The Side-Out Foundation

For years I have disliked holidays because it’s like you’re being forced to be happy and enjoy! Well you know sometimes I am not happy and I can’t enjoy. I can’t enjoy the overeating, I can’t enjoy always think of what I can do to make my family happier, I don’t want gifts – I have too many possessions now, I don’t want to have to go shopping for gifts – I just want peace and serenity. Guess what – that doesn’t have anything to do with the fact that I have Breast Cancer. I’ve always felt that way. The difference now is sometimes I don’t have the oomph to do the things that are expected of me during the holidays. My recommendations to all my fellow warriors. Do only what you want to do when living with Cancer. Your reality is that you spend a lot of energy just staving off this formidable disease. Accept help when you need it. Don’t feel bad that you sometimes can’t do the same things you did years ago. Enjoy your own company. Give yourself quiet times (the greatest gift, I feel). In short BE GOOD TO YOURSELF!

As for my progress in my own personal battle. I am still on Xeloda and haven’t a clue whether or not it is working. I am waiting for the Side-Out Clinical Trial our organization is funding. The bureaucracy just keeps on holding things up. This trial, we hope, will give us more information about the differences and similarities in different women’s genetic makeup and come up with drugs tailored to each of the participants with the hope that they will work. But, we waitand wait for the trial to get fully approved. Is it a wonder that researchers ever discover anything with all the red tape? Billions of dollars are so generously donated by ordinary people to assist Cancer research. Are we any closer to solutions? I do feel hopeful because I have to feel that way in order to get out of bed in the morning. We are hoping for some really good science coming out of this trial. Let’s all of we warriors keep our fingers crossed.

In spite of my Scrooge nature – I wish you all a very happy, HEALTHY, holiday season. Thanks to all of the generous people that supported our Dig Pink campaign. We, the Dunetz’s, are a family with a cause and are personally touched by your support of Rick’s and Bryant’s unfathomable hard work. I like to think Side-Out Foundation is the reason I was put on this earth. It is my legacy.

written by Gloria \\ tags: Breast Cancer, holidays, Side-Out Foundation, Xeloda

written by sideout100 \\ tags: Dig Pink, prosper high school

written by sideout100

Last week we went on a mini tour of 3 different Dig Pink initiatives in 4 states.  Each one had something special to offer and combined these events raised over $30,000.

First we went to Phoenix, AZ to the Dig Pink in Tukee event. They did an amazing job with decorations and an awesome raffle with over 50 different prizes.  The place was packed and the match was exciting…AND we actually did a live broadcast of the event over the Internet.  Thank you Carlos and Kim and all the volunteers who made this event SUPER  special.

Next stop was Juniata College.  We literally flew back, got in a car, and drove to Huntingdon, PA where the ladies of Juniata played Carnegie Mellon.  We made a human breast cancer ribbon and met with the coaches an organizers.  Juniata was the first NCAA college to join us last year thanks to Stephanie Strauss the Juniata setter. Great Job Juniata!

That night we got in the car, drove back to Maryland, went to bed and then woke up and flew to Detroit Michigan to witness the first ever Dig Pink/Kick Pink campaign.  The Eastern Michigan University football and volleyball teams partnered on an effort to raise $10,000. It was cold, but it was an amazing effort by coordinator Katie Thompson.  The football game was awesome!  Even the Marching Band got into the act by wearing pink hats and doing a Breast Cancer tribute to women of rock and roll.  The volleyball match had it’s moments as well with the Lady Eagles sporting special pink jerseys.  They also had a great auction…in fact, they had a volleyball and a football helmet that both were autographed by JayZ.

The final trip was back at the Volleyball Hall of fame tournament in Holyoke MA.  16 College teams competed over 2 days.  We had tremendous discussions with the folks at the VB Hall and we hope to continue our partnership next year to potentially include an outdoor initiative as well as other tournaments.  Thank you to Jerry and Rick and everyone who made the tournament a success!

We are home now….whew!  What a great experience!  Thank you to all the event coordinators and volunteers.  You all did a tremendous job.

written by sideout100 \\ tags: Desert Vista High School, Dig Pink, juniata, Mountain Pointe High School, volleyball hall of fame

Dig Pink Volleyball Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign aims to raise $1 million

The Side-Out Foundation and its Dig Pink- Volleyball Breast Cancer Awareness campaign will launch a first of its kind clinical trial this month to examine the effects of individualized treatment on patients with metastatic breast cancer. Individualized treatment, known as targeted therapy, provides doctors a better way to tailor cancer treatment and offers the hope of more precisely targeting the cancerous cells, which would reduce side effects and improve quality of life.

The trial protocol will bring together the diverse skills and unique experience of community oncologists, nurses and researchers in the field molecular medicine. Clinical trials will occur at TGen Clinical Research Services (TCRS) at Scottsdale Healthcare and Fairfax Northern Virginia Hematology – Oncology. TGen Drug Development Services (TD2) will manage the trial for the Side-Out Foundation. The two major contributing laboratories are CARIS Diagnostics, and George Mason University’s Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine.

This pilot study follows on the heels of the Bisgrove Trial, which indicated cancer patients can survive longer under treatments based on their individual genetic profiles. Results were reported in April 2009 by TCRS at Scottsdale Healthcare in connection with Caris Dx.

While the Bisgrove Trial was a broader-based solid tumor cancer study, the results of this study indicated the potential clinical benefit of a molecular-based personalized therapy selection strategy for patients with recurrent and/or metastatic disease. Intended to provide real time treatment recommendations to physicians, this metastatic breast cancer trial will be conducted over the next 24 months.

Researchers will utilize these advanced molecular profiling technologies, focusing on tailoring therapy for each patient based on the individual genomic and proteomic molecular portrait within the metastatic lesion itself. The patient would then be treated with a single agent based on the aggregate information provided by the genomic and proteomic molecular profiling analyses.

High schools and colleges across the country will host volleyball matches to “pink-out” the stands this October, Breast Cancer Awareness month, in support of this new research.

The Side-Out Foundation is continuing that momentum by attracting more than 1,000 additional high schools and colleges to compete in similar volleyball tournaments in order to raise $1,000,000 in support of breast cancer research and the social and physiological aspects of the disease .

written by sideout100 \\ tags: Dig Pink, Fairfax Northern Virginia Hematology, Scottsdale Healthcare, Side-Out Foundation, TGen