Thursday, June 9, 2011

Around Town: On gratitude and the search for a cure

One in two men and one in three women will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetimes. It is the job of our generation to win the war on cancer.

Last week, our family and friends held the sixth golf tournament, banquet and auction in memory of our son, Andrew Torres. More than 200 of you attended, another 500 donated and we thank you.

Our last five golf tournaments raised more than $300,000 for cancer research. The results of the first research project, done by scientists at Huntington Medical Research Institutes (HMRI), were published as the lead article in a peer-reviewed journal called Disease Markers.

The funds from this year’s golf tournament will support research by Faye Eggerding, M.D., Ph.D., the director of HMRI’s Molecular Oncology and Cancer Genetics Lab. She is board certified in molecular genetics and clinical cytogenetics and has 20 years of experience in molecular diagnostics, molecular biology and pathology. She is the author of numerous articles and two textbooks. Her proposed research is into the role of non-coding RNA in cancer.

A highlight from this year’s fundraiser: People new to the event commented that it was like a family gathering. Our committee is a mix of the classmates of our children and their parents. There was, as Andrew would say, “Good Chi.”

When we started in 2004, the youngest were 20-year-olds and the oldest had not yet signed up for Medicare. Today, we are all seven years older.

Here are some statistics.

Since 2004, we’ve have six golf tournaments, two cocktail parties and 107 committee meetings.

Number of golf tournaments rescheduled due to rain: One.

Research projects completed: One.

Projects we’d like to start: 100.

And, 3400 people in the U.S. were diagnosed with cancer today.

2004 is the year Andrew died.

23 was his age when he died.

31 is the average age of his classmates today.

Since 2004, 47 of Andrew's friends have gotten married.

One high school coach died of cancer. (T.Fry)

Twenty-four babies have arrived, including one named “Andrew.” (Andrew Fredland)

The number of days until our next tournament: approximately 365.

The number of people in the U.S. who died of cancer today: 1500.

The number will become zero once we finish our work. To find a cure is the task of our generation.

On behalf of our committee, blessings, love and gratitude.



Around Town: On gratitude and the search for a cure - LA Canada

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