FOUNDATION OF HOPE2013 ANNUAL REPORT HOPE DEAR FRIENDS IN THE FIGHT AGAINST CANCER, It is with a true sense of pride and appreciation that we share with you the Illinois CancerCare Foundation’s 2013 annual report. Your generosity, and that of other caring friends like you, provides the philanthropic support so greatly needed in our fight against cancer. Your gifts enable our mission of funding cancer research, education and awareness programs to continue and thrive as we seek new treatments, and even cures, for many types of cancers. The stories on the following pages demonstrate some of the ways your financial investment is making a difference in the lives of cancer patients and their families. You’ll learn about outstanding achievements and national recognition in clinical research to bring improved treatment options to patients throughout HOPE central Illinois. We’ll share how grants to local community organizations are ONE OF OUR MOST IMPORTANT THERAPIES. helping meet the post-treatment needs of cancer survivors. We’ll report how genetic screening is identifying inherited risks of cancer and how molecular tumor sequencing is bringing new targeted therapies to patients with certain types of cancers that possess “driver mutations.” We’ll also highlight a few of the support programs funded by the Foundation to provide patients and their families with needed comfort and support. HOPE. It is one of the most important therapies during a cancer diagnosis. Your generous financial support provides genuine hope and loving compassion to those forever touched by cancer. On behalf of our Board of Directors, Advisors, Young Leaders and Volunteers, thank you for giving so generously! With sincere appreciation, Greg Gerstner, M.D., Board President Janet Varnes, Executive Director Board of Directors Board of Advisors Young Leaders Board Staff Gregory J. Gerstner, M.D., President Chip Nellinger, Chair Gina Kouri Emily Shields, Chair Brent Cox Janet Varnes, Executive Director Terry L. Baum, Vice President Dan Aspell Scot Kunkel Shavon Johnson, Vice Chair Tim Gronewold Lauren Obalil, Foundation Coordinator Paul A.S. Fishkin, M.D., Treasurer Terri Baldi Sally Masear Shawna Vandy, Secretary Shauna Myers Rebecca Bonfoey, Foundation Accountant Nguyet A. Le-Lindqwister, M.D., Secretary Florence Doye Linda Scott Dan Christensen, Treasurer TJ Peterson Leslie Schenkel, Foundation Assistant Ann Best Holly Geier Molly Wilson Tara Panek, Event Co-Chair Greg Smith Diane Cullinan Oberhelman Teresa Kitson Tara Metully, Event Co-Chair Alli Turner Pablo M. Koziner, J.D. Ryan Koener Emily West, Past President Emily Weeks Robert Swank, J.D. Tessa Bonello Trista Westhafer Kristin Buckholz 2 3 RESEARCH COMMUNITY CLINICAL “I don’t know of a single family ONCOLOGY PROGRAM that hasn’t been touched by cancer,”says Georgia Rapp of Bloomington, “and you never know $350,000 when it’s going to come knocking on your door.” For Georgia, it came in SHORTFALL covered by the Illinois the form of colon cancer in April 2013. Fortunately, the clinical trial she’s CancerCare Foundation participating in is giving her hope for the future. ANNUAL EXPENSES “Without Illinois CancerCare, I wouldn’t have access to this medication and the opportunity to see if it can help me or someone else down the road,” she says. “If I had to go to Mayo or one of the other big facilities, I wouldn’t be able to afford it. It’s so important to me and so many others that these facilities are NATIONAL CANCER right here.” INSTITUTE Dorothy Bartel of Peoria agrees. Diagnosed with chronic lymphoid leukemia GRANT FUNDING finding hope in 2013, she’s also participating in a clinical trial at Illinois CancerCare. Like Georgia, she decided to take part because it offers her the best chance for survival as well as the opportunity to help others with a potential cure. “It not only gives me hope, but my journey also makes hope possible for others,” she says. “It’s amazing to have these options in our community—what a great opportunity to invest in another person’s life.” GEORGIA RAPP (left) AND DOROTHY BARTEL (right), along with hundreds of other patients each year, “CLINICAL RESEARCH is what allows Illinois CancerCare to provide cutting-edge treatments for our are able to participate in clinical trials close to home, thanks to generous donations to the Foundation. patients. Providing clinical trial opportunities to patients in outlying communities is unique to Illinois CancerCare and keeps patients close to their families and support systems.” JAMIE HARPER, CLINICAL RESEARCH MANAGER 4 5 GENETICS FOR PATIENTS IN NEED WE FUND TARGETED uncovering THERAPY hope “Hope and God are the things you hang onto every day,”says Pat Mills of Ottawa about her fight against advanced colorectal cancer. She might also add genetic testing to her list of weapons. After her cancer returned following several standard treatments and a brief remission, Pat’s oncologist recommended a targeted cancer therapy—a new type of treatment that disrupts the signals that cause cancer cells to divide and spread. Pat underwent molecular tumor sequencing to determine if her tumor was a match for a clinical trial. The results were positive, which enabled Illinois CancerCare to bring the specialized drug compound to Peoria. That means Pat can continue her treatment close to home and under the care of the doctors and nurses she’s come to trust. “It means everything to Billy and me that the furthest we have to travel is to Peoria, and I believe it means everything to so many families who wouldn’t be able to afford treatment otherwise,” she says. “Illinois CancerCare has been a godsend for us. The people here are all so sincerely caring—I believe they 250 PATIENTS ENROLLED want this trial to work almost as much as I do. Because of them, I’m hopeful in clinical trials in 2013 it will extend my life.” BILLY LASKY and PAT MILLS make the short trip from Ottawa to Peoria every two weeks for her treatment. Contributions to the Foundation help support the genetic testing that led to Pat’s targeted cancer therapy. $50,000 COMMITTED to provide molecular tumor sequencing to identify mutations in financially disadvantaged patients 6 7 GRANTS $20M “Everyone hopes for a cure— in cumulative federal grants received by Illinois CancerCare’s Community giving hope the people at Illinois CancerCare Clinical Oncology Program (CCOP) provide it through their care, their over the past 30 years smiles and their positive attitudes,” says Christine Denbo, who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in June 2013. She’s been cancer-free since November 2013, but still suffers from lymphedema— a condition that results when the lymph nodes are removed, causing tissue swelling and fluid retention. For Christine, the swelling in her legs becomes uncomfortable and makes it hard for her to find clothes that fit. A therapist at OSF Rehab Services helps massage the affected areas and then wraps them with compression garments, which Christine says “help make me feel normal.” Unfortunately, the garments are expensive—about $200 each—and only last about three months, and they’re not covered by insurance. In 2013, the Foundation made a grant of $20,000 to OSF Rehab Services specifically for compression therapy, which enables Christine to receive the care she needs at no added cost. “Compression garments are vital to my treatment, and the Foundation’s grant to help me get them is wonderful,” she says. “They understand the importance of this therapy and are making it possible for me to live a more normal life.” CHRISTINE DENBO relies on compression garments for her post-cancer treatment. A $20,000 “ILLINOIS CANCERCARE’S SYMPTOM MANAGEMENT and disease prevention research grant from the Foundation to OSF Rehab Services helps cover the cost of this essential therapy. program provides a full continuum of clinical trial opportunities. Effectively managing the side effects of treatment and ultimately finding ways to prevent cancer are just as important as treating the disease itself.” NGUYET A. LE-LINDQWISTER, M.D., PHYSICIAN DIRECTOR, SECRETARY, ILLINOIS CANCERCARE FOUNDATION 8 9 PHILANTHROPY “Hope is in the details,”says Teresa Kitson funding hope of Peoria, a breast cancer survivor. “I saw it in medications, clinical trials, volunteers, even free rides for those who required transportation. I sat next to patients who didn’t have enough money to buy gas, which was very emotional for me. Knowing the Foundation steps up to fill that need is incredible.” Teresa and her husband Tim Williams are stepping up, too. In addition to supporting the organization financially, Teresa serves on the Foundation’s board of advisors. She co-chaired the CUREageous event raffle in 2013 and will co-chair the event in 2014. The couple has also participated in the Trust in Hope program for the past three years, delivering Thanksgiving meals to local patients. “We were told it would take a couple hours, but found ourselves getting home in the evening because we took the time to talk to people and share the day with them.” While she could have traveled anywhere for treatment, Teresa doesn’t regret staying close to home. “My friends in Nashville wanted me to see the doctors at Vanderbilt—they didn’t believe Peoria had anything to compare,” she says. “So many of them came to tour Illinois CancerCare and talk to the doctors. They $14,887 were impressed. The level of care here is well-regarded around the world.” INVESTED BY THE FOUNDATION in Trust in Hope in 2013 TIM WILLIAMS and TERESA KITSON believe in giving back to the organization that helped Teresa defeat breast cancer. The couple supports the Foundation through generous gifts of time and money. 10 11 FUNDRAISING HOPE IN ACTION “My hope is that someday soon 2013 gifting hope we can look at cancer like polio $23,695 or tuberculosis,” says Ryan Koener, founder and chair of RAISED the Morton BBQ Throwdown, a local competition sanctioned by the Kansas City BBQ Society.