Blog
Archive for 2013
Mother’s Day Special for Canary Challenge: Cancer Early Detection at its Best
May 6, 2013
In honor of mothers everywhere, the Canary Challenge is extending a special registration fee of $25 off your registration to all mothers and soon-to-be-mothers. Register by May 18 to receive the discount with the code “MOM25.”
Mothers will love our new kid-friendly 5k ride/walk/run. Registration is currently $50 plus use the discount code for 50% off –Don’t wait!
The Canary Challenge bike ride will take place September 28, 2013 beginning and ending at the campus of VMware. Funds raised in the 2013 Canary Challenge bike ride will be donated to the Stanford Cancer Institute for research and innovative clinical programs plus to the Canary Center at Stanford for Cancer Early Detection.
Canary Out on the Town for Cancer Early Detection Awareness in May
May 3, 2013
Canary is hitting the road this month, attending several events to promote cancer early detection awareness and to promote the upcoming Canary Challenge on September 28. We welcome you to check out the list of events we’ll be attending below and invite you to come by and say hi. We’ll have booths set up with Canary Foundation goodies like hats and stuffed Edwins (our mascot, pictured at left), as well as collateral material for you to help us spread our message.
On May 4th, we’ll have a booth at the Cat’s Hill Classic in Los Gatos, also sponsored by our Canary Challenge sponsor, Mike’s Bikes. This is one of the toughest race courses in the U.S., and we’re excited to be there to cheer on the cyclists!
On May 8th, we’ll be present at the HP Health Fair in Palo Alto. On the same day, we’ll be promoting the Canary Challenge at the Stanford Radiology Meeting.
On May 9th, Canary is participating in Bike to Work Day, and we encourage you to participate as well! Join us by leaving your car at home and joining tens of thousands of your fellow Bay Area residents in biking to work.
Canary will have a presence at the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition Energizer Stations in Palo Alto, located at Stanford, at the Palo Alto CalTrain station, VMware and HP. Lastly (bonus!) all 6,000 participants will receive a 15% coupon for parts and accessories from Mike’s Bikes because they’re a sponsor of the Canary Challenge. Just register for the Canary Challenge to receive your discount.
On May 15th, we’ll also have a presence at the Mountain View Fair. Come by and say hi!
Dedicated Canary Foundation Volunteer Continues to Support Cancer Early Detection
April 29, 2013
Dedicated Canary Foundation volunteer Lucille Marie Chiorazzi-Surdi, 61, passed away peacefully on Saturday, April 20, 2013 after a long illness. Lucille was born in Bayonne and spent her adult years in California where she was married to Louis Surdi and raised two children, Paul Anthony Surdi and Christopher Louis Surdi (of Palo Alto) along with her niece Janine Chiorazzi-Pierce of whom she was a surrogate Mother. She was grandmother to Truson Surdi, 1, of whom she loved dearly. Lucille is survived by her Mother, Mary Chiorazzi of Bayonne, brother Frank Chiorazzi of Secaucus and brother David Chiorazzi of Staten Island. Funeral mass was held on Saturday, April 27, 2013 in Brooklyn.
Welcome Back: Pacific Eyecare Specialists Rejoins Canary Challenge as a Corporate Sponsor
April 25, 2013
Bernd Kutzscher is an ophthalmologist whose daughter Lauren was diagnosed with cancer in 2009. The entire Kutzscher family, including Lauren, her mother and father, sister and brother have ridden in the Canary Challenge for the past three years. Bernd’s eye firm, Pacific Eyecare Specialist, has been a corporate sponsor of the Canary Challenge since the beginning, to show gratitude for the exceptional care Lauren was given at the Stanford Cancer Institute. Lauren was the impetus for starting Team Lauren.
Lauren was kind enough to share her story with us in 2011, an excerpt of which is below:
“As most of you know, I was diagnosed with Stage IV cancer in the form of a sarcoma in my hip in September of 2009. 14 chemotherapy treatments, 10 sessions of radiation, 100 days in the hospital, and 8 months in remission later, I’m proud to say that I am healthy and fully back in action! I could not have done it without my wonderful team of doctors, nurses, and more at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital and the Stanford Cancer Center – and I am forever grateful to them for their wisdom, kindness, and healing touch.
I know that we have all felt the devastating effects of cancer in one way or another. And despite advances in cancer research and treatment, there is still much work to be done. Please help me reach my fundraising goal so that we may all unite in the fight against cancer. Any donation – big or small – will make a huge difference. And for those that like to bike, I invite you to ride alongside me as I sail through the finish line.”
We’re incredibly grateful to Lauren, her family, and Pacific Eye Care Specialists for their continued support of the Canary Challenge. Her story has been an inspiration to many to participate, donate, and spread the word.
To learn more about Jill’s incredible story, check out this article on Sports Illustrated Online: “The Courage of Jill Costello.”
To see the Canary Challenge Team Lauren page, click here.
Job Openings in Cancer Early Detection Research
April 18, 2013
We are pleased to announce that the Canary Center at Stanford for Cancer Early Detection is recruiting two new faculty members at the Assistant, Associate or Full Professor level.
The Canary Center at Stanford for Cancer Early Detection is dedicated to fostering research leading to the development of in vitro and in vivo strategies for the low-cost, early detection, and diagnosis of solid tumors (particularly cancers of the ovary, prostate, colon, lung, pancreas, breast and brain). Candidates should have significant and demonstrated interest in early cancer detection research. Stanford University and the Department of Radiology have made substantial commitments towards the expansion of early cancer diagnostics research including the opening of a new building with significant space available to Canary Center members.
Additionally, the Canary Center at Stanford is hiring for the following positions:
Postdoctoral or Research Scientist Position with Experience in Protein Engineering
Postdoctoral Position with Experience in Protein Chemistry / Cancer Cell Biology
Postdoctoral Position with Experience in Computational Systems Biology
Click here to learn more about the open positions and requirements for candidates.
Lung Cancer Early Detection: Canary Focuses on Non-Smokers
April 17, 2013
Recently, a story was published on KPLC 7 News noting how early detection is particularly difficult with lung cancer. In keeping with Canary Foundation’s two-step process, the Canary Early Cancer Detection for Lung Cancer program’s goal is to develop a combined blood test and imaging approach to detect lethal lung cancer early, because early detection and treatment greatly enhance survival.
“Oftentimes lung cancer symptoms like shortness of breath, coughing and wheezing are confused with conditions like asthma and pneumonia. That is why it is so important that those in the medical community know the next step for lung cancer diagnosis: Screenings.” (KPLC 7 News Online, “Early detection very difficult with lung cancer”)
The Canary Lung team is tackling the under-recognized area of lung cancer in non-smokers, seeking to understand why it develops and what the disease characteristics are in order to create screening tools for that disease.
Imaging for Lung Cancer Early Detection
CT screening* can reduce mortality from lung cancer, shown recently with the results of the National Lung Screening Trial, or NLST. Currently, when patients undergo a CT scan, it’s possible to see a problem spot, such as a lung nodule, but difficult to determine whether or not it is cancer. This presents a real opportunity to enhance the specificity of current imaging technology so it will be possible to determine if a spot isn’t or is cancer, and if so, whether it shows lethal characteristics. More »
Canary Challenge Training with Vanderkitten Racing
April 15, 2013
Are you looking to step up your performance for the Canary Challenge on September 28? You are invited to participate in a special cycling training session hosted by Vanderkitten Racing! All Canary-registered cyclists are encouraged to attend, and are welcome to bring a friend for no charge.
For those not yet registered, the training is $25 (or you can register for the Canary Challenge to waive the fee). Don’t worry about getting left behind! This is a no-drop ride for beginners and intermediate cyclists.
Training Details
Sunday, April 21st
10:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Palo Alto, CA
Departs from California Avenue
(Exact location included in response to your RSVP)
Early Prostate Cancer Detection Builds Clinical Trial Base
April 9, 2013
One of Canary’s major research areas is early detection of prostate cancer, as well as differentiating types of prostate cancer. Our clinical trial, PASS (Prostate Active Surveillance Study), has 880 enrolled toward the goal of 1000 participants enrolled with each person receiving five years of follow-up study.
Ultimately, Canary Foundation maintains that the medical community would like to be able to tell a patient if his prostate cancer is an aggressive or lethal form so that it can be treated, while avoiding unnecessary treatment for those patients who do not have an aggressive form of the disease (and therefore sparing those men of the side effects of surgery or other treatments, which includes potential incontinence and impotence).
PASS is increasingly recognized as a strong resource for studies of the types of biomarkers that distinguish aggressive cancer. Men with early-stage cancer are enrolled and followed closely for signs that their cancer is progressing, while donating specimens for research. Some men will have cancer that progresses and some will not, and the Canary-led science team will have specimens collected over the years from both groups.
Because it is a high quality resource, PASS is attracting collaborations with scientists and companies who have promising markers to validate.
Tragedy Happens when it’s Too Late
April 2, 2013
A cancer diagnoses changes you forever. You never forget the moment it came. John F. Kennedy once said: “When written in Chinese, the word ‘crisis’ is composed of two characters – one represents danger, the other represents opportunity”. My diagnosis was definitely a crisis. It was frightening news, but at the same time one of the most beautiful things that has ever happened to me.
How on earth can one admit that cancer is a beautiful thing? Let’s be clear – I am by no means saying that cancer is good. However, the silver lining is that I was immediately awakened. I found myself realizing that life can be taken away with little to no warning. I made amends with long lost friends and loved ones. I became so much closer to my family. I even became a much bigger fan of baseball and the other hobbies that I loved. The one problem was, I had cancer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NI-TFy_db54
I was standing in line at AT&T Park getting ready to see my beloved San Francisco Giants. I went to the game hours early with the hopes that I would get my hands on one of their bobblehead giveaways. After standing in line for hours, I began to experience intense back pain. I had a very hard time waiting and found myself sitting on the ground quite a bit with the hopes of the pain subsiding. After a few hours, I finally made it into the park with the very valuable Joe DiMaggio bobblehead in hand and was ready for a very exciting day at the yard.
As the day progressed, the pain did not go away, and I had to leave the game early. I knew that something was wrong. As I was reaching for my train ticket from my front pocket, I experienced a great deal of pain coming from my testicle – a feeling that I’d never experienced before. Knowing my body, I took a deep breath and confirmed that something was definitely wrong.
When I got home, I called my mother. I told her, “Mom…something is wrong and I think I have cancer.” She was taken aback by me saying this and told me to remain positive. Something my mom has always reminded me to do.
I went to see my Urologist and told him about my symptoms. After my examination, he admitted that he felt a nodule on my testicle, but he felt I had nothing to worry about and recommended an ultrasound only for peace of mind. What I had going for me per the physician is that “I was too old (I was 33 yrs old at the time) and that “symptoms are rare.” I had the ultrasound and 13 minutes later I was told that my testicle needed to be removed right away. Basically, act now and ask questions later. I had a ‘crisis’ on my hands.
Fortunately, the cancer was caught at one of the earliest stages possible (Stage 1B, localized, but beginning to spread). But I never saw it coming; there was no history of cancer in my family. How did this happen, and why? What did I do to bring this on? What if it hadn’t been caught early?
Can you imagine a world where testing and early detection would be the standard, and cancer would be that much closer to being solved? I can. The key to winning the battle against cancer is being able to defeat it long before it takes us and our loved ones. I strongly believe early detection testing and technology will become standard someday. We must be vigilant, strong, and as my mom has always reminded me to do, stay positive. Cancer as we know it will be a thing of the past. Someday, cancer will lose its battle.
About the Author:
Eric Henderson is a survivor of testicular cancer. He is a clinical medical assistant with Stanford Vascular & Endovascular Care. Follow him on Twitter @TheHendu.
About The Video:
Eric’s video is a submission for our #WhyIRideCanary Campaign, featuring the stories of Canary Challenge riders and the reason they support cancer early detection research. To learn more and to participate, visit our campaign page.
Mike’s Bikes Supports the Canary Challenge: Riding for Cancer Early Detection
March 19, 2013
We’re very excited to announce that Mike’s Bikes has joined the Canary Foundation family by becoming a Canary Challenge sponsor!
Mike’s Bikes was founded in 1964 as one of Marin County’s very first Schwinn shops. Today, Mike’s Bikes is a growing family of local bike shops, all with a singular purpose – to get as many people on bikes as possible. They own and operate eleven wildly successful stores in Petaluma, San Rafael, Sausalito, San Francisco, Berkeley, Palo Alto, Los Gatos, Sacramento, Walnut Creek, and their newest stores in San Jose and Pleasanton.
Mike’s Bikes will offer a 15% discount to all Canary Challenge riders on parts and accessories at any one of their 11 stores. Riders need to bring in their registration or confirmation form that shows they are a part of the ride. Visit their website to learn more about their products and locations.
Support Mike’s Bikes for supporting Canary, and get a great discount on your riding gear in the process!
