Lazarex News | 8.3.23

Dear Friends,

I hope you've been enjoying some summer downtime and finding ways to plug into activities that feed your spirit, health and mind.

The summer months have been a whirlwind for the Lazarex team. We wrapped up our Disrupting the System summit and jumped into planning our in-person 'Beyond the Bay' gala for September 30th. We are pleased to welcome 2 new members to the Lazarex Board of Directors, Ahmad Alrawi, PharmaD, and Dr. Fabian Sandoval.

On the patient services side of the house we've been experiencing heavy volumes of requests for financial assistance and clinical trial navigation. In response, we've made some infrastructure and process adjustments to better manage the work load.

We are in the process of expanding our East Bay Area Cancer Wellness HUB with 4 additional partners to provide resources and outreach to community members in areas of greatest need.

We continue to pursue grants, corporate sponsors and individual donors to support our events and programs. And we are very fortunate to have these community fundraisers taking place through the rest of this year. Our sincere gratitude goes to:

• Rick Perez, who just completed his 5th cross country Laura's Ride for breast cancer patients being treated through clinical trials nationwide.
• Chris Douglas, co founder of Team Cancer Sucks, for the recent fundraiser through Brazen Racing's Summer Breeze 5K, 10K, half marathon.
• Rodan Builders, LLC for the 6th annual golf tournament supporting Lazarex this October.
• Chris Kretz for his support for many years of Ace Alamo "round up for cancer" fundraisers. The next one will be in December.
• Carol and Ron Zenaro for 13 years of fundraising for Lazarex with bracelets handmade with love by Carol and sold by Ron.
• Jo Mary for her yoga class fundraisers.

We are deeply grateful for all of our supporters. Because of you, In 2022, we provided assistance to 1,749 patients for trial related travel expenses and trial navigation, expending $3,498,509 on programs services. That is truly love in action.

Sincerely,

Stephanie Rivera, Chief Executive Officer

Please join us for a beautiful evening of celebration & generosity at Beyond the Bay,

a gala presented by and benefiting Lazarex Cancer Foundation.

Enjoy chill California vibes and sunset on the Bay while sipping wines & ciders made on site (hosted), along with passed hors d’oeuvres and a delicious meal created by Chef Frank Miller. Meet our VIP’s (very important patients), hear inspirational messages, be entertained, and practice your bidding moves for our live auction and fund a need. 

Cocktail Attire

$295.00 per person

$2,360.00 for a table of 8

Please RSVP by September 12, 2023

Register, learn more, preview live and online auction items at Lazarex.org or use the QR code. Sponsorships are available.

Your Support Helps People Access Treatment Today

(10,000+ cancer patients since 2006)

Next Generation Sequencing Helped Jo Mary Find a Clinical Trial

Jo Mary’s first symptom was a headache. It was so strong that it woke her up in the middle of the night and made her eyes water. When the headache kept returning on the right side of her head, she knew something was wrong. But she had no idea how hard it would be to get a diagnosis and treatment. 

The diagnosis, when she finally got it, was non small cell lung cancer – stage 4. Jo Mary’s wife works in the insurance field (primarily home and auto) but her expertise proved pivotal in helping find a new, more robust health insurance plan and everything got easier after that. Scans revealed a mass the size of a fist in her liver and two cancerous spots in her skull. Her new insurance covered genomic testing and Jo Mary says that was critical in setting her on the right path. 

Laura's Ride 5 - It's a Wrap!

Cycling from Seattle to Key West

2 months and 13 states later...

(abbreviated) From Rick's blog ...

July 19, 2023 (Marathon, FL to Key West, FL)

"Today did it. Finished! From Seattle to the southern most point in the USA. Just 90 miles from Cuba. From May 19 to July 19. 

We first stopped to take photos at the White Street Pier because that is where I ended Laura’s Ride Atlantic Coast in 2018 from Quebec City to Key West. This time Sal Italiano finished with me and his wife Kat, Sandi and Sky greeted us there. That wasn’t quite the end of this ride, though. I wanted to go as far south as possible so Sal and I continued our ride to the monument at the Southern Most Point of the Continental U.S.A. 

The result is that after all of that, all I can say right now is that “It’s over.” I hope to have more thoughts after I wake up and reflect some on my feelings. 

However, I am just awake enough to say I have so much thanks for all of the support, both tangible - you have contributed more than $11,000 to help late stage breast cancer patients through the Lazarex Cancer Foundation - and intangible consisting of your kind words and thoughts."

If you would like to donate to Rick's cause through Laura's Ride, or leave a congratulatory comment, click the button below.

Disrupting the System VI Summary

Lazarex Cancer Foundation has been proudly hosting this summit for six years – bringing lawmakers, policy and healthcare experts, disruptors, innovators and changemakers together to drive positive change in the fight against cancer and cancer health disparities.

On June 6, 2023, Disrupting the System VI was held on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., marking 6 years of hosting provocative conversations to drive equity, improve access and promote change to cancer care. This year’s focus was identifying practical ways to level the playing field when it comes to cancer health disparities, patient access and outcomes – with a focus on genomic testing and health insurance.

READ THE RECAP for the highlights of the discussions and details on how you can join the disruption to make access equal for all.

“(Health insurance) helps a lot of people and insurance companies are a very successful business, but they’re also creating barriers and inequities. Patients are paying for that with their health, and sometimes with their lives.”

Dana Dornsife, Founder and Chief Mission & Strategy Officer, Lazarex Cancer Foundation

Please Welcome Ahmad Alrawi and Dr. Fabian Sandoval to the Lazarex Board of Directors

Ahmad Alrawi, PharmaD, is a biopharmaceutical professional with roughly 20 years of experience. He has worked at large-cap pharma (Roche), mid-size biotech (Genentech), and startups (Alexion and RaPharma).

Ahmad brings US and global expertise in new product development, commercial operations, business development, corporate strategy, diagnostics, market research, positioning, launch readiness, marketing, and sales.

Having served patients in multiple therapeutic areas including rare disease, he is passionate about advancing therapeutic solutions for people with high unmet need through cross-functional collaboration.

Ahmad earned his Doctorate of Pharmacy (PharmD) and his Psychology degree from the University of Michigan. In his free time, Ahmad enjoys traveling, the beach, jazz music, spending time with family & friends, and all things Michigan Wolverines sports (Go Blue!)

Dr. Fabian Sandoval, President & CEO, has over 25 years of bench to bedside research experience. His diversified research career has been in academia, healthcare systems and the public sector. He received his Bachelor of Science in molecular and cellular biology from Marymount University, and his Doctor of Medicine from the Autonomous University of Guadalajara, School of Medicine.

Before opening the doors to Emerson Clinical Research Institute (ECRI) Dr. Sandoval’s research activities have included bench research at the National Institutes of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) where he focused his work on Early Onset Alzheimer’s Disease, and Cretzfelt-Jakob Disease. At the NIHs’ Clinical Center conducting research in the outpatient Oncology unit, followed by his successful support of an NIH RO1 grant on preventing epilepsy in post-traumatic brain injury patients in adults and children, simultaneously run at the Washington Hospital Center, and Children’s National Medical Center.

Read Dr. Sandoval's full bio