ACS Section 2-13-1

ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE LEXINGTON HERALD-LEADER • FEBRUARY 24, 2013

cancer.org | 1.800.227.2345 | relayforlife.org

ForRelayLife

2013

2 | AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE LEXINGTON HERALD-LEADER FEBRUARY 24, 2013

One person can make a difference.

Nowhere is that more evident than with the story of the American Cancer Society Relay For Life, which began in Tacoma, Wash.

Dr. Gordy Klatt, a colorectal surgeon, wanted to fund-raise for his local American Cancer Society office and to show support for all of his patients who had battled cancer. He decided to personally raise money for the fight by doing something he enjoyed — running marathons.

In 1985, Klatt spent 24 hours circling the track at the University of Puget Sound, where he ran for more than 83 miles. Throughout the night, friends donated $25 to run or walk with him for 30 minutes. His efforts raised $27,000 to fight cancer.

That single idea grew to include local teams, then spread across the country and now around the world in places like Africa, Europe and even Antarctica. And the goal has remained the same — to save lives and help people fight cancer.

Relay For Life has developed into a life-changing event that brings together more than 3.5 million people to: Celebrate the lives of those who have battled cancer and showcase the strength of survivors that inspires others to continue to fight. Remember loved ones lost to the disease. At Relay For Life, people who have walked alongside those battling cancer can grieve and find healing. Fight back. Participants at Relay For Life events do so because they have been touched by cancer and want to put an end to the disease.

In Kentucky, it is estimated that in 2012 more than 25,000 people would be diagnosed with cancer and that it would claim nearly 10,000 lives. In order to raise awareness and funds to combat cancer, Relay For Life teams organize and complete fund-raisers to support the Society’s goals.

Helping people stay well The American Cancer Society Quitline, a telephone counseling service, doubles a person’s chances of quitting tobacco for good. The Society develops guidelines for recommended cancer screen-

ings, nutrition and physical activity, so people know what tests they need to find cancer early and how to help prevent the disease. The Society provides tips, tools and online resources to help people set goals and stay motivated to eat healthy and maintain an active lifestyle.

Helping people get well The Society’s phone lines are open every minute of every day and night to help connect people with the answers they need. Each year, it provides information, help and support to the nearly 1 million individuals who call 1-800-227-2345. The Society’s website, Cancer.org, offers access to the latest informa-tion and news on cancer and helps more than 23 million individuals annually locate programs and services in their area. The Society offers an online support community for cancer survivors and caregivers to share stories and find support. Since 2000, more than 93,000 survivors and caregivers have been brought together for comfort and support through the Cancer Survivors Network. The Society assists cancer patients in need by providing transportation to and from their treatments through Road To Recovery programs, and offers help with free lodging for cancer patients and their caregivers. The American Cancer Society Hope Lodge has helped more than 30,000 cancer patients and their families save 10s of millions of dollars in lodg-ing costs each year by providing a free place to stay and a community of support while they undergo treatment far from home. Through its clinical trials matching service, the Society connects patients with thousands of different treatment options. With sites at hospitals and treatment centers across the country, the American Cancer Society Patient Navigator Program provides one-on-one guidance for people facing cancer through every step of their journey.

Finding cures The Society has had a hand in nearly every major cancer break-through of the last century, including confirming the link between

cigarette smoking and lung cancer, establishing the link between obesity and multiple cancers, developing drugs to treat leukemia and advanced breast cancer, and showing that mammography is the most effective way to detect breast cancer. The Society is the largest private source of cancer research in the United States, having spent more than $3.4 billion on cancer research since 1946. The Society spends approximately $140 million each year on cancer research. The Society funds researchers with cutting-edge ideas, often early in their careers.

Fighting back The majority of Americans are now covered by a smoke-free law, thanks in part to the efforts of the Society and the nonpartisan advocacy affiliate, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN). The Society helps mobilize communities to fight back against cancer with events such as Relay For Life and Making Strides Against Breast Cancer. The Society has helped uninsured, underinsured and low-income women get breast and cervical cancer screening tests and follow-up treatment since 1991.

The Society combines an unyielding passion with nearly a century of experience to save lives and end suffering from cancer. As a global grassroots force of more than 3 million volunteers, the Society fights for every birthday threatened by every cancer in every community.

As a result, more people in America who have had cancer and count-less more who have avoided it will be celebrating birthdays this year.

To join Relay For Life in a community or learn more about the American Cancer Society, call 1-800-227-2345 or visit Relayforlife.org or Cancer.org.

making a difference

Relay For Life—

Relay For Life of Fayette County 2012 volunteers give the thumbs up for another successful event. This year’s event will take place May 31.

FEBRUARY 24, 2013 ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO THE LEXINGTON HERALD-LEADER AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY | 3


In the fall of 1988, a young friend of mine was diagnosed with leukemia. She was 8 years old and approached cancer with the courage and strength that many adults could only dream about, but she lost her battle in March 1989.

Around the same time, a doctor found a lump in my grandmother’s breast while she was being treated for a heart ailment. In true grandmother style, she told the doctor to fix her heart and they would “deal” with the breast later.

It was over a year later before she dealt with the lump and by then it had grown. The only way to “deal with it” was a mastectomy and chemotherapy. She would be cancer-free for three months.

Then in January 1991, my grandmother’s cancer returned and had spread. By spring she decided that she wasn’t going to take treatment anymore. She opted for pain medications, traveling and spending time with her family.

On the afternoon of Sept. 16, 1991, my grandmother lost her battle. When my workplace developed a Relay For Life team, it was for my friend and my grandmother that I “Relayed.”

Shortly after my grandmother died, my father was diagnosed with prostate cancer through a routine PSA test. Through early detection and excellent medical care, he lived 12 years with prostate cancer with minimal problems until the last year of his life. He approached his disease with a positive attitude and refused to give up. He lost his fight to the disease on March 14, 2004.

In March 1998, while preparing for my wedding, my mother discovered a lump in her breast. She didn’t worry about it because she was prone to cysts and had had them removed before; however, she couldn’t forget that she had lost her own mother five and a half years earlier to breast cancer. She called her doctor and a biopsy was scheduled for March 23, 1998. Several days later, she found out that she had breast cancer.

She underwent a mastectomy a month later and other than taking tamoxifen for five years, required no further treatment. Because of early detection, my mother lived almost 12 years without evidence of the disease.

In March 2009, while hospitalized for another illness, we learned that the cancer had returned and had metastasized to her lung. She died peacefully on March 20, 2009.

My sister was diagnosed with two different types of breast cancer in 2001. So, during this time, I “Relayed” for my family in hopes of finding a cure and stopping this

madness. Then in January 2010, my life changed forever when I was diagnosed with early stage breast cancer.

After six rounds of chemotherapy, surgery and 30 radiation treatments, I am well. However, after a cancer diagnosis, you are no longer the same. You are compelled to get involved so the next person’s battle with the disease isn’t as frightening.

I’m more committed than ever before to do my part to find a cure for this disease in my life-time. I have volunteered to participate in several research projects and have committed myself to increasing awareness of cancer prevention and early detection in the minority and lower socio-economic community.

To answer the original question, I “Relay” to honor the memory of my friend, Quanah, my grandmother, parents and countless friends and relatives who fought their battle with courage and dignity.

I “Relay” for my sister and my countless friends and relatives who have fought their battle and won, but continue to fight so our children won’t have to; and for my four beautiful children, my loving and supportive husband, my sister and brother-in-law, and my two dear friends who stood beside me throughout my illness.

Christie Redmond Jouette Relay For Life of Montgomery County

Christie Redmond Jouette (left) with friend and fellow Relay For Life of Montgomery County participant Brittany Coyle.

Why I Relay


Relay For Life events

2013

Kentucky’s event dates and websites:March 22 University of the Cumberlands —

Relayforlife.org/ucumberlands

April 19University of Kentucky — Relayforlife.org/kentuckyEastern Kentucky University —

Relayforlife.org/ekuThomas More College — Relayforlife.org/tmcky

April 26Clinton County — Relayforlife.org/clintonky

May 10Casey County — Relayforlife.org/caseykyScott County — Relayforlife.org/scottkyWayne County — Relayforlife.org/wayneky

May 17Boyd County — Relayforlife.org/boydkyKnox County — Relayforlife.org/knoxkyLee County — Relayforlife.org/leekyLeslie County — Relayforlife.org/lesliekyMason County — Relayforlife.org/masonkyRockcastle County —

Relayforlife.org/rockcastlekyWoodford County — Relayforlife.org/woodfordky

May 18Gallatin County — Relayforlife.org/gallatinky

May 31Grant County — Relayforlife.org/grantkyFayette County — Relayforlife.org/fayettekyKnott County — Relayforlife.org/knottkyLawrence County — Relayforlife.org/lawrencekyMcCreary County — Relayforlife.org/mccrearyky

June 1Kenton County — Relayforlife.org/kentonkyPerry County — Relayforlife.org/perrykyRowan County — Relayforlife.org/rowanky

June 7Bell County — Relayforlife.org/bellkyBoone County — Relayforlife.org/boonekyClay County — Relayforlife.org/claykyCorbin — Relayforlife.org/whitleycorbinEstill County — Relayforlife.org/estillkyFloyd County — Relayforlife.org/floydkyJohnson County — Relayforlife.org/johnsonkyLincoln County — Relayforlife.org/lincolnkyWolfe County — Relayforlife.org/wolfeky

June 8Elliott County — Relayforlife.org/elliottky

June 14Breathitt County — Relayforlife.org/breathittkyClark County — Relayforlife.org/clarkkyHarrison County — Relayforlife.org/harrisonkyJessamine County — Relayforlife.org/jessamineLaurel County — Relayforlife.org/laurelkyLetcher County — Relayforlife.org/letcherkyMadison County — Relayforlife.org/madisonkyOwen County — Relayforlife.org/owenkyOwsley County — Relayforlife.org/owsleykyPike County — Relayforlife.org/pikekyPulaski County — Relayforlife.org/pulaskikyWhitley County — Relayforlife.org/whitleyky

June 15Menifee County — Relayforlife.org/menifeeky

June 21Anderson County — Relayforlife.org/andersonkyCarroll County — Relayforlife.org/carrollkyCampbell County — Relayforlife.org/campbellkyCarter County — Relayforlife.org/carterkyHarlan County — Relayforlife.org/harlankyHenry County — Relayforlife.org/henrykyMagoffin County — Relayforlife.org/magoffinkyPendleton County —

Relayforlife.org/pendletonkyRussell County — Relayforlife.org/russellky

June 28Boyle County — Relayforlife.org/boyleFranklin County — Relayforlife.org/franklinky

July 12Montgomery County —

Relayforlife.org/montgomeryky

Aug. 9Mercer County — Relayforlife.org/mercer

Aug. 31Morgan County — Relayforlife.org/morganky

Sept. 20Martin County — Relayforlife.org/martinky

Oct. 4Powell County — Relayforlife.org/powellky*

Oct. 5Bath County — Relayforlife.org/bathky

Oct. 18Northern Kentucky University — Relayforlife.org/nku

*Relay event date subject to change


Relay For Life team today

Dear Readers,

It is my great privilege to be serving as the chairwoman of the 2013 Relay For Life of Fayette County and to invite each of you to be a part of the fight against cancer.

Relay For Life is American Cancer Society’s signature event. It is also an overnight event where teams from businesses, clubs, families, friends, hospitals, schools, faith-based organizations and service organizations set up campsites along a track at Masterson Station Park, and take turns walking as we step forward to a world with more birthdays.

At Relay we celebrate the victory of our cancer survivors, we remember the loved ones who have lost their battle to cancer, and we fight back in hope of finding a cure.

Fayette County “Relayed” last year with more than 50 teams and 500 registered participants. Together we raised more than $191,000 for research and support programs. I’m excited to invite everyone in Lexington to be a part of this in 2013!

Relay For Life is a family-friendly environment for the entire community. Please consider starting a team and joining the Relay family.

Today in Kentucky, 68 people will hear the words “You have cancer.” What are you doing to fight back against that statistic?

If you or someone you know has been affected by cancer and you’re looking for a way to honor them, I invite you to get involved. On behalf of the fantastic members of the planning committee, it would be our honor to walk alongside you at Relay this year.

2013 Relay For Life of Fayette County: Begins Friday, May 31, at 6 p.m. Ends Saturday, June 1, at 10 a.m. Location: Masterson Station Park Theme: Aloha Re-Lei! Luau For Life! Relayforlife.org/fayetteky

Sincerely, Jessica Tretter, Event Chair Relay For Life of Fayette County American Cancer Society

The American Cancer Society Relay For Life of Fayette County gives everyone in the commu-nity a chance to help the organization save lives and to create a world with less cancer and more birthdays.

Former and current cancer patients, those who have lost a loved one to cancer, families, businesses, faith-based and civic organizations and anyone wanting to make a difference in the fight against cancer, are invited to take part in this exciting team event.

An average team consists of eight to 15 people who come together to fight cancer side by side. It is easier than you think to form a Relay For Life team. Here are some suggestions: Have a Relay Party! Invite 10 people — family, friends, co-workers — whomever you want. Serve refreshments and invite a cancer survivor to speak or show a Relay For Life video. Get your workplace involved. Invite management to help form or sponsor a team. Ask people you know and people you don’t know. You’ll get more response by asking 20 people than by posting 100 fliers. Create a team theme. It can be activity related like “Tackling Cancer” for either football or fishing; cancer related such as “Cancer Crusaders,” or humorous and fun like “S’mores Reason to Relay.” The 2013 theme for the Relay For Life of Fayette County is a Hawaiian one: “Aloha Re-Lei! Luau For Life!” Dedicate your team in honor of a cancer survivor to put a face on the fight against cancer and make it personal.For more information about forming your team, call (859) 260-8350 or visit Relayforlife.org/ fayetteky.

your Form

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Contact Jane Ashley Pace | (859) 231-3538 | [email protected] W. Larkin editor | Glenna Martin designer

Jessica Tretter


Some folks would likely admit that when one guy says to a group of other guys “Let’s do something,” the end result could potentially involve sirens and flashing lights.

But for Jud Davis and members of Pisgah and Maxwell Street Presbyterian churches, their “some-thing” turned out to be pretty special.

Davis, a member of Pisgah Presbyterian, was diag-nosed with small cell lung cancer in January 2011. As he went through his treatment, he noticed that there were activities and themes related to various cancers, but there didn’t appear to be a lot of support outlets for men and cancer.

According to his pastor, the Rev. Pete Jones, Davis recalled a reporter for the Weather Channel growing a beard for an awareness effort.

“So he said ‘Why don’t we do something like that?’” Jones said. And from that conversation, Beards For Buds was born.

Jones said 20 men from his Woodford County church and 20 from Maxwell Street Presbyterian in Lexington began growing their facial hair on Jan.1, 2012, as a show of support and awareness for Davis and others fighting cancer.

The effort of Beards For Buds also raised funds

that were designated for lung cancer research and two programs of the American Cancer Society in Lexington, the Man To Man support group and Hope Lodge, which provides free lodging for people who have to travel away from home to undergo cancer treatment.

The American Cancer Society is involved in help-ing people get well through various programs and services to assist cancer patients and their families, as well as finding cures through funding research grants to discover better ways to detect, treat and prevent cancers.

“We raised $13,000,” Jones said. “We weren’t organized. It was all haphazard, but it captured the hearts of a community.”

The culmination on Fat Tuesday (the cut-off point for the campaign) was a pancake breakfast and award show for the bearded participants with prizes for men with the longest and bushiest beards. Davis was also honored with the John Calvin Award, named for the theologian who also sported a fairly nice beard.

“We had a lot of fun,” Jones said with a laugh. “Our wives were not as excited about the beards, but they were proud of what we had accomplished.”

This is the second year for the Beards For Buds campaign, but the first without Davis, who passed away last year. Still, the idea and actions that drove Beards For Buds keep building and impacting the participants and men with cancer.

“Awareness and a support system are so impor-tant,” Jones said. “It is a ministry, and part of this ministry is for men to have a safe place to speak about their vulnerability.” He recalled the story of a church member who, in the midst of Beards For Buds, had to go on a big sales call.

“He said he stood in front of the mirror trying to decide to shave or not,” Jones said. “He eventually de-cided that cancer patients can’t shave off their cancer, they have to live with it, and that he could do it a few more weeks. It was a powerful symbol of solidarity.”

And one Jud Davis would be proud of has re-sounded with his fellow bearded brothers.

For more information on Beards For Buds and to participate, contact Jones through Pisgahchurch.org or call the church office at (859) 873-4161.

For more information on the American Cancer Society, its programs and services to help cancer patients or how to donate to the fight against cancer, call 1-800-227-2345 anytime or visit Cancer.org.

Beards For Budsraises awareness for men and cancer

Jud Davis (seated at left) with Pisgah Presbyterian Church pastor, the Rev. Pete Jones, and fellow church members who joined Davis’ “Beards For Buds” fund- and awareness-raising efforts for men with cancer.

Jud Davis


Hero of Hoperecognizes triumph over cancer

Cancer survivor Liz Burchett (center) with members of her first Relay For Life team at the 2011 American Cancer Society Relay For Life of Boyle County event.

For cancer patients, hope can take on a whole new meaning.

It moves beyond being a casual word and becomes something tangible that is carried like a

coin in a pocket or held tightly like a stuffed animal or a loved one’s hand.

Survivors can be an embodiment of that hope to prove that cancer can be overcome. For Liz Burchett of Danville, hope is more than a word. And as a cancer survivor, she is a hero of hope.

Burchett, 27, actually had that title bestowed upon her by the American Cancer Society in 2012. The Society’s Hero of Hope program recognizes those who have triumphed over cancer, significantly contributed as a volunteer to the organization, and also has made an impact in the lives of others.

It was two years earlier that Burchett started exhibiting symptoms of severe headaches and seizures that impacted her daily routine. A precautionary MRI was scheduled and she was about to begin student teaching as part of her master’s program at Morehead State University when her MRI was rescheduled for an earlier date. Following that MRI, doctors discovered a mass on Burchett’s brain that was the size of a baseball.

“It was crazy,” she recalled. “Everything happened so

fast. Before this, I had not really been in contact with cancer.”

Following surgery at University of Kentucky Chandler Hospital and a year’s round of oral chemotherapy, the tumor’s growth had stopped.

“They were not able to remove all of the tumor because it is too deep in the brain and they can’t dig that deep,” Burchett explained, adding that she still has 20 percent of the tumor in her brain.

Still, her attitude is full of hope and she decided to share that attitude and that hope with others by participating in the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life.

“I had heard about Relay For Life and I knew I wanted to fight cancer,” Burchett said. “I feel very blessed that they found my cancer in time.”

Relay For Life is the Society’s signature activity and of-fers everyone in a community an opportunity to partici-pate in the fight against cancer. At a Relay For Life event, teams of people camp out overnight and take turns walk-ing or running around a track or walking path in darkness to represent a patient’s cancer diagnosis until daybreak , and a new sense of hope.

While undergoing chemotherapy in October 2010, Bur-chett started a Relay For Life team in Boyle County with family, friends and members of her church, Worldstown

Road Church of God.Recognizing her determination to raise awareness and

help others prompted Burchett’s selection as a Hero of Hope by the Society.

“Cancer affects all of us and being a Hero of Hope is important to me,” she said. “I have heard a lot of stories about people who the American Cancer Society has helped through Hope Lodge and research, for example. And I love to tell others about my journey.”

Burchett is proud to tell of her Relay For Life team’s accomplishments and how, in the long run, she has the hope that they can make an impact in the fight against cancer.

“Even though our team is small and made up of family and friends, I can share my testimony and help raise money to find cures,” Burchett added. “I never believed how many people the American Cancer Society helped until cancer impacted me. Now, I am so blessed that I can fight and I have brought a team of fighters with me.

“The American Cancer Society has funded 46 research-ers who have won the Nobel Prize. That’s amazing!” she said. “So we can make a huge difference in the world.”

And it can start with hope.For more information about the American Cancer Soci-

ety or Relay For Life, call 1-800-227-2345 or visit Cancer.org or Relayforlife.org.

Liz Burchett


recognizes triumph over cancer

Melanie Wilson is the American Cancer Society patient navigator at University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center. | Photo by James Morris

helps steer patients through cancer experience

Patient navigator

Hope Lodge provides free accommodations for patients and families

Debbie Manning remembers the moment cancer changed her life.

“It was last August and I was crocheting,” she said. “I had an itch across my chest. There was a lump.”

Manning’s doctor referred her to the Comprehensive Breast Care Center in Lexington.

And there she sat “devastated,” 90 miles from her Flemingsburg home and unsure what was going to happen next.

Happily, what followed was a meeting with Melanie Wilson, an American Cancer Society patient navigator based at University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center.

Navigators serve as personal guides for patients and their caregivers to help them “navigate” the cancer experience. One of the first ways Wilson offered help was by explaining that some cancer treatments damage hair follicles causing the hair to fall out, and finding Manning a free wig.

“She was very sweet and very helpful,” Manning said of Wilson.The American Cancer Society Patient Navigator Program is just one

of the many programs that help patients, their families and caregivers manage the impact of cancer on their lives so they can focus on get-ting well.

Wilson says that she will often just talk to new cancer patients at length, visiting them during treatment to ease their anxiety. Still, some stories can bring her to tears.

“A lot of them are really scared because maybe their grandfather

had cancer and died,” Wilson said. “They come in with preconceived fears that are really valid and at times frightening.”

Others she comes in contact with can be upset family members, such as Manning’s 6-year-old grandson, who came along for one appointment.

“No one knows how hard he took this,” Manning recalled. “But Melanie talked to him on his level. She let my grandson pick the wig ‘Mamaw’ was going to wear.”

Wilson says if she doesn’t have the answer to a patient’s question, then she’ll find it. Navigators provide free and confidential service tailored to the needs of each person.

Free lodging providedDonald and Terri McDaniel shared a common concern between

a patient and caregiver. How could they afford to stay in Lexington during cancer treatments that may last for weeks?

“Melanie was the first person I talked to,” Terri McDaniel said. She and her husband were burdened with the thought of finding a hotel room or renting an apartment in Lexington.

Wilson pointed them to the American Cancer Society Hope Lodge less than five minutes away from the cancer treatment facility. The Lexington Hope Lodge has 32 guest rooms that are provided free of charge, and each with a private bath and sleeping accommodations for two.

The facility also features a community dining area, a kitchen, a

library and recreational areas, plus a day room and a guest laundry. Currently, there are 31 Hope Lodge facilities across the country, includ-ing Lexington and Cincinnati.

“It’s rough on the caretakers,” said Terri, who has supported the man she calls her “best friend and soul mate” through his grueling treatment protocol since his lung cancer diagnosis more than two years ago.

The McDaniels stayed at Hope Lodge for four months.“I don’t know what we’d have done without Melanie,” she added.

“We think the world of her.”Wilson said she enjoys her role, calling it rewarding beyond her

expectations. She celebrated her second anniversary as a patient navigator in January.

“To know that I’ve made a difference and made things a little bit easier for these patients and their families is very encouraging,” she said.

Manning remembers being nervous after arriving in Lexington.“It’s devastating when you first hear ‘cancer,’” Manning said. “All

the changes you go through — the sickness, hair loss, confusion from the family. It’s a very, very bad situation.

“But it helps when you have people like Melanie who sit down and take the time to tell you that there are people who care,” she added.

For information about the American Cancer Society Patient Naviga-tor Program or Hope Lodge, call 1-800-227-2345 anytime or visit Cancer.org.



Road To Recovery

Ruge Devan (above) is a volunteer driver for the American Cancer Society Road To Recovery program, which eases the burden on patients facing transportation issues getting to and from treatments.

More than 25,000 Kentucky residents are expected to be diagnosed with cancer this year. For many of them, getting to treatment may be the toughest part of their fight.

Some patients simply do not have a vehicle or may be too ill to drive. Family and friends can sometimes help provide transpor-tation. At other times, a patient’s lack of transportation may prevent him or her from receiving potentially lifesaving cancer treatment.

Right now, the American Cancer Society’s Road To Recovery program es-pecially needs volunteer drivers in Clark, Fayette, Jessamine and Montgom-ery counties for cancer patients who need transportation to treatment.

The Road To Recovery program is another way in which the Society, through support from Relay For Life and other events, helps people get well by addressing the needs and issues that cancer patients and caregivers can sometimes face in their personal battle with cancer.

Radiation therapy might require 20 to 30 trips to a clinic within six weeks. Chemotherapy may demand weekly visits for up to a year. Road To Recovery is one component of the Society’s efforts to remove this barrier and help people overcome cancer.

Volunteers who have a car and insurance, safe driving skills and can drive as little as one weekday morning or afternoon a month, can give cancer patients peace of mind and the chance to get to their treatments.

“Road To Recovery ensures that patients have transportation when they need it the most,” said Tabitha Patton, the Society’s local health initiatives representative in the Lexington area. “Our drivers are a lifeline for these patients.

“It’s a valuable service, but one that requires tremendous volunteer manpower, which means we’re always looking for new people,” she said.

Road To Recovery utilizes volunteer drivers like Ruge Devan, who provide an essential and necessary service to their neighbors.

“This is very rewarding and I wouldn’t give it up for the world,” Devan said. “Our patients are extremely grateful because we’re helping to save their lives.”

Last year in Kentucky, nearly 5,900 rides were provided through this program.

If you need transportation assistance or would like to volunteer as a driver, call 1-800-227-2345 or visit Cancer.org.

program provides free transportation services


More than 2 million volunteers and supporters across the country help the American Cancer Society work to achieve its life-saving mission. Since the organization’s inception in 1913,

volunteers have been crucially important in making the American Cancer Society the strongest and most effective voluntary health agency in the world today.

Volunteers help to fight cancer locally through a variety of efforts and programs. Please join the American Cancer Society in its 100th year to make a meaningful difference and finish the fight!

Fight back! Relay For Life

The Society’s signature overnight community event, which is held at sites throughout the area each spring and summer. Volunteer teams celebrate survivorship; remember those who have lost their battle with cancer; and work to raise much-needed funds to fuel the fight against cancer. Making Strides Against Breast Cancer

Hope starts with you! Held each October, Making Strides is

the Society’s premier walking event to raise awareness and dollars to fight breast cancer.

Helping those touched by cancer Hope Lodge

When the best hope for a cure is at a cancer center far from home, Hope Lodge provides a comfortable, nurturing environment where patients and caregivers can stay during treatment, free of charge, and focus on what is most impor-tant — getting well. Look Good Feel Better

A beauty consultant helps female patients look their best during cancer treatment by providing tools and tips to help minimize the appearance-related side effects of chemo-therapy and radiation. In looking better, cancer patients experience renewed self-confidence and self-esteem. National Cancer Information Center 1-800-227-2345

This is the only nationwide cancer information service available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Highly trained cancer information specialists are available to provide cancer information, help those who wish to give and make referrals

to local society programs, resources or events. Patient Navigator Program

Provides free on-site guidance at University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center to cancer patients, their families and caregivers to help them navigate the health care system and provide support through their time of treatment. Patient Support Room

Hats, turbans, caps and wigs are available at no cost. Wigs can be styled to match a patient’s taste. Reach To Recovery

With information and inspiration, specially trained breast cancer survivors gently ease breast cancer patients from fear to courage, from despair to hope. Survivors provide information and support to loved ones of breast cancer patients. Road To Recovery

Provides transportation within Fayette County for cancer patients to and from related medical/treatment appoint-ments. Volunteer drivers donate their time and the use of their personal vehicle. This program is offered to cancer patients who have no means of transportation and/or are too ill to drive.

Cancer Society in Lexington

The American

Empowering people to fight back against cancer


Cancer Society in Lexington

Why I RelayT

here are many words to describe Relay For Life, but one word that describes Relay for me is “support.” Relay For Life provides support to many people, including cancer patients, cancer survivors, as well as families who have lost loved ones

from cancer. It takes many dedicated people to provide support for this worthy cause.

I have had the experience of providing support in many differ-ent areas of Relay For Life for 11 years. I became involved in Relay For Life at age four when I joined Missy Bond Hawkins’ Relay For Life team in Anderson County, after she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

I participated in different events held throughout our community, along with the main event held annually in the summer. I felt that I could make a difference in finding the cure for cancer by supporting the cause.

On Sept. 8, 2005, Missy lost her battle with cancer, which encour-aged me even more to support the cause and find the cure for cancer.

I remained involved with the Relay For Life of Anderson County by participating on a team each year. Over the past two years, I have been the chairperson of three golf scrambles for Relay For Life of Anderson County.

Along with serving as the golf scramble chair, I became a part of

the Lawrenceburg House of Trees committee. Molly Davis, chair-woman of House of Trees, started this wonderful event in memory of her mother who passed away of cancer.

Lawrenceburg House of Trees is an annual event in Central Ken-tucky where local organizations, churches, businesses and individu-als design and donate beautifully theme-decorated trees, wreaths and centerpieces to be sold at silent auction.

The Relay For Life of Anderson County Golf Scramble and Law-renceburg House of Trees are both successful events with wonderful volunteers who put a lot of work in each event.

In 2011, I had the opportunity to join the committee of Relay For Life of Anderson County. It is an honor and privilege to help make our community’s Relay For Life more successful, as well as working with all of the great volunteers and providing support for cancer patients, survivors and families of loved ones who have lost their battle with cancer.

I encourage each of you to become involved in the American Cancer Society and Relay For Life, as it is a wonderful event for a great cause, for which we must find a cure!

Griffin Gillis Relay For Life of Anderson County

Griffin Gillis


The American Cancer Society, through support from Relay For Life, is helping to find cures into better methods to detect, treat and prevent cancers. That includes finding cures in Kentucky, at the University of Kentucky.

Dr. Brett Spear, professor of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics at UK, has been awarded an American Cancer Society institutional research grant to be used as seed money for the initiation of projects by promising junior investigators.

The funding level is $270,000, which began Jan. 1, 2013, and will be spread over the next three years.

Spear will lead a local peer review committee, which will have the op-portunity to fund several new faculty members conducting promising cancer research at UK’s College of Medicine.

“Cancer is a complicated disease,” Spear said. “People tend to think of it as one type when in reality it’s many diseases.

“I’m passionate about research to understand the disease, and by under-

standing it you can treat it better,” he added. “I also have a desire to help patients and their families cope.”

For Spear, cancer is also personal.“When my wife was diagnosed with breast cancer, it hit home. And I’ve had

close friends who have died,” Spear said. “By prolonging lives by three, four, five or more years and providing more birthdays, it can have a huge impact for patients and for their families.

“Our goal is to totally cure cancer, but to improve one’s quality of life is valuable,” he added. “Celebrating more birthdays is hugely impactful for patients and their families.”

As of Jan. 1, eight investigators in Kentucky will be funded by the American Cancer Society for a total of $3.25 million. Three are associated with UK, four with the University of Louisville and one with Hosparus Inc.

Spear joins Dr. Edward Partridge at the University of Alabama at Birming-ham and Dr. Scott W. Hiebert at Vanderbilt University Medical Center as the third researcher in the mid-south to receive an institutional research grant.

UK

Research program has funded $4 billion since 1946

The American Cancer Society’s research program was founded in 1946 and has funded approximately $4 billion in cancer research since that time. This is the largest non-profit, non-governmental source of cancer research funds in the United States, with an annual investment of approximately $150 million.

Scientists supported by the Society have made great contributions. For example, its researchers and investigators have: Established the link between cigarette smoking and lung cancer. Demonstrated the effectiveness of the Papanicolaou (Pap) smear in detecting cervical cancer at an early stage, decreasing deaths by more than 70 percent. Developed cancer-fighting drugs (5-FU) and biologic response modifiers (interferon). Dramatically increased the cure rate for childhood leukemia to more than 85 percent. Developed monoclonal antibodies to treat lymphoma and breast cancer. Shown the importance of estrogen receptors in breast cancer. Shown the proficiency of the estrogen antagonist, tamoxifen, in preventing breast cancer recurrence and reducing incidence in high-risk women. Proven the safety and effectiveness of mammograms. Proven the efficacy of lumpectomy plus radiation compared with mastectomy for some breast cancers. Created hormonal therapy for prostate cancer. Developed the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening test. Defined the role of new blood vessels (angiogenesis) in tumor growth. Defined the structure of DNA, the genetic material. Discovered cancer-causing genes and tumor suppressor genes. Discovered breast and colon cancer susceptibility genes.

The success of the American Cancer Society’s research program is exemplified by the fact that 46 Nobel Prize winners received grant support from the Society prior to receiving these awards.

researcher awarded institutional research grant

Dr. Brett Spear


researcher awarded institutional research grant Gang Chen, Ph.D.

University of Kentucky, Department of Internal Medicine

Edith Crumb, MSUniversity of Louisville, Kent School of Social Work

Ayman El-Baz, Ph.D.University of Louisville, Department of Bioengineering

Ellen Green, MSWHosparus Inc., Department of Counseling Services

Kevin Pearce, M.D.University of Kentucky, Department of Preventive Medicine and Environmental Health

Brett T. Spear, Ph.D.University of Kentucky, Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics

Sucheta Telang, MBBSUniversity of Louisville, Department of Medicine

Jun Yan, M.D., Ph.D.University of Louisville, Department of Medicine

American Cancer Society research in Kentucky


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