Volume 3 Issue 6 October 2010 OSU COMPREHENSIVE CANCER CENTER JAMES CANCER HOSPITAL & SOLOVE RESEARCH INSTITUTE RESEARCH • EDUCATION • HOPE A Message from Chris Over the past year, our family has received an outpouring of support and love from the community and we cannot thank you enough for your kindness. In the midst of the sadness and our loss, we have found a great deal of strength in the community’s desire to help. Even though Stefanie is no longer with us, we are continuing her legacy by making great strides in the fight against breast cancer. I am both pleased and amazed to announce that the Spielman funds have reached $7.9 million since 1998. We could have never accomplished this without your help and I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to all those who have committed their efforts to this cause. n e M o r y o f I M I am continually amazed with our Community Partners who have stepped up to St e f a n I e Sp I e l M a n join us in the fight against breast cancer. This past fiscal year, our communities organized more than 150 events and donated more than $892,349 to the 1967 - 2009 Spielman Funds. Over $56,000 of that came from K-12 school fundraisers. All of these fundraisers are organized and supported by individuals and companies In November 2009, after a decade-long in the community who generously give their time and efforts to orchestrate battle, Stefanie left us with a final thought: successful events and initiatives. I am proud to say that all of the money raised continue to fight. Through it all, Stefanie goes entirely to support research and patient care that is truly helping to make kept a positive attitude and was always a difference in the lives of cancer patients and their families. Again, thank you grateful for the blessings she felt life had to all our Community Partners for supporting the Spielman Funds and for your given her. Knowing that there is still more contribution to keeping Stefanie’s legacy alive. work to be done, she has encouraged us As you know, Stefanie was a woman of great optimism. She had hope for new all to keep fighting and she has left us research, for new treatment options and hope that one day we will discover a with a legacy of hope. cure for cancer. It is my prayer that all of us will continue to find strength and comfort in the vision that Stefanie shared with us. Through her remarkable grace and It was Stefanie’s wish that I would do whatever I can to continue this fight against compassion for others, Stefanie Spielman breast cancer. I am committed to this fight but I cannot do it alone. It is going to taught all of us powerful lessons about the take all of us working together human capacity for love and courage. to end this disease. I want to encourage all of you to keep E. Gordon Gee, JD, EdD supporting, keep fundraising President, The Ohio State University and keep believing that we can find a cure. Together, we will continue to fight and continue to live. God bless, Chris Stefanie’s Legacy… Andrea Cambern Michael Caligiuri, MD 10TV News Anchor Director, Ohio State’s Comprehensive Cancer Center CEO, James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute A champion; an inspiration; a wonderful friend. How Not only did Stefanie Spielman create Stefanie’s Champions, but through her lucky we all are to have had tireless devotion and advocacy for patient care support and more research you in our lives. into the prevention and treatment of breast cancer, she helped raise millions Wife of dollars for cancer research through the Stefanie Spielman Fund for Breast Cancer Research at The James. She will be missed, but never forgotten. Her passion and commitment will live on for generations to come. She’s truly a champion. She was absolutely critical to the battle. This was her calling. She rose to the calling like no other. Friend Mother Jen McDonald Senior Director of Outreach and Operations OSU Medical Center Office of Development Supporter During her decade-long battle, Stefanie showed strength, grace, determination and compassion. Rather than keep her diagnosis private, she stepped into the spotlight to share her cancer story, hoping to raise awareness for early detection and money for research. In addition to creating funds to 2 Inspiration support research endeavors and patient needs, Stefanie Lance Armstrong Professional Cyclist and Seven-Time Tour de France Winner Stefanie was a living example of courage and strength to everyone around her. Her perseverance Wife was unmatchable. While the cancer community Daughter marks her passing, my family and I will keep the Spielmans in our thoughts. For her sake, we will continue the battle she fought against a disease Mother that claims too many women all over the world. Sister Aunt personally reached out to the community to help her fellow survivors. I, like many of you, witnessed Stefanie in action during one of these engagements and one word describes her impact and affect: Inspiring! Stefanie embraced life. She Spiritual was open, honest and compassionate, and she always spoke of hope. Hope for new research, hope for new treatment Michael Tweedle, MD options and hope that, one day, we will discover a cure for Stefanie Spielman Chair in Cancer Imaging cancer. Her passion and commitment were amazing. I know that Stefanie’s legacy will continue to live on through her She was and is a great inspiration to those who battle cancer, their friends and family, and to those of us who work toward a cure for breast cancer. family, friends and the funds at the OSUCCC – James. 3 Stefanie’s Legacy… Mark Puskarich Founder, A Christmas to Cure Cancer (a Spielman Fund Community Partner) I was captivated by the story of Chris and Stefanie and how he left the NFL late in his career to be there to take care of her and the kids. After meeting them and seeing their amazing love for each other and dedication to the path their lives had taken, I was “all in” to support Advocate their fundraising efforts, whether through A Christmas To Cure Cancer, Stefanie’s Champions, The Spielman Scramble or the Buckeye Cruise for Cancer. Stefanie was not only an amazing advocate in the fight against cancer, but a friend who was always thinking of other people before herself. She demonstrated that toward me on more than one occasion and I’ll never forget it. Fundraiser Stacey Goodwill Lisa Cisco Founder, Smash with Love (a Spielman Fund Community Partner) Founder, Buckeye Cruise for Stefanie’s contribution to find a cure for breast cancer has been invaluable and will continue Cancer (a Spielman Fund until a cure is found. She and I once talked about how surprised she was with how quickly Community Partner) they surpassed their initial goals for raising funds for research. She underestimated her impact The most special part of the cruise was and was always so modest. SMASH with LOVE chose to donate our funds, over $350,000, watching cancer survivors talk to Stefanie. to the James because they shared our need to make a difference and find a cure for our She always made time for them, listening to mothers, daughters, and friends. Stefanie embodied this passion and set the tone for all of their story with great passion and interest. us. She has touched so many hearts with her courage and renews our resolve to find a cure! Another touching story for me to share is that of a passenger who once wrote Stefanie a letter about her own battle with cancer. Stefanie wrote her back and her words were so moving and thoughtful, that the passenger told me she read her letter every 4 Champion night to help her through her treatment. The Funds at Work Since 1998, more than $7.9 million has been raised for the for breast cancer. The fund will support continued efforts to Stefanie Spielman Fund for Patient Assistance and The discover and test these new drugs in clinical trials. Stefanie Spielman Fund for Breast Cancer Research at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur • An invaluable resource to support breast cancer research G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research is a large collection of breast cancers characterized by Institute (OSUCCC – James). all the relevant pathological features of the cancers and the treatments and outcomes of the patients with these The Stefanie Spielman Fund for Patient Assistance assists breast cancers. The fund is supporting two such efforts, breast cancer patients and families who are struggling the Spielman Breast Cancer Tissue Archive Services and to afford the costs associated with treatment. The fund Spielman Breast Cancer Tumor Bank. The Tissue Archive has provided essential equipment and services, including Services, under the leadership of Charles Shapiro, MD, circulation pumps for lymphedema, compression garments, Director of Breast Cancer Medical Oncology at Ohio wigs, nutrition supplements, gas cards, restaurant gift cards State, uses breast cancers already collected and stored in and assistance with transportation. the Ohio State Pathology Department. The Tumor Bank collects breast cancers and blood samples from newly The Stefanie Spielman Fund for Breast Cancer Research diagnosed patients. The Tissue Archive Services and the is devoted to advancing research in breast cancer. Over the Tumor Bank allows for promising genes or proteins that past few years, the fund has supported researchers and their first are discovered in the laboratory using cell lines or efforts.