Unlocking Brain Tumors

Dear Friends and Supporters: I regret to inform you that UnlockingBrainTumors.org founder Steve Coffman, who was dedicated to making a difference in the fight against this horrible disease, passed away on Sunday, September 21.

Steve bravely fought his brain tumor for more than 3 years, drawing inspiration and support from so many that came before him, and the brain tumor community who helped make sure that he and so many others are not fighting alone. I can tell you that Steve drew great strength from the many individuals - doctors, families, survivors, those who had succumbed to brain tumors, and from friends, family, volunteers and supporters who are all working together to battle this disease. And I can tell you that Steve was immensely proud to spend his last year helping to raise funds for brain tumor research, and that he was touched by the support, generosity and participation of you in this effort. It has been a privilege for me and the other UnlockingBrainTumors.org volunteers to support this effort. To meet many of you in the community, from Steve’s doctors to those operating research and information sites to those who have launched your own foundations and fundraising efforts, I thank you for your work and the chance to join the fight with you. In time, I am looking forward to reporting on how UBT can continue the fight in Steve’s absence.

Like everyone else that has succumbed to this disease, Steve will be greatly missed by family, friends and colleagues. Steve’s participation in a wide variety of professional and philanthropic efforts had a multiplying effect on the number of people that came to call him as a friend. He was an inspiration to people long before he was diagnosed, and even more so afterward. We will all miss him very much.

Mike Tancredi

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UnlockingBrainTumors.org’s founder Steve Coffman was recently profiled in the Dayton Daily News, one of his hometown papers. The article, “Cancer Patient Grateful For Event” (which can be linked to here) and written by Anthony Gottschlich, reads:

“Steve Coffman fights cancer — not just for himself, but for others, too.

Ever since the former Dayton resident was diagnosed with head and neck cancer in 2003, then brain cancer in 2005, the Urbana native has worked to raise awareness and money for research into the disease, the nation’s second-leading killer.

That’s why he’s thrilled that for one hour tonight, ABC, CBS and NBC, more than 50 celebrities and viewers from around the world will join the battle with him. Stand Up To Cancer, a commercial-free telethon benefitting cancer research, airs at 8 p.m.

“I was supposed to attend, but because of my neurological (problems) I had to take a pass on it,” Coffman said Thursday, Sept. 4, from his Holland, Mich., home. “Cancer is a terrible disease and most people just don’t know much about. It deserves greater attention.”

Cancer accounts for one of every four deaths in the United States, exceeded only by heart disease, according to the American Cancer Society. About 1.4 million new cancer cases are expected to be diagnosed in 2008, nearly 57,000 in Ohio.

Coffman, a former human resources executive in Chicago, launched UnlockingBrainTumors.org last fall, a nonprofit dedicated to raising and distributing funds for brain tumor research. It’s raised $100,000 to date.

“I’ve never gotten angry about it,” Coffman said of his cancer. “Not to sound Pollyannaish, but life does many things, throws many curve balls. Right now the more I can help others, that’s my reward. It really is.”

Contact this reporter

at (937) 225-7408 or

agottschlich@DaytonDailyNews.com”

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Voices Against Brain Cancer and the New York Mets invite you to Brain Cancer Awareness Day! This event will be held on Monday, September 22, 2008 from 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM at Shea Stadium in Queens, New York. The $60 ticket price includes food, admission to the picnic area and admission to the New York Mets game against the Chicago Cubs. Don’t miss this chance to connect with the brain cancer community and to enjoy one of the last home regular season games at Shea Stadium.

**Brain cancer survivors are invited to attend as a guest - contact Annie Bonner (annie@poweredbyprofessionals.com) for information on complimentary tickets.

To register, click here.

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Stand Up to Cancer announces “Just Stand Up”, the star-studded charitable single in support of Stand up to Cancer which features Mariah Carey, Beyonce, Mary J. blige, Rihanna, Fergie, Sheryl Crow, Miley Cyrus, Melissa Etheridge, Ahsanti, Natasha Bedingfield, Keyshia Cole, Ciara, Leona Lewis, LeAnn Rimes, and Carrie Underwood. They have formed a unified musical alliance to help in the fight against cancer. The tune is available at iTunes now, and the one-hour Stand Up to Cancer television special airs at 8pm ET on September 5th on ABC, NBC, and CBS.

“Stand Up To Cancer is a new initiative to raise philanthropic dollars for accelerating ground-breaking cancer research through an unprecedented collaboration uniting the major television networks, entertainment industry executives, celebrities and prominent leaders in cancer research and patient advocacy.

Stand Up To Cancer includes:

• A nationally televised fundraising event to air simultaneously on ABC, CBS and NBC at 8 p.m. EST and PST, and 7 p.m CST on September 5, 2008;
• Standup2cancer.org - an online community for everyone affected by cancer;
• A public service announcement (PSA) campaign featuring celebrities and members of the public to mobilize support for the campaign”.

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BrainLife, a website dedicated to offering the latest in brain tumor research and published medical information via peer reviewed journals and medical databases, has published its August 15 2008 newsletter, which can be found here.

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VirtualTrials.com describes findings presented at the American Association of Neurological Surgeons 76th Annual Meeting indicating that urinary biomarkers are showing promise as an effective, noninvasive way of detecting the presence or recurrence of brain tumors, a new pilot study suggests. “The study’s preliminary results indicate elevated levels of urinary matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) may be useful biomarkers for central nervous system (CNS) tumors, with a combined specificity and sensitivity of greater than 95% compared with controls. “It’s very early, but we were encouraged by the fact that MMP-related proteins can be detected in the urine of patients with CNS tumors and that we can trace them all the way back to the primary tumors, which we believe are the source of these markers,” study investigator Edward R. Smith, MD, from Children’s Hospital Boston, in Massachusetts, told conference attendees.”

To read the full article, click here.

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Science Daily reports that in the August 12th edition of Cancer Cell, “An aggressive childhood brain tumor known as medulloblastoma originates in normal brain “stem” cells that turn malignant when acted on by a known mutant, cancer-causing oncogene, say researchers from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)…the scientists say they have uncovered new origins for these tumors from early stem cells as well as more mature cells. Previously, scientists had assumed the tumors might only come from a single source: more mature cells which become neurons and do not have “stem” cell properties. The findings hint at potential new treatment approaches for medulloblastoma by targeting the origins of the tumors, and further suggest that not all patients’ tumors may be born from the same cells.”The ScienceDaily article can be found here and the abstract from Cancer Cell can be found here.

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The Associated Press reports that “Leroy Sievers, a National Public Radio commentator who turned his battle with cancer into a popular and touching radio and online series, has died from his disease. He was 53. Sievers died Friday at his home in Maryland, NPR announced Saturday in a statement. He was first diagnosed with colon cancer in 2001. In 2005, the disease returned as a brain tumor and lung cancer. A report on his own chemotherapy treatments in February 2006 was broadcast on “Morning Edition” and prompted an enthusiastic response from the audience. It eventually became a regular series and feature on the network’s Web site.” You can link to Sievers’ blog here.

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The Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation, a provider of support and advocacy for brain tumor patients and one of the leading bodies supporting brain tumor research, provides grants to more than 50 organizations, institutions and meetings, a list of which can be found here.

UnlockingBrainTumors.org recently contributed $10,000 to the group via BrownBagForACure.org’s fundraiser for PBTF, which raised over $25,000. UnlockingBrainTumors.org’s upcoming charity golf event will also benefit pediatric brain tumor research.

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There’s still time to register as a golfer, a sponsor, or to make an In Memory Of or In Honor Of donation for UnlockingBrainTumors.org’s First Annual Charity Golf Event. The event, to be held at Highland Park Country Club in Highland Park, IL on Monday, August 18th, is shaping up to be a great one, on an excellent course with a great weather forecast right now. If your schedule or resources permit, please consider being a part of this very special day, as our First Annual Charity Golf Event will benefit pediatric brain tumor research. You can download the event and sponsorship fliers here and you can register at our event site here.

Fore!

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