therapies.
Dr. Daniel Von Hoff, Physician and Chief Scientific Officer for TGen Clinical Research Services in Arizona, stated “It is critical to utilize all of the molecular tools and best science we can muster against this cancer. This Side-Out study is doing just that for the patients that need our help now.”
On March 3rd, 2010 the first patient was enrolled in the Side-Out trial with 50 percent of patients on study as of March 1st 2011. The trial is on track for completion by the end of 2011 and resulting data will set the stage for the next study which the team has begun to plan.
“…we are optimistic that the kind of information we are going to get has never been put together before.”
–Lance Liotta, Researcher, Side-Out Protocol
In May 2009, Side-Out awarded a $50,000 grant to Life With Cancer as part of a two-year grant to the local Northern Virginia compassionate support organization, with the goal of helping other communities to benefit from its 25 years of experience.
Side-Out launched a new website with a number of helpful features to facilitate organizing and conducting Dig Pink® events. Simplifying the navigation and updating the fundraising system will not only reduce the burden on teams and coaches but at the same time will improve the reporting functions in the system.
The Dig Pink Tour is The Side-Out Foundation’s six month club initiative where USA Volleyball (USAV) and Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) club teams can participate in an awareness and fundraising effort. In 2010, 154 teams (down from 180 in 2009) raised approximately $120,000 during the Dig Pink Tour. There were ten official Tour stops. A Tour stop refers to a national tournament that embraces the Dig Pink initiatives by declaring the second day of play “pink-out” day.
Fourth of July at the White House
For the third year in a row, Side-Out was invited to set up and feature volleyball on the White House Lawn for the Fourth of July festivities. The USO sponsored event is open to several thousand members of the armed forces and their families.
The 2010 October Dig Pink® Rally was a great success. $1,447,847 was received by mid-January, an increase of $70,869 from 2009. Over 1,600 teams participated in the Dig Pink® Rally. Many of the participating teams worked to educate their communities about breast cancer and the issues surrounding it. Beginning in September, school teams hosted Dig Pink® events in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The majority of events were held during October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
The foundation initiated a new campaign that it will continue to develop in 2011: the Rock the Pink™ Festival. It is designed to involve entire schools by encouraging all sports teams/music groups/academic clubs to take action in furthering breast health education and supporting breast cancer research.
The Side-Out Foundation is excited about 2011 and the impact the foundation’s efforts will continue to have in the breast cancer and volleyball communities. In addition to funding a second year of the clinical trial on metastatic breast cancer, the foundation plans to
- expand its efforts in translational research for metastatic disease
- seek additional collaborative partnerships with breast cancer organizations
- increase advocacy opportunities
- intensify activities in education and awareness within the new Dig Pink Community.
In Loving Memory of Gloria S. Dunetz (“Glo”)
Reclaiming Her Strength
Victory is not always found in remission. It is in daily strength of spirit, courage to face adversity with grace, and determination to live life no matter what challenges may arise.
Gloria was never a competitive athlete, however she always enjoyed exercise, and she was a strong competitor with herself. When she was young, Gloria focused on the artistry and discipline of ballet and modern dance. In time, she shifted her focus to diet, Jazzercise and weights, even hiring a personal trainer to help her achieve her fitness goals.
It was Gloria’s personal trainer who discovered the lump on Gloria’s neck seven years after she achieved remission from breast cancer. Tests revealed the cancer was back, and it had spread to her skin, liver and bones. She struggled to adjust to the life of a patient once again, and this go-round felt worse because there was no remission to look forward to, no possibility of a non-cancer life reclaimed. Her active lifestyle evolved into a basic existence, and for three months Gloria lived life from her couch, retreating into her thoughts and worries.
When Gloria was diagnosed for the second time, her youngest son, Rick, had just assumed the position as head volleyball coach for a local high school team after the former coach abruptly retired. Rick watched his mom grow weaker with treatment and depression, and he confided her situation to his players. The West Springfield girls volleyball team, themselves trying to regain momentum after their former coach left unexpectedly, found inspiration in Rick’s story.
They battled their way through rival teams and found themselves at finals in the District Championship for the first time in school history. Gloria did not want to leave the house when Rick asked her to attend the game, but she eventually conceded when he told her, “the girls are winning these games for you.”
Gloria passed the next few hours immersed in the excitement of the finals. The thought of cancer and death never crossed her mind; what mattered in those moments were the players. The girls had worked so hard to overcome their challenges, and they were winning! It would be hard for anyone not to draw analogies to Gloria’s illness and her own struggles. As if scripted for a movie, the Spartans won their very first District Championship title with Gloria cheering them on from the stands.
For Gloria, their success sparked a familiar desire to fight. She realized the doctor’s words, “my job is to prolong your life”, never mentioned the word “death”. “Prolong your life”: that was the phrase that mattered most, and she wanted to reclaim the life she had.
She learned about her disease and developed a strong relationship with her oncologist. She returned to her personal trainer and set out to make her body as strong as possible for the treatment to come.
Gloria adhered to her workout regimen for six more years. Some days were better than others, but she was confident that exercise was central to maintaining strength. She used that strength to embrace her passions of shopping for antiques, spending time with her husband and family, attending plays and musicals and enjoying the beautiful lilies that bloom in her garden every summer. She passed away August 20th, 2010. Gloria will always be the inspiration behind Side-Out. She gave meaning to its efforts and an urgency to the cause. Her strength and elegance in the face of breast cancer encouraged all those around her and she will remain in their hearts forever.
As for the 2004 West Springfield girls volleyball team, well, they can be proud of the fact that their enthusiasm spawned a movement in volleyball: The Side-Out Foundation. As of today, Side-Out has raised over $3.5 million for breast cancer research and education. Together, Gloria and the team inspired change and created a legacy which will benefit breast cancer patients, their families and the sport of volleyball for years to come.
“The bravest are surely those who have the clearest vision of what is before them, glory and danger alike, and yet notwithstanding, go out and meet it.” – Thucydides
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