Beat Sarcoma

Sarcoma Trial at National Cancer Institute

2012-01-24T10:15:00.000-08:00

We wanted to pass on some information on behalf of Dr. Shivaani Kummar at the National Cancer Institute to inform you about a trial for which they are currently recruiting at the NIH - National Cancer Institute. The study is a randomized Phase II trial of Sunitnab vs. Cediranib Monotherapy to treat Alveolar Soft Part Sarcoma, with cross over at disease progression. A snapshot of basic information pertaining to the trial is below. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact:
NCI Referral Office: 1-888-NCI-1937 (ncicssc@mail.nih.gov)
or
Lauren Powell, Clinical Research Coordinator: 301-451-0992 (lauren.powell@nih.gov)

Sunitinib or Cediranib for Alveolar Soft Part Sarcoma

Sponsored by: National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Information provided by: National Institutes of Health Clinical Center (CC)
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01391962

Alveolar soft part sarcoma (ASPS) is a rare, highly vascular tumor accounting for less than 1% of soft tissue sarcomas. There is no effective systemic treatment for patients with metastatic ASPS. Little is known with regards to relevant molecular markers as potential therapeutic targets. Cediranib (AZD2171) and sunitinib (SU011248), oral small molecule inhibitors of VEGF receptor tyrosine kinases, are showing preliminary evidence of activity in patients with ASPS.

Objective:
Part I: Determine the objective response rate (ORR) of single-agent cediranib and single-agent sunitinib malate in patients with advanced ASPS.
Part II: Determine the ORR of cediranib in patients who progress on the sunitinib arm, and determine the ORR of sunitinib in patients who progress on the cediranib arm.
Determine the progression-free survival (PFS) at 6 months in Part I and in Part II of the study for single-agent cediranib and single-agent sunitinib malate in patients with advanced ASPS.
Evaluate gene expression in tumor biopsies obtained at baseline and after treatment (at the Clinical Center, NCI only).

Eligibility:
· Patients age greater than or equal to 16 years with histologically or cytologically confirmed metastatic ASPS.

· Patients must not have received treatment with any VEGF receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor (e.g., cediranib, sunitinib, pazopanib, sorafenib); however, prior treatment with bevacizumab is allowed.

Contact:
NCI Referral Office: 1-888-NCI-1937 (ncicssc@mail.nih.gov)
or
Lauren Powell, Clinical Research Coordinator: 301-451-0992 (lauren.powell@nih.gov)
Locations:
United States, Maryland- National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD.

Must-Read Articles

2011-10-20T12:07:00.000-07:00

Here are some "must read" articles for newly diagnosed sarcoma patients

1. A Guide to the Sarcoma Universe for Those who Have Just Arrived (and the friends & family that support those with cancer) http://sarcomahelp.org/newly_diagnosed.html

2. The Importance of Second Opinions for Sarcoma
http://sarcomahelp.org/sarcoma_second_opinions.html

3. The Importance of Treatment at a Specialty Center for Sarcomas http://sarcomahelp.org/learning_center/articles/sarcoma_centers.html

4. Psychological Adaptation, Coping, and Distress in Adult-Onset Soft Tissue Sarcomas http://sarcomahelp.org/coping.html. Although this article deals with adult patients with soft tissue sarcomas, I believe it is extremely helpful for medical teams, patients and caregivers dealing with all types of sarcoma and ages.

5. Newly Diagnosed with Sarcoma: A Guide To The Sarcoma Universe
sarcomahelp.org

6. Guidelines for newly diagnosed sarcoma patients and their families.
http://sarcomahelp.org/newly_diagnosed.html

Sarcoma Cup 2011 AUCTION

2011-08-25T10:44:00.000-07:00

The 2011 Sarcoma Cup is THIS WEEKEND, and we could not be more excited for all the fun in store for everyone who is able to come out in support of a great cause.

In addition to the delicious dinner, scrumptious breakfast, and sailing action, you can also lend your support to sarcoma research by participating in our 2011 Charity Auction. Support the cause and also take home one of many incredible prizes, including Hawaii resort stays, private plane rides, a tour of the Facebook campus, cruises, sailing gear, and more! Check out all the items up for auction this year at this link.

If you're not able to join us in person for the Sarcoma Cup fun, you can call (415) 200-7309 to broker your bid for the charity auction.

We're looking forward to seeing many sailors and non-sailors this weekend for great food and sailing fun. For more information or to buy tickets for Saturday dinner or Sunday breakfast, visit http://www.sarcomacup.org.

Announcing the 2011 Sarcoma Cup: Aug. 27-28

2011-08-10T15:39:00.000-07:00

The Sarcoma Cup (www.sarcomacup.org) is a charity fund-raiser and celebration of the sailing life that features great racing, excellent dockside activities, and support for a very worthy cause. All proceeds beyond costs will go towards research for a cure for Sarcoma, the 'forgotten cancer' - and we will strive to cover all costs through some form of sponsorship. The Sarcoma Cup trophy itself was custom-made for the event and donated by Jerry Kermode, a world-class woodworking master.

All one-design classes and PHRF racers are invited to this event. Multihulls are welcome on Sunday. The regatta will be governed by the Racing Rules of Sailing (2009-2012). Good Karma, prizes and trophies given for charity donations and exceptional sailing!

The event organizer is the IRS-recognized 501(3)c nonprofit BeatSarcoma and your host is the Berkeley Yacht Club. Many other local orgs are pitching in to help run the event, including the Berkeley Marina, Richmond Yacht Club, and South Beach Yacht Club. See our creditspage for a more complete list.

We believe that it's possible to further a charitable cause in a highly efficient manner while still providing a great experience to participants and volunteers. The details of BeatSarcoma financial policies are spelled out on their website, but the short version for the Sarcoma Cup is: All net proceeds of this event go straight to the cause. There are no deductions for BeatSarcoma, Inc. expenses such as salaries, stipends, etc. Event expenses do not include compensation of BeatSarcoma insiders for their time or efforts. Event and organization staff are volunteers.

For more information and to register, visit www.sarcomacup.org. Then join us on August 27-28 for two days of great racing and fabulous dockside activities! All net proceeds of this event go straight to the cause.

-Winner of the cup will win a free on the water rig tuning offered by Easom rigging

-Awards include gift certificates, sailing items, and various other prizes in addition to the trophies

-In particular, the J105s will receive
1st prize: $200 Musto gift certificate, redeemable at Pineapple Sails + Musto flag (see below)
2nd prize: $150 Musto gift certificate, redeemable at Pineapple Sails
3rd prize: $50 Musto gift certificate, redeemable at Pineapple Sails

-Skipper's Packets include:
ocean navigator magazine
sailing world magazine
discount vouchers at KKMI
free massage coupons for skipper and crew

-Events offer great FREE perks:
free bar: beer and rum punch on Saturday and free wine on Sunday
free massage for all participants!!!!
free coffee and pastries
free live bands:
Blazing Saddles for saturday afternoon
Ukulele Ladies for saturday dinner
Stephanie Teel for saturday party, rocking the house!
Jazz band for Sunday award/dinner

-Great deals on:
wicking event shirts
gourmet dinner on Saturday night
hearty breakfast on Sunday morning

-Charity auction include:
cruises and tropical getaways
personal flights
sailing gear
art work
pair of Ultima Boots donated by Dubarry Ireland

23andMe Sarcoma Community Letter

2011-05-14T13:43:00.000-07:00

Genetic research is a numbers game. The more people who contribute to the effort, the more powerful it gets. As our Sarcoma Community grows with more survey responses and genetic data from you and other participants, we learn more about sarcoma and people's responses to treatment.

We are over halfway to our goal of 1,000 active participants and we continue our quest for new discoveries to share. More than 52 percent of our current community members have joined through advocacy groups that have partnered with 23andMe, such as ACOR, Sarcoma UK, Sarcoma Alliance, and Beat Sarcoma. Others have learned about the Sarcoma Research Initiative through Yahoo groups, sarcoma blogs, social networking sites, friends, and visits to the 23andMe website. In the last two months, over 100 new Sarcoma Community members have claimed their kits and been genotyped. More than 350 members have already taken the sarcoma survey -- we have received over 80 new responses since our last update in early March. Thank you all for the support and contribution to this study.

Our community growth is exciting, but we still have a long way to go to reach 1,000 members. What is the critical number needed to reach a breakthrough? 600 participants? 800? 1,000? Our 23andMe scientists continuously look at the data, searching for a better understanding of the genetic components of sarcoma and its treatment. While we continue on our quest for discoveries, we ask for your help to spread the word to sarcoma patients worldwide. The link to share is: http://www.23andme.com/sarcoma.

Our goal is to feature at least one sarcoma event or patient story in each newsletter. Thank you to National Leiomyosarcoma Foundation (NLMSF) President Joni Fixel for sharing news from her organization's annual meeting with the 23andMe Sarcoma Community.

Last month, the National Leiomyosarcoma Foundation (NLMSF) hosted its annual membership meeting in Branson, MO from April 7-9, 2011. It was a wonderful weekend of sharing, caring and learning about advances in the research funded by the NLMSF. On Thursday evening attendees met for a night to meet and share with each other. This was an opportunity to renew old friendships and make new ones. On Friday we heard from one of the researchers and a nutritionist who works with cancer patients. In the afternoon, attendees were offered an opportunity to tour the College of the Ozarks (also known as Hard Work U) where college students work instead of paying tuition. On Saturday morning the Annual Membership meeting took place. Additional presentations were given by the doctors where the foundation funds the research. Members were able to ask questions directly of the research doctors and able to understand this rare cancer. An update was given on the accomplishments of the NLMSF in the past year and the goals for the upcoming year. New Board members were announced and introduced to the membership. Throughout the weekend, information about 23andMe was given out and available for all attendees. For more information go to www.nlmsf.org.

- Joni M. Fixel, President NLMSF

If you have an event or story to share for an upcoming newsletter, we would love to hear it! Also, we value your feedback about your experiences with the Sarcoma Community and welcome your suggestions as to what you would like to see from us. Please email information or questions to sarcoma-help@23andme.com. Thank you!

Until next time...
The 23andMe Research Team

23andMe announces the appointment of a Sarcoma Medical Advisory Committee

2011-02-27T19:20:00.000-08:00

This week 23andMe also announced the creation of an Independent Sarcoma Scientific Advisory Committee with the appointment of leading researchers and clinicians detailed below. To learn more, please visit 23andMe's Blog

23andMe Sarcoma Community Reaches 500 - BeatSarcoma Founder shares her interest in the program

2011-02-27T19:15:00.000-08:00

There is strength in numbers. 23andMe is well on its way to achieving the 1,000 person Sarcoma Community milestone.

We have over 500 individuals who have joined our sarcoma group from all over the world and with ties to several different patient organizations. The potential of this community to make a difference in the understanding of sarcoma and the development of the effective therapies is enormous. The value in research comes from you, from individuals with sarcoma sharing with us your genetic information and survey responses.

We need your help in spreading the word about our 23andMe Sarcoma Community. If you are part of any sarcoma online forums, advocacy groups, or social networking sites, please let your community know about our research efforts at 23andMe. The link to share is:www.23andme.com/sarcoma. Thank you!

Nathalie Criou, sarcoma survivor and founder of BeatSarcoma, has been instrumental in the 23andMe Sarcoma Community outreach effort. Please read on to learn more about Nathalie's story:

I was diagnosed with sarcoma in late 2006, and spent most of 2007 in treatment for the disease. After my diagnosis, I was struck by how little was known about sarcoma and how difficult it was to find people in my situation. The local oncologists referred me to sarcoma center specialists - however these world specialists had very little understanding of the disease themselves and even an accurate diagnosis was hard to find!

I received 8 different sarcoma diagnoses and 7 different treatment recommendations. I spent hours researching published papers on sarcoma to help me decide on a treatment path. I realized that most studies were not significant because the number of enrolled patients averaged about 3...There was no way to gauge how *I* would respond to any particular approach. My physicians referred to my treatments as 'experimental', 'unproven'. I felt like anything would be a big shot in the dark...and I probably had only one shot...

Research in this field is trailing that of other cancers, yet sarcoma represents 20% of all childhood cancers, pointing at some genetic causes that could never be established through a lack of scalable research programs. This situation was unacceptable to me and I created a nonprofit, BeatSarcoma, as a vehicle for change. When 23andMe approached me with their idea of building a sarcoma community and free large-scale research program, I was thrilled. It addressed exactly the two most critical needs of the sarcoma community with a format that is perfect for our scattered group. Sarcoma research must be innovative, as traditional research formats have not yielded results so far. 23andMe embodies this spirit of innovation.

23andMe is eager to work with sarcoma specialists to drive toward the best possible results and has actively pursued partnerships with the world-leading experts. I immediately signed up to help in my own little ways and I will continue to do anything I can to support this effort. I really want this program to succeed so we can further our understanding of sarcoma. I trust that the model can be replicated over other cases of rare diseases.

Please help us spread the word through your local sarcoma organization, physicians and fellow patients or survivors. The success of this program rests on our shoulders!

Nathalie Criou

Founder BeatSarcoma

www.beatsarcoma.org

Help us with the fight against sarcoma. Join the 23andMe Sarcoma Community.

Research Update - sarcoma

2011-02-18T11:38:00.000-08:00

For Release Monday February 14, 2011 Noon EST

For information contact: Charles Keller MD (503-494-1210, keller@ohsu.edu), or

Tamara Hargens-Bradley,

Senior Communications Specialist

Oregon Health & Science University/Doernbecher Children's Hospital

(Office): 503-494-8231 (Fax): 503-494-8246 hargenst@ohsu.edu

In a report published today as the Featured Article in the journal Cancer Cell, investigators at the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) reveal interesting new findings for a kind of cancer called sarcoma. The most common sarcoma of children occurs in the muscle and has an appearance of muscle. In adults, sarcomas are often even more primitive appear. In their report, the Keller Laboratory reveals that childhood and adult sarcomas are linked in their biology, mutations and the cells from which these tumors first start.

Childhood muscle cancer, or rhabdomyosarcoma, is a condition that when spread throughout the body leads to a low survival rate – only 20 – 40%. In adults with soft tissue sarcomas, survival can be even lower. Now, for the first time, scientists and doctors know from where these tumors arise and what drives them to grow and spread. Armed with this new information, the researchers in the Pediatric Cancer Biology Program at OHSU are looking for ways to stop or eradicate these sarcomas.

“A commonly held belief is that cancers should be cut out, burned out or killed. There is a fourth option – to have cancer cells choose to become normal cells, in this case muscle cells,” says Dr. Keller, who led the study. “A least for a subset of patients, possibly the ones with hereditary cancer, one approach suggested by our research might be to administer drugs that muscle cancers to convert into non-cancerous muscle fibers. This is a minority opinion, but one held by a small group of careful scientists throughout the US and abroad.”

The survival rate for childhood muscle cancer that has spread has remained unchanged for more than 40 years. It has reached the point that increasing the intensity of chemotherapy, radiation or surgery is no longer having any improved effect. A novel approach taken by Keller and his colleagues in the laboratory as well as in new clinical trials is to use non-chemotherapy medicines to inhibit “molecular targets” such as growth factor receptors in this disease. Suman Malempati, Director of the Oncology Developmental Therapeutics Program at OHSU’s Doernbecher Children’s Hospital, is the lead on a national clinical trial of one such growth factor inhibitor. This study is the first trial to incorporate a molecularly-targeted drug into a clinical trial for childhood muscle cancer for the Children’s Oncology Group/Curesearch, a nationwide network of hospitals, doctors and leading scientists that develop new treatments for childhood cancer. This type of therapy tailored to a cancer’s mutation was first pioneered at OHSU by DeBakey-Lasker Award Recipient, Dr. Brian J. Druker. Dr. Druker and his colleagues developed a non-chemotherapy pill, Gleevec, which when taken each day causes a form of blood cancer, chronic myelogenous leukemia, to remain dormant indefinitely. Personalized Cancer Care for children and adults is the primary mission of the Knight Cancer Institute at OHSU.

Charles Keller, M.D. Associate Professor Leader, Pediatric Cancer Biology Program
Pape' Family Pediatric Research Institute, Department of Pediatrics, Oregon Health & Science University
Tel 503.494.1210 Fax 503.418.5044 keller@ohsu.edu

our lab blog: KellerLabBlog.blogspot.com

our Pediatric Cancer Biology Program: http://pcb-ohsu.blogspot.com/

our high risk/high reward therapeutics initiative: http://pptiohsu.blogspot.com/

BeatSarcoma makes a $20,000 research gift to UCSF

2010-10-11T22:54:00.000-07:00

BeatSarcoma is very pleased to announce that it just made a $20,000 research gift to UCSF sarcoma research program, thus adding another formal program to the list of sarcoma programs it supports.

UCSF recently created a sarcoma research group and has worked closely with BeatSarcoma to identify the most impactful projects to fund. BeatSarcoma's Medical Advisory Board reviews all proposals for funding and makes a recommendation to the BeatSarcoma Board of Directors.

From left to right: Nathan Bossett, Nathalie Criou from BeatSarcoma and Dr Eric Nakakura, MD, PhD, UCSF

The money will help fund UCSF translational research laboratory dedicated to understanding basic mechanisms of sarcoma cancer growth - rapid processing is a key element of tissue collection and critical to the quality of molecular research as any lengthy wait or mishandling could lead to cell degradation and wrong conclusions. The UCSF laboratory benefits from a direct line into the operating room and can fully control the way tissue samples are collected and stored or cultivated, thus ensuring cell biological integrity.

Dr Nakakura, MD, PhD in the UCSF translation laboratory

Dr Nakakura, MD PhD, the lead investigator and a cancer surgeon specializing in the treatment of soft tissue sarcoma says: "I'd like to offer my sincere thanks to BeatSarcoma for its tremendous generosity. Please know that our ongoing partnership has a direct impact on our sarcoma studies that we hope will benefit patients in the near future. We greatly appreciate the support!"

Dr. George Demetri MD and Dr. Robert Maki, MD, PhD join BeatSarcoma's Medical Advisory Board

2010-10-09T18:35:00.000-07:00

BeatSarcoma feels very honored to count Dr. George Demetri, MD of Dana-Farber and Dr Robert Maki, MD, PhD of Memorial-Sloan Kettering on its Medical Advisory Board. Together with Dr Amreen Husain, MD of Stanford University, they will advise the BeatSarcoma Board on the best way to disburse research funds.

Dr George Demetri is Director of the Center for Sarcoma and Bone Oncology; Senior Vice President for Experimental Therapeutics; Director of the Ludwig Center at Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center; executive director for Clinical and Translational Research at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research. and Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School on its Medical Advisory Board.

Dr Robert Maki is a medical oncologist and co-leader of the adult Sarcoma Disease Management Team at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center with a special interest in new therapies for the treatment of soft tissue and bone sarcomas, particularly metastatic disease. He is also trying to develop vaccines and other forms of immunological therapy against sarcomas to "teach" the immune system to attack tumor cells but not normal cells.

Please join us in welcoming both of them to our community!

2010 Sarcoma Cup

2010-10-03T23:13:00.000-07:00

The 2010 Sarcoma Cup, the 3^rd annual sailing regatta organized by BeatSarcoma took place on August 28^th and 29^th at the Berkeley Yacht Club. Over 84 boats registered in what has become a long-awaited event in the Bay Area sailing community. Saturday’s was a buoy race, and Sunday’s was a long distance race 'Islands of Hope' - both on the San Francisco Bay.

This year, the sailing regatta grossed over $32,000 to benefit BeatSarcoma, the organizing nonprofit that raises funds for sarcoma cancer research, read more here. This successful event had changed its location from the previous two years at the Richmond Yacht Club. The winner of the Cup was the Wabbit Mr McGregor from the Richmond Yacht Club - the Sarcoma Cup trophy will therefore remain at the Richmond Yacht Club until the next event!

This year also featured a new website, check out www.sarcomacup.org, which some say it’s so alive it entices even those who normally do not sail to do so more often.

Here are some summaries:

Results:
Saturday results: http://www.regattanetwork.com/clubmgmt/applet_regatta_results.php?regatta_id=3172
Sunday results: http://www.regattanetwork.com/clubmgmt/applet_regatta_results.php?regatta_id=3175
Alerion and J105 Results: http://www.regattanetwork.com/clubmgmt/applet_regatta_results.php?regatta_id=3172

Photos:
On the water photos: http://photo.beatsarcoma.org/Events/SarcomaCup-2010on-water
Shore photos: http://photo.beatsarcoma.org/Events/SarcomaCup-2010/13526778_QQ2oh#986119627_6dP42
Note: we will be making calendars with these photos - they will be available for sale during the holiday season. Ping us if you'd like to see a calendar made out w/ photos of your boat!

News coverage:
Latitude 38 Coverage: http://www.latitude38.com/lectronic/lectronicday.lasso?date=2010-08-30&dayid=473
Norcal sailing writeup: http://www.norcalsailing.com/entries/2010/09/01/sarcomacup.html
Pressure Drop writeup: http://pressure-drop.us/forums/content.php?605-5-70-s-Rock-The-Sarcoma-Cup
Pressure Drop Video: http://www.pressure-drop.us/forums/content.php?615-Sarcoma-Cup-Gets-Downright-Sexy
Pressure Drop Writeup (from a participant): http://pressure-drop.us/forums/content.php?619-Sarcoma-Cup-2010-Saturday-Buoy-Racing

Thanks to all of our corporate and private sponsors who made it possible for us to increase our fundraising through raffle, and online and silent auctions, as well as to our dedicated volunteers, who donated their time coordinating the event, manning registration and shirt tables, decorating, cooking, doing water taxi, among other fun duties!

Sarcoma International Awareness Week - July 17-20

2010-07-06T10:53:00.000-07:00

For July Sarcoma Awareness Week - please wear a BeatSarcoma shirt or swag or simply put a sticker on an existing shirt. Take a picture with the caption 'Team Sarcoma Initiative' and email it to info at beatsarcoma.org. We want to help beat last year's records in terms of participants!!!

We'll create an album that can be linked from the Team Sarcoma page

Online store

Find out more about what is happening in your neighborhood or elsewhere in the world during that week, check http://www.team-sarcoma.net/

BeatSarcoma Makes a $5,000 Research Gift to UCSF

2010-04-28T18:55:00.000-07:00

BeatSarcoma extended its support of Sarcoma Research to UCSF - as it exceeded its fundraising goals in 2009 and had more funds available than what it had already committed. UCSF has long been treating patients with sarcoma and recently decided to form a sarcoma research group.

'We have been discussing sarcoma research since our inception with UCSF and we are extremely pleased to see this development and honored to lend our support to this world-class institution' says Criou, BeatSarcoma President. 'UCSF offers sarcoma research projects that are very much in line with BeatSarcoma's funding philosophy.'

Dr. Eric Nakakura of UCSF, Nathalie Criou and Nathan Bossett of BeatSarcoma

Dr. Nakakura is a cancer surgeon who treats patients with soft tissue sarcoma. He also runs a translational research laboratory dedicated to understanding basic mechanisms of cancer growth that might be exploited to better treat patients. With the help of funding from BeatSarcoma, Dr. Nakakura and his laboratory will investigate the role of a critical growth and signaling pathway in human sarcoma--the mTOR pathway. His group will determine the expression and activity of mTOR pathway components in a diverse collection of human soft tissue sarcoma samples. They would then investigate the efficacy of mTOR inhibition on sarcoma growth in vitro and in vivo.

Dr. Nakakura supported BeatSarcoma's 2010 Fun Run on April 25 noting 'it means a lot to me to hear first hand the motivation for sarcoma research.'

Submit an entry to the 'Everyday Sarcoma Hero' project

2010-04-27T22:23:00.000-07:00

Submit an entry to the Everyday Sarcoma Heroes project? Everyone who has dealt with sarcoma knows a hero or two. Heroes support, encourage and inspire us in extraordinary ways. Just when we need them most, they are there. They challenge us, comfort us, and give us hope.

Team Sarcoma Initiative » The Team Sarcoma Everyday Heroes Competition

bit.ly

Everyday Heroes is an effort to honor sarcoma patients and those who have touched the lives of sarcoma patients, and to inspire kindness and supportive action for everyone dealing with sarcoma.

BeatSarcoma 2010 Fun Run

2010-04-27T20:45:00.001-07:00

James - 2nd place - pet category

Thank you everyone for coming to our third annual Fun Run!

It looks like we have raised more money than in the first two years combined

We will triple-check next time we book the venue to avoid buses driving through the course...print a map of the park for our volunteer massage therapist to save him from being lost...put a volunteer with a sign translated into 18 languages at the turnaround point and double up with signs at the beach saying 'if you read this, you have gone too far'...

The great news is that people came to run and they did plenty of running, some even ran around for a little while. People came to walk and they walked. Any extra distance did not cost any extra money...Dog came, ate treats, wore cool t-shirts and won prizes. Kids ran with a smile on their face and the sun was out to greet team Millie, team Lauren, team Paul and team Dave.

Article about BeatSarcoma's Founder from Pressure Drop

2010-04-25T19:07:00.000-07:00

http://www.pressure-drop.us/forums/showthread.php?247-People-Making-A-Difference-This-time-Natalie-Criou-Beat-Sarcoma-Founder

Berkeley Yacht Club will be hosting the 2010 Sarcoma Cup

2010-03-03T18:14:00.000-08:00

Howdy Sailors –

In our continuing efforts to provide you with the best possible regatta experience, and after months of top secret meetings with deep-pocketed sponsors, interviewing prospective host yacht clubs, carefully reviewing their extensive application forms, and performing thorough background checks, we have finally reached a decision. Our complex application scoring process heavily weighted kick-ass sailing, parties that would be illegal in most states, and dedication to this charity cause. One applicant towered above the rest…

…those wild and crazy folks at the Berkeley Yacht Club will be hosting the 2010 Sarcoma Cup !!! Congratulations BYC !!

Unfortunately, we are still sworn to secrecy on some of the event’s details. You may have heard rumors about special appearances by some of the SI swimsuit models at this year’s Sarcoma Cup. At this time I can neither confirm or deny these rumors. As soon as we can declassify the rest of the event details we will be making further announcements. Stay tuned.

So, far the following fleets have committed to the event and have it on their calendar:

J105

Express 27

Wabbit

Alerion 28

Viper 640

Open 5.70

Santana 22s (Sunday)

So, if your fleet is not on this list, now’s the time to fix that J. Do your sailing friends a favor and pass this email on.

We will also be posting updates at http://www.sarcomacup.org/

Cheers,

Mark Lowry

2010 Sarcoma Cup Regatta Co-chair

Express 27, #68, “Xena”

RYC

On behalf of your 2010 Sarcoma Cup organizing committee

BeatSarcoma 2010 Fun Run - Registration Opens!

2010-03-01T22:58:00.000-08:00

Registration for the 2010 BeatSarcoma Fun Run/Walk is open!!! We are introducing a 'Fun/Themed/Costumed' category, a 1K and a 'Pet' category!

Come join us!

- if you are interested in volunteering, email funrun@beatsarcoma.org

Come join us in Golden Gate Park -http://www.beatsarcoma.org/BeatSarcoma_Fun_Run_2010.html

BeatSarcoma Fun Run 2010

www.beatsarcoma.org

Fun Run to raise funds to fight sarcoma. The sarcoma is a cancer that primarily affects children and young adults.

Sarcoma International Awareness Week - bring your ideas for a BeatSarcoma Team!

2010-02-11T23:48:00.000-08:00

The International Sarcoma Awareness week (ISAW) is also known as the Team Sarcoma Initiative (TSI). It is an internationally coordinated set of events to raise awareness of sarcoma and raise funds to support sarcoma research, clinical trials, and patient and family services. This annual effort consists of a wide variety of events that are held worldwide during the same week. Over 16,800 people participating in 2009, doubling last year’s participation and far surpassing our goal of 10,000 participants. 30 medical centers and 25 sarcoma advocacy groups were among the groups that hosted the 90 events that were held globally. Over $450,000 was raised by teams to support various cancer centers and advocacy groups.

The mantra of the Initiative is “Sarcoma Knows No Borders.” We use this phrase because sarcomas can occur anywhere in the body and they don’t discriminate based on age, gender, race or nationality. People from all over the globe participate in Team Sarcoma Events ― young and old, women and men, from countries across Europe, through Asia and Pacific regions, and in North, Central and South America.

Committed and caring people around the world have made the Team Sarcoma Initiative more successful each year. Our goal in 2010 is to have 20,000 people involved in a life-changing Initiative. Families are invited to plan events in their communities to increase awareness or raise funds for sarcoma research. Advocacy groups and cancer centers are invited to plan events that will strengthen their ties with patients and increase their reach. Whether enjoying a backyard barbeque, an educational seminar, or a thrilling race: Together, we are making a difference!

Help BeatSarcoma be a part of this - email us your idea at info at beatsarcoma dot org, or through comments on the blog/messages on our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/BeatSarcoma/87644801313?ref=search&sid=1091717098.708275870..1

Sarcoma Educational Conference

2010-02-11T23:22:00.001-08:00

Sarcoma Educational Conference

The SFA’s 5^th annual Educational Conference, Ask the Experts: Advances in Sarcoma Treatment and Research, will be held on Sunday, April 25, 2010 at the Park Lane Helmsley in New York City from 11:00 AM to 3:30 PM. One of the best aspects of the conference is that there is an hour question and answer session from the audience. This year we expect the conference to reach new heights and hope you will join us. Confirmed speakers are Dr. George Demetri from Dana-Farber Cancer Center speaking on What is Targeted Therapy and Where are we Going, Dr. Shreyaskumar Patel from M.D. Anderson speaking on Leiomyosarcoma, Dr. Paul Meyers from Memorial Sloan-Kettering speaking on Osteosarcoma, Dr. Jeffery Toretsky from Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at Georgetown University speaking on Ewing’s Sarcoma, Dr. Jean Yves Blay, President of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer will be speaking about the European Sarcoma Drug Approval, and Dr. John Brooks from the University of Pennsylvania will discuss advances in Sarcoma Pathology. Tickets and hotel information is available on www.curesarcoma.org

Fun Run 2010 - Keep the date!

2010-01-28T18:01:00.000-08:00

Hello fellow racers toward a cure!

The BeatSarcoma Fun Run 2010 is ON! It will be held on April 25, in Golden Gate Park, in San Francisco. There will be a 1K, a 5K and a 10K course.

More details to follow soon! Any question, please email funrun at beatsarcoma dot org.

If you want to keep memories of last year's run, you can get the BeatSarcoma Fun Run calendar by clicking here! It's good training :-)

We look forward to seeing you all there!

Join the BeatSarcoma Dance Marathon in Austin this weekend!!!!

2010-01-22T10:07:00.000-08:00

We are a group of Anderson High school seniors who have partnered with the charity BeatSarcoma to create a fun event that can benefit sarcoma research: a Dance Marathon. BeatSarcoma is a non profit organization completely devoted to raising awareness of sarcoma cancer and support for research. Sarcoma is one of the lesser funded cancers for research. All donated funds you give will go directly to research. This marathon is BeatSarcoma’s FIRST Texas fundraiser. For more information on BeatSarcoma and our mission please see Mission page. We are devoted to BeatSarcoma’s mission and want you to have a great time!

Now if you have never been to a dance marathon, there is just one main thing you must remember-

Dance Dance Dance! The last team on the dance floor just might win a prize!

Dinner is included!!!

Come help us beat sarcoma AND show off your moves! So let’s dance!

BeatSarcoma makes a $30,000 research gift to Stanford Cancer Center to support Sarcoma Research

2010-01-17T16:08:00.001-08:00

December 2009
After a very successful 2009, Nathalie Criou, President and Nathan Bossett, CFO, of BeatSarcoma presented Dr. Amreen Husain, associate professor of Gynecologic Oncology at Stanford University a $30,000 research gift to further her efforts around sarcoma research.

'We are pleased to contribute to local research institutions and help stimulate professional interest and research around sarcoma-related problems. Independent and fresh ideas are critical to successful research outcomes' says Criou.

The current knowledge of sarcoma is so scarce that any discovery is a home run - and represents a huge improvement over the current knowledge base.
Dr. Amreen Husain notes:
'The sarcoma team at Stanford Cancer Center thanks BeatSarcoma for its continued support and applauds its efforts to raise public awareness of this challenging disease.

2010 Calendars for sale!

2009-12-31T00:15:00.000-08:00

BeatSarcoma, Fun Run and Sarcoma Cup calendars are ready for sale on the BeatSarcoma online store.

Click here to purchase

100% of the proceeds from these sales will go to BeatSarcoma.

Sarcoma Cup 2009 Shirts for Sale

2009-09-05T13:30:00.000-07:00

You can still buy Sarcoma Cup 2009 Shirts online on the BeatSarcoma store

Sarcoma Cup 2009 Photos

2009-09-02T23:38:00.001-07:00

Available at photo.beatsarcoma.org

Initial Sarcoma Cup Photos Posted

2009-08-25T00:17:00.001-07:00

More to come over the next few days - check back regularly for updates!

http://photo.beatsarcoma.org/

Patient Education Program - August 12th at 6PM PST

2009-08-12T09:46:00.000-07:00

A Team Approach for Treating Sarcoma in Children and Adults that will be posted on August 12th at 6:00pm PST. Sponsored by Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, you will hear more about the importance of a multidisciplinary team and common overlaps between treating children and adults with sarcoma. With Dr. Chappie Conrad

To hear this program, along with many other programs, visit our website at www.patientpower.info. All programs are hosted by 13-year leukemia survivor, and founder of Patient Power, Andrew Schorr.

Patient Power also provides such programs 'on demand' for the benefit of patients.

Donate $1 to the Sarcoma Cup - send $5 to Sarcoma Research

2009-07-14T00:17:00.000-07:00

Give $1 to the Sarcoma Cup - and the energy of our volunteers will strive to transform it into $5 for sarcoma research! The Sarcoma Cup is a multiplier of your generosity!!!

Donate to 2009 Sarcoma Cup | Causes

Source: www.causes.com

Please enter the four numbers printed in black ink above the embossed account number on the front of your American Express card.

Please Help BeatSarcoma By Writing a Review for the 'Cancer Fighters Award'

2009-07-13T23:45:00.001-07:00

Dear fellow racer toward a cure,

Thank you so much for all the help you have given BeatSarcoma in the past couple of years - we are off to a great start and are super excited about the future. We are getting ready for the Sarcoma Cup 2009 - http://www.beatsarcoma.org/Sarcoma_Cup.html -

It would mean a lot to us if you can help us gain visibility in the nonprofit community by writing a small review: www.greatnonprofits.org/reviews/beatsarcoma. The deadline for this is July 31st

This could be a great tool for volunteers who may consider working with us in the future, donors and sponsors who will consider how responsibly we have treated the money and resources they entrusted us with - as well as research institutions who may approach us in the future with promising projects.

For some of you, this is a reminder - feel free to circulate this among anyone who has come to know our organization. Full context below.

On behalf of our entire organization, I thank you.

Nat Criou

President and Founder

BeatSarcoma Inc.

www.beatsarcoma.org

---------- Forwarded message ----------

It's been a whole week since the launch of the 2009 Cancer Fighters Awards. Check out your reviews, if any, at www.greatnonprofits.org/reviews/beatsarcoma.

If you don’t yet have any reviews, there is still time to take advantage of this completely FREE opportunity! (See which cancer fighting nonprofits are in the lead right now at www.greatnonprofits.org/cancer.)

Make your work visible to potential supporters and donors. Ask your volunteers, clients, donors, and board members to post reviews about their experiences with you!

Whether you are a local organization or a national one, you can gain visibility by participating in the 2009 Cancer Fighters Awards. This opportunity is completely FREE of charge.

The nonprofits with the most positive reviews within their size category – small (less than $250K in budget), medium ($250K – $1M) or large (more than $1M) – or their geographic region, posted by July 31, 2009 will be featured on GreatNonprofits, Planet Cancer, AND on Guidestar.org, the premier site for philanthropic research. All reviews will also appear on your GuideStar nonprofit report.

You can also later use these reviews in your marketing, fundraising, and brochures!

This is an opportunity for you to engage your stakeholders – clients, volunteers, board members, donors and others. They can share their experiences with one another and the larger public.

And individuals who participate have a chance to win great wellness prizes such as a free copy of "Everything Changes: The Insider's Guide to Cancer in Your 20s and 30s" by Kairol Rosenthal, free milk for a year from Organic Valley Farms, delicious baked goods from Dancing Deer Baking Co., spa packages from Osmosis Day Spa and Sanctuary, hotel stays from Joie de Vivre Hotels, and more!

Gain visibility and take this opportunity to engage your community.

Best,

Perla Ni
CEO
GreatNonprofits
www.greatnonprofits.org

Sarcoma Cup 2009 Registration has opened!

2009-07-01T23:04:00.001-07:00

Fellow Sailors,

The Richmond Yacht Club and BeatSarcoma would like to invite you to the 2009 Sarcoma Cup, on August 22 and 23. There will be some great sailing and some great dockside activities.

What a great value for only $1.25/ft (that's $31.25 for 25 footer, or $46.25 for a 37 footer)

Sailing World Magazine and other goodies in your skipper packet
One Design, PHRF and Cruising Division with mark racing on Saturday and long distance racing 'the island of hope' on Sunday
Free Wine Bar - and good ones! and free gourmet coffee (and pastries on Saturday!)
Free Massage
Live Jazz Band on the dock and Live Rock Band in the evening
High Value Sponsored Prizes - the winner gets a FREE HAUL OUT - here is the full list of awards

AND, win more goodies at the Raffle. Prizes include Garmin GPS 75, Sony XR3500-II car stereo, Painting, a Logitech Webcam and much more!

AND, participate in our silent auction. Items include high value sailing items, Painting, restaurant gift certificates, premium wine, home cleaning services, personalized stationary, art glass and more!

It's not all! We will be holding a RUMMAGE SALE - get great deals on sailing parts and gear or bring yours to donate! It's all tax deductible.

YOU CAN REGISTER ONLINE NOW

(or type http://www.richmondyc.org/Cal2/EventShow.asp?event_id=189908&event_batch=1 in your browser)

100% of the proceeds from the event will go to sarcoma research. Last year's event raised over $18,500. With your help, we can double that. And all you have to do is HAVE FUN!

Mark Lowry, Sarcoma Cup Regatta Chair & Nathalie Criou, BeatSarcoma President

Link to Notice of Race: http://www.beatsarcoma.org/uploads/Sarcoma_Cup_2009_NORv3.4.pdf
Link to the Sarcoma Cup website: http://www.beatsarcoma.org/Sarcoma_Cup.html

Terry Fox - Osteosarcoma Patient and Canada Legend

2009-06-29T17:50:00.000-07:00

Terry Fox died from osteosarcoma at age 22 - and according to Wikipedia, in 2004, Fox was vote 2nd place on the The Greatest Canadian.

John Brennan - "The Never Say Die Kid"

2009-06-29T10:37:00.000-07:00

Courtesy of Nike film and video team

John died of osteosarcoma at age 21, a few years ago. Like a lot of sarcoma patients, he was an active athletic young adult.

BeatSarcoma is looking for volunteers for the Sarcoma Cup - August 22 and/or 23rd 2009

2009-06-24T13:48:00.001-07:00

Event details are available at http://www.beatsarcoma.org/Sarcoma_Cup.html

Sponsorship opportunities at http://www.beatsarcoma.org/Sponsor_the_Sarcoma_Cup.html

If you are interested, please fill out this form:

BeatSarcoma launches an online store! BeatSarcoma lance une boutique en ligne!

2009-05-11T11:41:00.001-07:00

BeatSarcoma lance une boutique en ligne! Achetez des chemises, T-shirts, casquettes, auto-collants, puzzles, tasses, sacs, etc...et aidez la recherche contre le sarcome!

Online store fr

BeatSarcoma Launches an online store. You can buy shirts, sweaters, caps, past event gear, Elise gear, pet bowls, magnets, stickers, puzzles, playing cards, cards, mugs, bags - and do good!

Online store

BeatSarcoma has launched a Facebook Page

2009-05-08T12:15:00.001-07:00

You can become a Fan at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/BeatSarcoma/87644801313

Help us build awareness!

Privacy Policy Update

2009-05-06T12:39:00.001-07:00

We have updated our Privacy Policy to document our use of Google Analytics as our web analytics solution

You can access the English version ou en Francais - and do not hesitate to contact us should you have any questions about it (info [at] beatsarcoma [dot] org)

BeatSarcoma Fun Run 2009 Photos

2009-04-04T16:57:00.001-07:00

The first half of the photos from the Fun Run, in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco are available online: here

BeatSarcoma Fun Run 2009 results posted!

2009-04-01T01:45:00.000-07:00

Thank you everyone for making our second Fun Run a great success. The weather was fabulous, the skateboarders kind enough to add music and our volunteers were all smiles.

We are still finalizing the accounting but so far, it looks like the event has raised over $9,000!

10K Race Results 5K Race Results

The Examiner talks about the BeatSarcoma Fun Run

2009-03-23T14:23:00.000-07:00

Personal Best: Running for life and sarcoma

By David Liepman
Special to The Examiner 3/22/09

SAN FRANCISCO – After being rammed by an 80-ton sperm whale, Nathalie Criou’s boat had capsized.

Criou and her crew were delivering a sailboat from Hawaii to San Francisco in the summer of 2006 when the boat sank. Adrift for a day on a life raft in shark-infested waters, Criou had no idea that this experience would prepare her for an even greater challenge. Read More...

March 22nd: 10% off at Sports Basement - benefiting BeatSarcoma Fun Run 2009

2009-03-18T21:35:00.001-07:00

When: March 22 – 11:30 AM until 2:30 PM

Where: Sports Basement, 1590 Bryant St, San Francisco, CA, United States

Sponsored By: BeatSarcoma

BeatSarcoma is glad to invite you to our:

Kick off party for BeatSarcoma Fun Run

On Sunday March 22^nd from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm

At Sports Basement 1590 Bryant St, San Francisco.

10% discount at the store
10% of the revenues from your purchases will go to the sarcoma research (of these 100% to sarcoma research)
Free drinks, beers, and snacks will be provided

You can pick up your bib if you are already registered for the BeatSarcoma Fun Run or you can register for the Fun Run during the party.

http://www.beatsarcoma.org/BeatSarcoma_Fun_Run_2009.html

Newsletter 2009

2009-03-02T23:24:00.000-08:00

We have published our 2009 Newsletter - you can access it by clicking on the link below:

BeatSarcoma Newsletter 2009

Happy reading!

"Navigating through cancer" - Stanford talks about BeatSarcoma

2009-02-25T20:57:00.000-08:00

Navigating through cancer - STANFORD MEDICINE NEWS - Stanford University School of Medicine

Source: communitymednews.stanford.edu

Nathalie Criou, 34, came to Stanford Hospital & Clinics in January 2007 and underwent aggressive treatment for sarcoma over the next 11 months. She is still undergoing tests and follow-up scans, but is back at home in San Francisco, combining two of her passions: sailing and fundraising for sarcoma research....

"Dancing queen, young and sweet, only seventeen"* raises over $600 for BeatSarcoma

2009-02-25T20:26:00.000-08:00

"When you are little, death never really crosses your mind. Swimming in the pool, drinking lemonade and eating popsicles when you are 6 aren’t exactly the moments in life when one explores deeper into the meaning of life and the possibility of death. It especially never plagued me. My childhood was relatively normal. I was never hit with any sorrow or strife. I had my friends and I had my family. Nobody was ill, nobody was suffering. My only worries were where I had left my Barbies or if it would be warm enough for me to go swimming (in Texas though, this problem rarely was an issue).

I feel that for Andy and Nikki Philips, this probably was their only issue at the time as well. Living just a few minutes away from each other, seemingly every summer day consisted of playing with them. My memories of our little play dates are limited and hazy, but whenever I think about them, although I can not recount exactly what we did, I still feel love and warmth in my heart. As we grew older, we grew away from each other as well. We were still close, and whenever I saw them I enjoyed every moment of it. However due to house relocations and the increasing amount of school work one tends to find as they graduate elementary school, those moments slowly decreased.

We heard that Andy had Osteosarcoma in November of 2007. Andy’s primary tumor was found in his upper left humerus and he had reverse total shoulder surgery on January 29^th 2008. He had aggressive chemotherapy in February 2008, continuing for quite a number of months. Intense radiation in September 2008 alleviated much pain. However two months later his journey ended at home in the loving care of his family. When I heard of his passing, my child-like naivety was shattered. What do you mean he has died? No, that’s impossible, he’s only a kid! Death was always just a second thought for me. I knew it existed, I knew it would happen, but never to someone who was my age. We had visited him during my spring break of 2008 and he seemed in high spirits. He was talkative, laughing, smiling—acting like a kid. It reminded me of how when we were kids, Andy, Nikki and I would all play and laugh and giggle. I remembered how happy he was then. Nothing made us grieve or worry. Life was simple and we enjoyed living it.

Having someone so young taken from us made me realize how precious life truly is, how delicate it is and how easily it can be taken from us. I think of it as a gift now, as a wonderful little present wrapped in a beautiful pink bow. So when my birthday approached in February, I thought of what I truly wanted and I realized all I wanted was to enjoy and celebrate life. I wanted to celebrate those many popsicles I had eaten and those hours I had swum with Andy and Nikki. I wanted to just enjoy living life again, simple and fun. I wanted my guests to have fun and, even it was for just a few hours, be able to act like kids again. And what’s more fun than rollerblading? Turning 17, I figured the ABBA song "Dancing Queen" would be fitting, since in the song she is turning 17.

We all acted goofy, dressing up and falling down as we turned corners. We had fun and we laughed. Andy had always been funny and loving. He had a warm heart and was always making jokes. Andy had requested that when he passed to donate to BeatSarcoma. To honor him, not as a cancer victim but as a fun and loving child, I would give to BeatSarcoma. I requested that my guests bring $10 to donate instead of presents. Andy had given us love and light and laughter and we should do the same.

Even when he was in the hospital when last I saw him about a year ago, his spirit and bright smile touched my heart. My birthday party was not a celebration of my turning 17, but of Andy being with us. Instead of dwelling on what we lost, I saw what we gained while he was here. I remembered how we would play and laugh and giggle and be kids. Although sometimes that pang of grief strikes just the right place in my heart, the warmth from those memories tends to mend my heart after it has had its few moments of sorrow.

Life is precious and should be treated protectively, but it’s not something we can't enjoy. You can have your birthday cake and eat it too. And although sometimes we might hit a few sour patches in the dough, that cake is still covered in icing and sprinkles. On February 12^th 2009 from 9 to 11pm, everybody only saw the sprinkles. In the end we raised $635 for BeatSarcoma. But the true intent of my party was to remember Andy, to have fun and laugh.

Live, laugh and love! Life is too short not to…"

By Maria Sterrett with parental authorization

* Chorus lyrics from 'Dancing Queen' by ABBA

So...

And thank you for being such an inspiration for us all.

The BeatSarcoma Team

You too can set up fundraising parties or event - for more info, you can contact us at info@beatsarcoma.org or visit our website: www.beatsarcoma.org.

MD Anderson Webcast: Sarcoma and Osteosarcoma

2009-02-09T22:15:00.001-08:00

Here are a couple of webcasts discussing sarcoma and osteosarcoma with medical experts from the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. All of their programs are entirely free for downloading or streaming.

For more information and to listen, visit the links below:

http://www.mdanderson.org/about_mda/patientpower/display.cfm?id=ECDCAAAE-73CA-431C-876EAAA9652EDAB7&method=displayfull

http://www.mdanderson.org/about_mda/patientpower/display.cfm?id=c515805f-2660-47d6-89d2b123dd7809bd&method=displayfull

Also, all Patient Power sarcoma replays are available at:

http://www.patientpower.info/listenhealthtopiclist.asp?Topic=Sarcoma

BeatSarcoma made a $11,000 research gift to Stanford

2009-02-07T20:11:00.001-08:00

At the end of last year, BeatSarcoma presented Charlotte Jacobs, M.D., Drs Ben and A. Jess Shenson Professor of Medicine at Stanford University, a $11,000 check specifically for sarcoma research.

Registration now open for BeatSarcoma Fun Run - March 29, 2009

2009-02-02T22:50:00.000-08:00

You can now register online for the BeatSarcoma Fun Run 2009!

You can also donate online or become a fundraiser: http://www.active.com/donate/beatsarcomafunrun

When: March 29, 2009 - 8:30AM start for 10K. 9:00AM start for 5K

Where: Conservatory of Flowers, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco

What: 10K - for runners only and 5K for runners, walkers, strollers, flowers, etc...

What is great about it!

1) Free t-shirts to all finishers

2) Free massage to all participants

3) Kids category! - with a medals and a prize!

4) Prizes and /or medals available for top finishers:

2 x $75 Gift certificates from Sports Basement
Free pass to BATS Improv show for 2
1 Gift certificate for La Ciccia
12 Gift certificates for Java Beach Cafe
3 passes for 2 free general admission for an April Double-Entendre show
1 'Elise' cap
and more!

5) Awards for the top fundraiser:

$200 Gift certificate from San Remo Hotel
Day sail on the Bay for 2, wine included

See last year's pictures

And check out the event page

Regatta Photoshoot for BeatSarcom'Art

2009-01-25T00:28:00.000-08:00

Rich Cox generously offered his talent and his time, shooting a regatta on San Francisco Bay - to support sarcoma research. 100% of the proceeds from the sale of these photographs will go to BeatSarcoma, "for the cause".

View the pictures: photo.beatsarcoma.org

If you are interested in participating in BeatSarcom'Art, please email us!

BeatSarcoma 2008 Initatives

2009-01-19T22:05:00.000-08:00

BeatSarcoma 5K Fun Run 2008 - San Francisco, CA - March 30

Sarcoma Cup 2008 - Richmond Yacht Club
- See financial results

BeatSarcom'Art

BeatSarcoma's Online Photoshop (includes merchandising, clothing, etc...)

Pacific Cup 2008 - raised ~ $4,000

More Sarcoma Stats - Villejuif

2008-12-01T13:09:00.000-08:00

"L’ostéosarcome est la plus fréquente des tumeurs malignes prenant naissance dans l’os. Soixante pour cent de ces ostéosarcomes surviennent chez des enfants âgés de 10 à 20 ans."

Osteosarcoma is the most frequent bone cancer. 60% of these tumors occur in children aged between 10 to 20 years-old.

"Les tumeurs d’Ewing surviennent le plus souvent dans la seconde décennie de la vie ; elles peuvent se rencontrer avant 5 ans et sont rares après 30 ans. Il existe une prédominance masculine avec 1,2 à 1,5 garçons pour 1 fille."

Ewing's sarcoma occurs most often in the second decade of life; some have been diagnosed in patients under 5-years old and they are very rare in patients over 30. They seem to affect primarily boys, with 1.2 to 1.5 boys diagnosed for every girl.

(cause is unknown)

"Dix à 20 % de ces sarcomes restent inclassables. Les termes de sarcomes à cellules "rondes", à "petites cellules", à "cellules fusiformes" sont alors employés."

10 to 20% of sarcomas remain unclassified. They are typically referred to as round cell tumors, small cell tumors or spindle cell tumors.

Rhabdomyosarcoma is the most frequent of all sarcomas (60% of them). It occurs primarily among children under 5 or teenagers. There is no known cause.

Source:

'Sarcomas is the most common hard tumor in young adults today'

http://www.sarctrials.org/public/pag13.aspx

Remember that cancer is not just carcinoma, or melanoma or leukemia/lymphoma. Carcinomas account for the overwhelming majority of the cancers and they arise in organs, such as the breast, liver, prostate, pancreas, etc...

The incidence rate of sarcoma decreases with age...it usually is the opposite for carcinomas.

Note that unlike other types of cancer, there is no known lifestyle or genetic cause to sarcoma (such as smoking, eating fatty food, lack of exercise). There are some environmental factors such as exposure to certain chemicals, or side effects of radiotherapy but they help explain only very few cases of sarcoma. So 'active prevention' by patients is not possible today - it might be if we can help researchers better understand what might trigger or highly correlate with the presence of the disease.

BeatSarcoma announces BeatSarcom'Art

2008-11-25T14:28:00.000-08:00

BeatSarcoma's mission revolves around raising awareness for a little understood and little known cancer as well as enabling the ingeniousness of scientists by raising funds to support sarcoma research. To help with this goal, BeatSarcoma is launching a new program, BeatSarcom'Art, aimed at raising funds while providing visibility for the genius of little known artists. Proceeds from the sale of the paintings will go to the artist so he can continue to create. BeatSarcoma will charge a hosting fee. 100% of this fee will go toward sarcoma research. Prices are all inclusive.

The first event will be a private art exhibit for painter Herve Gigot, from Benin, West Africa. Mr Gigot draws his inspiration from the world around him and portrays himself as the messenger of those in need. With its lines and colors his paintings reflect the emotions, gestures, and attitudes that make up everyday life. His creations are explosions of joy, peace, friendship and sadness.

A versatile artist, Hervé expresses himself not only with acrylic, watercolor and oil, but also with natural materials such as clay, mahogany, and coffee, at times combining techniques. His art reveals his identity: Africa! Its incomparable richness and beauty, past and present, through its colors and exotic fragrances.

In particular, this exhibit speaks for the children who battle cancer, the women that are affected by a disease 'caused by ill-meaning spirits' - and brings a message of hope. Mr Gigot was moved by the lack of diagnostics tools and screening infrastructure for cancer in general and sarcoma in particular, in Africa.

View the paintings (email info @ beatsarcoma.org if you are interested in purchasing a painting)

The Sarcoma Cup painting

Read more about the artist
http://www.scu.edu/scm/winter2006/missionmatters.cfm
http://www.scu.edu/president/publiccommentary/HolySpirit06.cfm http://www.fraternite-info.com/article.php3?id_article=750

If you are interested in receiving an invitation for this event, please email us.

Videos of the artist available at:

http://www.youtube.com/beatsarcoma

BeatSarcoma issues a $20,000 research gift to Stanford University

2008-11-13T14:21:00.001-08:00

Nathalie Criou, President of BeatSarcoma and Nathan Bossett, CFO, awarded Stanford University the first BeatSarcoma research gift. BeatSarcoma works closely with the medical community to identify under-funded high impact projects that will be conducted by leading non-profit research institutions. It favors fundamental and translational research as the funding needs there are greater and the benefits far-reaching.

'Stanford is a world-class institution that is home to several physicians nationally known for their understanding of sarcomas', says Nathalie Criou. 'when I first came to the Cancer Center for treatment, its team approach to sarcoma research and patient care had shown some great results.'

From left to right: Charlotte Jacobs, M.D., Nathan Bossett and Nathalie Criou

The current knowledge of sarcoma is so limited that specialists find it hard to issue accurate and timely diagnoses. This is an important first step toward effective treatment plans. It is one of the reasons why research efforts focusing on pathology can open the door to so many new developments.

One of the goals of the project coordinated at Stanford is to expand tumor tissue collection, banking and analysis of all types of sarcoma to help physicians better predict clinical outcomes.

Charlotte Jacobs, M.D., Drs Ben and A. Jess Shenson Professor of Medicine at Stanford University, says that 'sarcoma is a challenging disease that primarily affects people in the prime of their lives. It is also severely under-funded and research is still in its infancy. This gift from BeatSarcoma will enable the multi-disciplinary group of clinicians and researchers at Stanford to understand better the underlying pathology of the disease. In turn, this knowledge will help clinicians around the world make better treatment recommendations.'

To read more about the project, click here.

The Perfect Holidays Gift

2008-11-11T20:52:00.000-08:00

BeatSarcoma has a portfolio of photographs that can be turned into cards, presents, clothing, playing cards, puzzles, key rings, etc...

They make perfect gifts! And all proceeds go to supporting Sarcoma Research - so you are making a double gift: life for sarcoma patients, and art for your loved ones.

Click on the BeatSarcoma Photo Link to start.

Dear Santa Claws,

I'd like to order the mouse pad with some cool BeatSarcoma photos on it. I have been a good kitty.

Thanks,

Pumpkin

BeatSarcoma MasCat

Announcing the Sarcoma Cup 2009 - August 22, 23 2009

2008-11-05T21:50:00.000-08:00

BeatSarcoma and the Richmond Yacht Club are excited to announce the second edition of the Sarcoma Cup - it will take place on August 22&23, 2009 on San Francisco Bay. All proceeds will go to BeatSarcoma.

More details on the event website.

The 2008 Sarcoma Cup raised just shy of $18,500 - let's at least double this amount this year!

BeatSarcoma Annual Volunteer Dinner - 2008

2008-10-14T09:45:00.000-07:00

BeatSarcoma celebrated its first annual volunteer dinner in its San Francisco location. People who contributed to the BeatSarcoma Fun Run and Sarcoma Cup 2008 met to enjoy some - oh so French - crepes!!

If you are interested in volunteering for BeatSarcoma, or if you have ideas of activities and program, don't hesitate to email us! You can check the currently available opportunities on our 'volunteer opportunity listing'.

Nathan, BeatSarcoma's CFO, dutifully preparing a cheese/ham/tomatoes crepe.

Mark, BeatSarcoma's sponsorship team lead for Sarcoma Cup 2009 enjoying the above creation!

A Snapshot of Sarcoma - from National Cancer Institute

2008-08-26T22:37:00.000-07:00

Incidence Rate Trends

Sarcomas are a diverse group of malignant tumors that develop from fat, muscles, nerves, joints, blood vessels, bones, and deep skin tissues. Sarcomas are difficult to differentiate from other malignancies when they are found within organs; thus, they are frequently misdiagnosed and highly underreported.

As a result, although the incidence estimates presented here include the best available data, they are probably low. Because sarcomas often afflict people in the prime of life, the number of years of life lost is substantial despite the relatively low incidence.

It is estimated that approximately 11,590 Americans will be diagnosed with sarcoma and 4,890 will die from the disease in 2007.

Soft tissue sarcoma1 and osteosarcoma (bone sarcoma) incidence rates have remained relatively constant over the past 30 years; however, soft tissue sarcoma is more deadly due to the lack of detectable symptoms at early disease stages. Several subtypes of osteosarcoma and soft tissue sarcoma exist; the exact number of Americans with each sarcoma subtype is unknown.

Source for incidence data: Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program and the National Center for Health Statistics. Additional statistics and charts are available at http://seer.cancer.gov/.
1Does not include Kaposi sarcoma, which is addressed in a separate Snapshot.
http://planning.cancer.gov/disease/Sarcoma-Snapshot.pdf

Pacific Cup for Team Sarcoma

2008-08-06T18:32:00.000-07:00

Nat and a few bruises from the 'bouncing around'...

Elise was eager to raise funds!

Nathan is multitasking at the helm

The team proudly displaying their "Team Sarcoma" bracelets at the finish in Hawaii.

And Elise was proudly displaying the Team Sarcoma logo!

Elise successfully completed the 2070 nautical-mile run from San Francisco to Hawaii during the Pacific Cup raising about $4K for sarcoma research in the process.

BeatSarcoma would like to thank all the Beethovens (Team Elise) who made this adventure possible. More photos and videos available at blog.beatsarcoma.org.

Pacific Cup 2008 Crew

Nate - Skipper

Nathan is a long-time sailor and racer returning to blue waters after a few years of mostly bay racing and coastal work. He is a naval architect/marine engineer working in heavy industry (tankers, containerships, terminals). focusing on software. After a few crewed runs several years ago, 2008 will be his first double-handed Pac Cup.

Nat - Navigator

During the day, Nat is a Product Manager at Google and at night she helps run BeatSarcoma. She took up competitive sailing after she landed a job in the UK, a sailor's heaven. Despite a few minor setbacks such as drifting for four days in the English Channel, sinking in the Pacific or being knocked overboard in San Francisco Bay, she bought "Elise", an Express 27, in 2006. She races under the burgee of the Saint Francis Yacht Club. 2008 will be her first Pac Cup.

Photos from Norcal Sailing

2008-07-03T11:00:00.001-07:00

The picture galleries from Norcal Sailing are UP! Check out http://www.norcalsailing.com/galleries.html
Sample below

BeatSarcoma thanks its volunteers at the Sarcoma Cup '08

2008-07-03T10:06:00.001-07:00

More offshore activities pictures available at www.Beatsarcoma.smugmug.com
100% of the proceeds from the sale of pictures go to BeatSarcoma

Sarcoma Cup '08 Photos

2008-07-02T20:11:00.000-07:00

From www.h20shots.com (c)2008
More available at: beatsarcoma.smugmug.com
100% of the proceeds from the sale of pictures go to BeatSarcoma

Sarcoma Cup - Regatta Chair's Address

2008-07-02T18:26:00.001-07:00

From Mark Lowry, Sarcoma Cup '08 Regatta Chair - Richmond Yacht Club.

2008 Sarcoma Cup

On Saturday June 28 Bay Area sailors were treated to the first racing day of the inaugural Sarcoma Cup Regatta with tight buoy racing action; and what a treat it was as the smokey haze from Norcal’s wild-fires gave way to some blue-sky and perfect sailing breezes. Four divisions raced 3 races each on the southern edge of the Berkeley Circle.

This regatta was the brain-child of Express 27 sailor, Nathalie Criou. Nat is a recent and very grateful survivor of a brush with sarcoma, a rare, little-understood, scarcely researched, and often deadly cancer. This encounter has inspired her to action, creating the non-profit BeatSarcoma, Inc., to raise awareness and research funding for this disease (see www.beatsarcoma.org for details). The Sarcoma Cup was designed to be a celebration of the sailing life and a fundraiser for the BeatSarcoma foundation.

The buoy courses were windward-leewards with separate starting and finishing lines located to leeward of the leeward mark with downwind finishes prescribed for all courses. This efficient arrangement gave the racers what they wanted: more racing and less waiting. Time between races clocked in at around 10 minutes. Fred Paxton’s all-star Richmond Yacht Club race committee set impeccably square lines and true courses and ran like the well-oiled race management machine that it is.

“The circle” often known for its near-nuclear conditions during prime summer wind season on the bay, was a kinder-gentler place for this event, with winds barely reaching15 knots until near the end of race 3 which might have seen a gust or two near 20. Nope, no 35 knot rig-bustin’ carnage on the circle here – we have it on good authority that RYC PRO Paxton may have exercised his well-known divine connections with the Wind Gods on this occasion to quell the circle beast, but perhaps that’s just a rumor. No matter, the wind was perfect, at the low end of the #3 for the Express 27s – easy sailing.

Division A (PHRF) was dominated by the RYC team aboard Peter Kreuger’s “Howl”, with 1-2-1 place finishes. 2^nd place in Division A went to Mark Howe’s “White Fang” of RYC and 3^rd place went to Glenn Isaacson’s “Q” of SFYC. 4^TH place went to Nick Barran’s new XL of RORC.

The Express 27 Division was beaten up by Tom Jenkin’s “Witchy Woman” team from Morrow Bay (1-1-2). Ray Lotto’s “El Raton” of StFYC won the tie-breaker over Eric Deed’s “Magic Bus” for 2^nd, with “Magic Bus” taking 3^rd. Mark Lowry’s Xena squeaked ahead of Phil Krasner’s “Wetsu” by one point to take 4^th.

The Olson 25 fleet mixed it up well with Mark Simpson’s “Shadowfax” taking 1^st and Tom Nemeth’s Clean Sweep taking 2^nd.

PHR Division E was led by a pair of venerable Santana 22s. 1^st place went to Tom Montoya’s “Meliki”, and 2^nd place went to Stephen Buckingham/Chris Giovacchini aboard “Tchoupitoulas”. 3^rd place fell to Bill West’s Wylie Cat 30 “Crinan II”.

After a very pleasant early afternoon of “all racing no waiting”, the fleet sailed up to the sunny docks of RYC on the “Richmond Riviera” in t-shirts and shorts to the strains of the very cool jazz band, ECQ, dock-side. To go with that jazz you were immediately offered a cool RYC/ Sarcoma Cup “Hurricane” Hunger pang? Hey we can fix that too, with a huge table of dockside appetizers… very tasty appetizers I might add. Sailors milled around on the docks listening to the great band, sipping cocktails, munching appetizers, lying about the races and leisurely putting their boats away. A great way to finish off the afternoon.

This very full day of regatta entertainment was completed with a sit-down evening buffet and an entertaining raffle-prize drawing followed by the second live band, Orquesta Gitano, who dished up salsa rhythms that had to be danced to… big fun !

Sunday’s main event was the pursuit race. This is a reverse handicap race in which the boats in all divisions are thrown together and compete as one fleet. The starting times are adjusted such that if all boats are perfectly handicapped and perfectly sailed they should all finish at the same time. The course started on the south side of the Berkeley Circle and took the fleet around Alcatraz (to starboard) and Angel (to starboard). The race began with the wind under 15 knots (comfortably within #1 range for the Express 27 fleet). Most of us were expecting that we would be pretty over-powered by the time we made Alcatraz, but that was not to be – more welcomed, mellow-weather surprises.

Those that wisely worked south first on the beat caught the ebb earliest and were first to round Alcatraz, this move proved to essentially decide the race. Tom Jenkin’s Express 27 “Witchy Woman” was the first to round Alcatraz, followed by Vaughn Seifer’s Moore 24 “Flying Tiger”, followed by Ray Lotto’s Express 27 “El Raton”, shortly followed by Mark Lowry’s Express 27 “Xena”.

The reach from Alcatraz to Angel was, as usual too close to carry the kite with most boats able to set just west of Angel. The majority of the fleet sought relieve from the ebb on the Marin Shore of Racoon Straights. This was the favored side for relief, mostly because it led you clear (more-or-less) of the dreaded lee of Angel. From here it was a straight-shot to the finish.

The three lead boats successfully held off the charge of the pursuing bigger and faster boats for an exciting finish: Tom Jenkins of the Express 27 “Witchy Women” took 1^st, with Ray Lotto’s Express 27 “El Raton” close behind in 2^nd, followed by Vaughn Seifer’s Moore 24 “Flying Tiger” in 3^rd. Peter Krueger’s “Howl” took 4^th as they rolled Mark Lowry’s 5^th place Express 27 “Xena” in the final 200 yards. Dan Pruzan’s Express 27 “Wile E. Coyote” held off the advance of pursuing boats for 6^th place.

From the finish, just off the Richmond Yacht Club breakwater, it was just a matter of dousing the kite and you would soon be kicking back with a glass of wine from the excellent selection in the complementary Sarcoma Cup dockside bar, or cold keg beer if you preferred, accompanied by great munchies. This had to have been the best complementary wine to be served at any Bay Area regatta (certainly in the 25 years of this observers experience). The opening entertainment for the afternoon’s dockside activities was the charity auction which featured some spirited bidding, pitting race course rivals against each other in seemingly fierce bidding wars, all in good-natured fun for a great cause.

Given the long list of dockside activities that we have reviewed, it’s hard to believe that we have missed one. But, we would be remiss in not mentioning that the festivities actually got started Friday evening with a slideshow presentation entitled “Whale Sinks Yacht – the Last Voyage of XL”. Nat presented a very absorbing account of the sinking of XL from her perspective as member of the delivery crew bringing the yacht back from a Pacific Cup race to Hawaii. Amazingly they were able to take quite a few photos to document the ordeal which made for a very interesting slide show.

The Sarcoma Cup featured stellar dock-side activities due to all the efforts of the BeatSarcoma volunteers and the efforts of many of the big-hearted stalwarts of the Richmond Yacht Club, including RYC’s first couple, Commodore Torben Bentzen and Judy Bentsen. And this event probably would not have happened without the support of RYC’s Standing Race Committee, Chaired by Gail Yando, and the support of RYC board of directors.

The inaugural Sarcoma Cup Regatta turned out to be a great combination of excellent sailing, very entertaining dockside activities, and significant benefit to a good cause as it raised over $10,000 for sarcoma research. For those of you that missed it this year, we hope to see you at the next one.

Sarcoma Cup T-shirts for sale

2008-07-02T13:56:00.001-07:00

Two options:
- long sleeve cotton
- short sleeve microfiber
- both at $15
- 100% of this goes to support Sarcoma research
- please contact the sarcoma cup team: sarcomacup@ (all addresses are beatsarcoma.org)

Sarcoma Cup

2008-07-02T10:46:00.001-07:00

We held the first ever Sarcoma Cup this weekend at Richmond Yacht Club and in the challenging waters of San Francisco Bay. We will post shortly a more detailed account of the event but I wanted to share a quick summary with all of you.

We haven't finalized the accounting but our first estimates indicate that we have raised over $10K at this inaugural event.

We have achieved a lot more.
- Andrew, the 16-year-old osteosarcoma patient to whom the regatta was dedicated volunteered at the event and will keep invaluable joyful memories of this experience
- One of our volunteers unexpectedly rediscovered the joys of sailing on Ay Caliente, a Beneteau
- Regatta participants discovered a very talented painter from a tiny nation in West Africa who contributed a beautiful painting to the charity auction. It is one of these rare connections that wouldn't have happened without the magic of this weekend
- A lot of people had an amazing weekend to share with their friends and family
- Many new friendships have started under the auspice of a weekend dedicated to life and hope
- Many people were given an opportunity to give and engage in a deeply rewarding activity. It can be so gratifying to generate a lot of smiley faces

The Sarcoma Cup itself is a beautiful and uncommon piece of work, but what else could best symbolize the richness of these moments.

You can read more about the sarcoma cup on the:

Stanford Patient News

Norcal Sailing

and see pictures of the regatta

This year's Sarcoma Cup will be sailed for Andrew

2008-06-17T16:15:00.000-07:00

Participants in the Sarcoma Cup '08 will celebrate Andrew's courage. Andrew is a local junior sailor who was diagnosed at 15 with osteosarcoma in his left humerus in November 2007. Osteosarcoma is a form of hard-tissue sarcoma, arising in the bones. He began induction chemotherapy four days later. His initial MAP protocol involved 3 chemotherapy cycles of doxorubicin/cisplatin/methotrexate, followed by resection 'reverse total shoulder' reconstruction surgery on his left humerus and shoulder.

The surgery was quite successful and Andrew retains a fair amount of motion with his left arm.

After a 6-week recovery, he resumed another cycle of MAP chemo, then three cycles of Etoposide and Ifosfamide. He will participate in an clinical trial of R1507 starting the week of June 16 to help reduce his metastases. Andrew's protocol director is Dr. N. Marina, in pediatric hematology/oncology at Lucille Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford.

Andrew has always loved sailing, going out with friends on the SF Bay, to coastal sailing with Seacamp out of Santa Cruz, and Odyssey in the San Juans. His parents have been wanting to take him with Moorings to the British Virgins...He would be THRILLED to see his sailing family come out in numbers to show their support, as he will attend the event...and maybe even go out for a spin!

The Sarcoma Cup team is honored to have Andrew by its side to help build awareness for the tremendous need for funding for more sarcoma research, particularly for targeted therapies.

[Addendum Fall 2008 - Andrew passed away from osteosarcoma in October 2008. He was 17]

West Marine Fleet Night in pictures!

2008-06-12T12:14:00.000-07:00

BeatSarcoma and Team Sarcoma join forces

2008-06-12T12:09:00.001-07:00

The Pacific Cup initiative from BeatSarcoma is now part of the international Team Sarcoma effort - during the sarcoma awareness week. The team name is BeatSarcoma. The Team Sarcoma Initiative is an internationally coordinated set of events to raise awareness of sarcoma and raise funds to support sarcoma research, clinical trials and patients and family services. The initiative is an international Sarcoma Awareness Week as thousands of people will be taking part in over 70 events taking place in 14 countries during July 12-20, 2008.

You can find more information at http://www.team-sarcoma.net/.

We even have a Facebook page for this event!

Sarcoma Cup: List of Prizes & Notice of Race posted

2008-06-10T15:39:00.000-07:00

NOR

June 28 Saturday Online Registration - Click Here
Registered Competitors

June 29 Sunday Online Registration - Click Here
Registered Competitors

Off Water Activities

List of Prizes

Set up your boat fundraising page in under 5 minutes or donate directly at:
http://www.active.com/donate/sarcomacup08

Sarcoma Cup Event Schedule - June 28 & 29

2008-06-09T14:02:00.000-07:00

Don’t miss out on the entertainment we have planned for you!

All proceeds go to BeatSarcoma

You can also create your fundraising page in under five minutes at http://www.active.com/donate/sarcomacup08

Round up your friends and family and win $100 West Marine certificate!

Friday, June 27^th
1200	Participating yachts are welcome to begin rafting at the Richmond YC.
1930	West Marine Fleet Night Draw Anyone who spent more than $100 at the West Marine Fleet Night, June 19^th, will be entered in a draw to win an ‘Elise’ fleece and a $75 gift certificate from West Marine “Whale Sinks Yacht – the Last Voyage of XL” Slideshow following the regular RYC dinner. Come hear a first hand account of this trans-Pacific adventure. A discretionary donation is requested for those attending the slideshow. Visiting sailors may purchase guest dinner tickets and attend the slideshow.
Saturday, June 28^th
0800	Free gourmet coffee and pastries. Gin fizzes available dockside Race T-shirts are available for purchase and goodie bags will be distributed to each skipper, along with various freebies and one free drink coupon for each of your crew. These will be redeemable after the race on Saturday at any of the auxiliary bars. Gin fizzes will be available for $2.
1100	Mark Racing The first warning off Southampton and 3 buoy races to follow. Peak wind season and orchestrated by Fred Paxton. Win your personal trophy and some cool awards. Bring a digital camera and capture precious moments onboard. We’ll have the children vote on the funniest one! Enjoy!
1300	Intro to Improv for Kids Enjoy a fun improvisation theater class, led by Amy Houtrow, Sunday Player at BATS Improv (www.batsimprov.org) Tickets: $2 Tickets available for purchase at the Welcome table.
1500	Live Jazz, appetizers, punch and beer Come back to a live jazz band, ECQ – redeem your free drink coupons and treat yourself to a glass of rum punch or beer, while savoring a few appetizers. Race t-shirts, sailing photos taken by Jonathan Fujirawa and off-the-water surprise moments captured by David Ruiz will be available for purchase. You can also buy an auction ticket for the Sunday charity auction, and raffle tickets for the party!
1800	Authentic Italian dinner and slideshow featuring YOUR pictures Win a North Sails hat! Delight your palate with an authentic Italian pasta dinner, with three different kinds of pasta, a caesar salad, French bread on the side and cookies to top it off – everything prepared by Michael, RYC’s excellent chef. Secure your dinner ticket in advance and avoid the line: online tickets are only $14 Vs. $15 at the door ($12 for children). Bring your race pictures to upload and share in a slideshow of the day’s events. The funniest picture, as voted by all the children, will win its author a nice North Sails hat.
1830	Shake it to live Salsa delivered to you by Orquesta Gitano Win an inflatable PFD at the Sarcoma Cup Raffle! The party continues with more live music, and the exciting raffle drawing. Get in the running for UK Halsey Sails backpacks and hats, sailing books “Endurance by F.A Worsley, author of Shackleton’s Boat Journey”, an ‘Elise’ dri-mesh T-shirt and other books
Sunday, June 29^th
0800	Pancake breakfast Sailor’s Pancake breakfast will be served for $5 until 0930. T-shirts and auction tickets available for purchase.
See individual start times	Pursuit Race Get on the water for the pursuit race – bring your camera and show off your crew. Laughing guaranteed…You will be able to upload your pictures via the Sarcoma Cup website after the race.
ASAP after the race	Drinks and charity auction Meet after the race for drinks at Richmond YC. Race T-shirts and sailing photos brought to you by H20Shots (Erik Simonson) are available for purchase. Preview the high value prizes for the charity auction to follow the awards ceremony. Fleece, Binoculars, Navigation equipment, PFD, painting and photography, grappa, etc…
ASAP after the charity auction	Award Ceremony Bring the Sarcoma Cup back to your Club! Awards ceremony at RYC. Enjoy a glass of wine from our specialty bar and admire the perpetual trophy, exclusively made for the Sarcoma Cup by master woodturner and sailor Jerry Kermode. Exquisite hand carved trophies and watertight Stowey Bags offered by Dan of all Trades are awarded to the winners of each division.

This event could not happen without the generosity of our partners.

More detail and registration at: http://www.beatsarcoma.org/Sarcoma_Cup.html

Fleet Night at West Marine - June 19th

2008-05-27T22:36:00.000-07:00

Support Fleet Night – Benefiting BeatSarcoma
Thursday, June 19th from 4:00-7:30pm

5% of all fleet night sales at the West Marine location in Richmond,
will go to the BeatSarcoma Foundation

Everyone who spends more than $100 at fleet night will be entered in a drawing for an 'Elise' fleece jacket and a $75 West Marine gift certificate. Drawing will take place at the Sarcoma Cup

Store Location: 501 West Canal Blvd. Suite D
Richmond, CA 94804
(510) 965-9922

The Birth of the Sarcoma Cup

2008-05-27T22:11:00.000-07:00

Nat's story has inspired people to contribute their unique talents to the regatta. Arborist Dan Ratner collaborated on the base that displays the trophy cup with woodworkers Vaughn Tan and Celia Saino. Celia said, "Dan and I called master woodturners Jerry and Debbie Kermode to ask for help turning the walnut burl into a beautiful trophy cup.

The Kermodes are avid windsurfers and had recently lost a close friend to cancer. After hearing Nat's story, Jerry said, 'You hit all the right buttons' and agreed to meet the following week to create the trophy in his Sebastopol studio.

The wood for the Sarcoma Cup was salvaged from a local California claro walnut tree and donated by Dan Ratner.

Dan, owner of Dan of all Trades - at work with the Master.

The Cup now eagerly awaits the Sarcoma Cup regatta, held on San Francisco Bay, on June 28 & 29.

Latitude 38 Article about the Sarcoma Cup

2008-05-14T22:00:00.001-07:00

http://app4.websitetonight.com/projects/5/1/0/6/510651/uploads/Sarcoma_Cup_Racing_Sheet_1-08-2.pdf

Code 3 For a Cure

2008-05-13T15:13:00.000-07:00

http://code3foracure.com/

CODE 3 FOR A CURE is a mission of hope that will begin on June 13, 2008, when a crew of firefighters will drive a fire engine, courtesy of Sutphen Corporation, from California to New York.

The CODE 3 crew will stop at various fire departments along the way to collect the names of fallen firefighters (both active and retired) who have lost their lives due to cancer. Those names will be read at the crossroads of the world, Times Square. A fire bell mounted on the fire engine will ring out once for each name called. This process will be repeated upon their return trip to California, when they will stop at fire departments along that route, collecting additional names. Upon their arrival back home to California, they will end their journey by reading off all the names collected along their 6,800 mile round-trip journey.

By honoring their comrades across the nation who have passed away from cancer, the firefighters hope to bring awareness of how widespread cancer is, among firefighters in particular. Their ultimate goal is to find a cure for ALL cancers so that NO ONE has to suffer from the agony of this disease and the grief it leaves behind. To this end, the firefighters will be encouraging donations to the non-profit organizations that relentlessly wage the war against cancer day after day. They will do this by posting contact information for the non-profit organizations on the sides of the fire apparatus for all to see as they make their way across the United States. They are asking all the people across the country who see them on the road to make a donation directly to a non-profit organization of their choice.

Code 3 for a Cure was founded by Lorenzo Abundiz, who was forced to retire from the Santa Ana Fire Department because of cancer and the complications associated with it. Lorenzo has fought two types of cancer over the past ten years. The first was a high grade sarcoma and the second was bladder cancer. He was diagnosed with the second cancer just one month after he had been declared cured from the sarcoma after a five-year window. This year (2008) marks the end of Lorenzo’s long, ten-year battle with cancer that began in 1998, and thus he felt compelled to organize this mission. Its main purpose is four-fold: to honor his comrades in the fire service who have lost their lives due to cancer (whether they were active or retired), because it was they who paved the way, through their service and sacrifice, to the safer equipment and procedures used by the firefighters of today; raise awareness about firefighting related cancers; give hope, support and encouragement to firefighters and others who are fighting their own personal battle against cancer and in so doing let them know they are not alone; and help find a cure for ALL cancers by encouraging contributions to the non-profit agencies who are waging the war against this hidden enemy and who support the families of those who have fallen.

Nick Barran donates the proceeds from his sailing article to BeatSarcoma

2008-05-13T14:39:00.000-07:00

Nick Barran is a veteran sailor with considerable offshore experience. His boat, the ILC 40 Mureadritta's XL competed in the 2006 Pacific Cup. Nat, our founder was helping Nick deliver his boat back to San Francisco from Hawaii, after the race, when a sperm whale rammed into the yacht and sank it, 500 nautical miles North of Hawaii.

Nick was extremely well prepared for such an emergency - he had all the required communication and evacuation equipment. The crew drifted for a day on a liferaft before being picked up by a container ship. Everyone made it safely back to land a few days later, and the experience created strong bonds between the crew of four: Nick, James, David and Nat.

Nick's superb seamanship could serve as a model for many a-sailors to come and he shared his experience through an article for Cruising World. You can find more information on the Cruising World website.

http://www.cruisingworld.com/capable-cruising/voyaging/distress-call-from-xl-54987.html
http://www.cruisingworld.com/capable-cruising/voyaging/be-prepared-should-be-everyones-motto-43479.html

Nick donated 100% of his compensation as a guest writer to BeatSarcoma, and the Cruising World editor kindly added a mention of Nat's fight to alert its readers to the cause. In his words, he would do 'anything to help'.

Like Nick, you can inspire others and build on something that you like doing, or do routinely to raise awareness of sarcoma, or contribute funds to research. Everything counts, there is no such thing as a small gesture - everything is grand on the scale of generosity.

On behalf of all sarcoma sufferers, their caregivers and the research and medical community that supports them, thank you Nick!

Registration for the Sarcoma Cup is Open

2008-05-10T11:05:00.001-07:00

http://beatsarcoma.org/Sarcoma_Cup.html

June 28 online Registration - Click Here
Saturday Registered Competitors

June 29 online Registration - Click Here

Sunday Registered Competitors

Not racing? Come support the event with a dinner and an auction
Sat. Dinner $14 Adults/ $12 Children and Sunday auction tickets $1
Saturday dinner tickets will be $15 at the door.

You can set up your boat fundraising page or donate here.

Looking for crew or looking to crew? Note: OCSC, BeatSarcoma's partner on the Pacific Cup 2008 will help match advanced students with skippers.
You can fill out this form. Or check the crewlist. Or contact us

Sponsors

Pasha Haiwan Transportation Lines is our Ocean Level sponsor

Bay Level Sponsor:

Lake Level Sponsor:

Advances in the Treatment of Osteosarcoma

2008-05-04T21:34:00.001-07:00

Webcast — Patient Power —

“Advances in the Treatment of Osteosarcoma” on

Tuesday, May 6, 2008 at 7:00 pm Central

WHAT: Webcast – M.D. Anderson Presents…“Patient Power” with Andrew Schorr

www.mdanderson.org/patientpower.

2,500 new cases of primary bone cancer are diagnosed in the United States every year. The Sarcoma Clinic at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center sees more sarcoma patients than any hospital in the country. Listen to this show to hear Dr. Christopher Cannon from M.D. Anderson’s Orthopaedic Oncology department discuss advances in the treatment of osteosarcoma, including new limb-sparing surgery methods. Listen to hear the latest news from a top expert in the field.

WHO (FEATURED GUESTS):

Christopher Cannon, MD: Assistant Professor of Surgery, Department of Orthopaedic Oncology, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

Andrew Schorr: Host and eleven-year CLL survivor

WHEN: Tuesday, May 6, 2008 from 7:00 pm – 7:30 pm Central Time

HOW TO PARTICIPATE: Listen at mdanderson.org/patientpower

ABOUT PATIENT POWER:

Patient Power debuted in February 2005 and is a weekly show hosted by Andrew Schorr, eleven-year leukemia survivor, patient educator and patient advocate. The show features renowned medical experts on topics that include cancer, pain, diabetes, and heart specialists, as well as experts in clinical trials and top pharmacists. The show serves to bring patients together in a radio and Internet community to help navigate an often inhospitable healthcare system. Patient Power takes questions from callers and Internet listeners on topics such as how to find the right doctor, how to advocate for effectively, when to get a second opinion from a specialist, and how to evaluate one treatment option over another.

An overriding goal of the program is to help listeners get smart about available treatments. To quote Andrew: “I am doing this to help other people see that they can be powerful patients too and it will make a big difference in their care. We aren’t selling things, and we have no agenda to push other than to take control of your own healthcare rather than allow the system to run roughshod over you. Our goal is to mentor and guide patients and families as they fight a serious illness to achieve the best health possible.”

Replays and transcripts now available at

www.mdanderson.org/patientpower and www.patientpower.info

Google-BeatSarcoma Team Runs 'The Relay'

2008-04-25T09:57:00.000-07:00

On April 19 and 20, 12 Googlers and their fabulous drivers, Evan and Francois, formed the Google-BeatSarcoma team and competed in a 199 miles relay from Calistoga to Santa Cruz. Nat Criou, Carla Swiryn, Parker Lewis, Sarah Peterson, Lee Anne Grant, Hayley Lambert, Megan Serow, Debbie Leight, Lilly Wolfson, Christina Chiou, Katie Mason and Megan O'Connor ran to raise awareness of sarcoma.

The relay was for the benefit of Organs'r'us. In addition to supporting this so worthy cause, the team raised hundreds of dollars for BeatSarcoma.

Despite a hunt for running uniforms, a never-ending wait at the van rental place, cold nights, confusing directions and sore muscles, everyone supported each other working as a closely-knit team and turned the event into an unforgettable weekend. After 16 gallons of water, 15 Gatorade bottles, 30 packets of GU and energy blocks, 48 Ibuprofen, 2 hours of sleep and many other power items, the team crossed the finish line in 30 hours 01 min. Congratulations!

Sarcoma is both little known by the general public and little understood by the medical community. Research will address the latter. YOU can make a huge difference on the former with this kind of small and easy touch. So if you are participating in a sporting or social event, think about team names, clothing or signs that can intrigue people and remind them of sarcoma. And if you need ideas or any kind of materials, don't hesitate to email us.

Just another leg on our race toward a cure!

Rexin-G Press Release

2008-04-22T12:57:00.001-07:00

Second Phase Opens With Higher Dose Regimens SAN MARINO, Calif., April 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Epeius Biotechnologies Corporation announced today that Interim Analysis of an on-going Phase I/II study of Rexin-G for pancreatic cancer confirmed Rexin-G's anti-tumor activity with no major toxicity in patients with metastatic chemotherapy-resistant pancreatic cancer. The clinical trial design includes 5 escalating doses of intravenous Rexin-G ranging from 1 x 10e11 cfu twice a week to 4 x 10e11 cfu three times a week for 4 weeks. Treatment cycles are repeated if
the patient exhibits Grade 1 or less toxicity. Interim analysis showed no dose limiting toxicities in 9 evaluable patients who received Dose Levels 1-3. Furthermore, the analysis showed decrease in tumor size or disease stabilization (by RECIST), decreased metabolic activity in tumors (by PET-CT scan), reduction in tumor marker levels, and clinical benefit in patients receiving Dose Level 3. The second phase of the Rexin-G study has now opened wherein six
patients will receive Dose levels 4 and 5, respectively, as the Phase I/II adaptive study design
continues to evaluate the over-all safety of Rexin-G and to determine the optimal dosing regimen for Rexin-G that would document the clinical benefits required to support a Phase II/III pivotal trial.

According to Dr. Sant P. Chawla, Principal Investigator of the Phase I/II study, "I am happy with the positive results of Rexin-G seen in pancreatic cancer, and look forward to obtaining even better results with progressively higher doses of Rexin-G."
Dr. Chawla is currently conducting three Los Angeles-based Phase I/II clinical trials using Rexin-G in sarcoma, pancreatic cancer, and breast cancer, and a Phase II study of Rexin-G for osteosarcoma. For further information concerning these clinical trials, please contact Dr. Erlinda M. Gordon at egordon@epeiusbiotech.com.
Rexin-G(R) is the world's first and so far only targeted injectable genetic medicine that has been
validated in the clinic (Nature Reviews/Genetics 2007). Injected intravenously, the targeted
nanoparticles are designed to seek out and destroy both primary tumors and metastatic cancers that have spread throughout the body. The FDA has granted Orphan Drug Status for Rexin-G for the treatment of pancreatic cancer while the Philippine BFAD has granted accelerated approval of Rexin-G for the treatment of all solid tumors that are resistant to standard chemotherapy.

Individual photos now available for the BeatSarcoma 5k Fun Run

2008-04-08T10:35:00.002-07:00

You can view them, order download and prints HERE
All proceeds go to BeatSarcoma.

BeatSarcoma would like to thank all the 5K Fun Run volunteers

2008-04-05T00:32:00.001-07:00

Sarcoma Patient Receives New Therapy: Cancer Killing Cells

2008-04-05T00:21:00.001-07:00

Willie Williams' 5K Fun Run Pictures

2008-04-04T19:13:00.000-07:00

http://picasaweb.google.com/BeatSarcoma/Willies#

Willie Williams embarks on a BeatSarcoma expedition

2008-04-04T19:09:00.000-07:00

Willie Williams (second from left), a synovial sarcoma patient, reaches the finish line of the BeatSarcoma 5K Fun Run, surrounded and supported by his friends - You can read about Willie's story HERE.

BeatSarcoma 5K Fun Run Results

2008-04-02T23:13:00.000-07:00

Check the results HERE
Check the updated webpage HERE

As promised, our Founder (read her story) participated in the race running a little over 9 min/mile. She managed to catch up on sleep while running apparently...

BeatSarcoma 5K Fun Run Photo Albums

2008-04-01T13:25:00.000-07:00

Full album available at: http://picasaweb.google.com/BeatSarcoma/BeatSarcoma5KFunRunVolunteers
http://picasaweb.google.com/BeatSarcoma/BeatSarcoma5KFunRunPreRace
http://picasaweb.google.com/BeatSarcoma/BeatSarcoma5KRaceStart
http://picasaweb.google.com/BeatSarcoma/AfterTheRace

BeatSarcoma 5K Fun Run

2008-04-01T12:33:00.000-07:00

Sunday, March 30, BeatSarcoma held its first 5K Fun Run and Walk at San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. Thank you so much to everyone who have contributed to making this event a huge success. We were so moved by so much energy and generosity. There were nurses running for their patients, patients' friends, family members; members of our Founder's medical team came to volunteers; the volunteers from the Lowell High School did a fantastic job with registration, refreshments and T-shirt distribution.

Together, it looks like we have met our fundraising goal of $10,000 for sarcoma research!*

More pictures to come soon!

* we have yet to finalize the accounting

Willie Williams on a “medical expedition” to beat Synovial Sarcoma

2008-03-26T07:17:00.000-07:00

Willie spends most of his time outdoors at work or play. Most of the last 25 years he has been fortunate to lead expeditions for the Nat’l Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) around the world. Currently he works part-time for the Headlands Institute teaching environmental education to children.

He is applying the lessons learned in the wilderness to this new type of expedition. His passion for the ocean has taught him to work with the elements, no matter how kind or furious they might be. He embarked on his medical expedition in 2006 when he was diagnosed with synovial sarcoma on the right side of his heart.

He underwent open heart surgery in May of 2006 followed by 6 rounds of chemotherapy. Willie was looking forward to a summer in Alaska after his treatment but had to drop all his plans when he faced a recurrence of the disease in June 2007. A different chemotherapy helped shrink his tumors and surgeons at UCSF performed lung surgery to remove several small tumors in November 2007. His most recent scans show that the tumors have continued to grow – and Willie decided to switch to another chemotherapy regimen and is actively researching clinical trials.

Willie chose to celebrate hope and love by getting married at the end of June last year, to his sweetheart, Marisa. He met his soul mate a short time before his diagnosis and this common challenge has brought them even closer together. Marisa is his strongest advocate and supporter; a continuous pillar of strength. She and Willie are going through this as a team. They go on short outdoor vacations, play music together, and take every day as it comes.

Willie found it hard to ask for help – even harder to accept it. Throughout the medical expedition, he has opened up more fully to his family and community of friends. In doing so, he has experienced the gift of love, generous support, and a profound focus on life’s blessings. Maintaining a positive attitude and loving kindness, as much as possible, has been essential to his well being.

Understanding his emotions provided relief and allowed him to reconsider his body, not as an enemy, but as an ally he needed to help get rid of the sarcoma; it can be all too easy to view your own body negatively when you have cancer. Alternative therapies such as guided imagery, yoga and meditation, combined with good nutrition and exercise effectively supported him in this endeavor. Walks in nature, especially with Marisa, are usually a daily ritual.

Networking and communication are key to Willie’s success; especially with sarcoma resources so scarce. He never made assumptions and constantly challenged his medical team with questions, and paid close attention to their recommendations. “Knowing thy enemy” is a motto that he practices to near perfection, even catching erroneous advice coming from physicians. Marisa and Willie asked friends to help them with pieces of the huge amounts of research required to make informed decisions.

Finally, Willie is spending more and more time providing service to others. He participates in a sea kayaking program in San Francisco for people with disabilities. Cancer had not taken him down. On the contrary, it empowered him to help others. “I like to feel like a normal person when I can” says Willie.

Willie is meeting sarcoma on his terms and is an inspiration to all. To other sarcoma patients, Willie says “Be kind to yourself and forgiving. Enjoy life and focus on the blessings of every moment.”

[Addendum Fall 2008 - Willie passed away from Synovial Sarcoma in the summer of 2008]

Statistics...

2008-02-13T22:27:00.000-08:00

Unless otherwise specified, source is National Cancer Institute

In the US:

Incidence Rate:

One in 330 children will develop cancer by age 20.
Each school day, 46 children are diagnosed with cancer and 10 with some form of sarcoma
12,400 children and adolescents younger than 20 years of age are diagnosed with cancer.
Every year, over 40,000 children are diagnosed with sarcoma around the world. (source: Candlelight)

Survival Rate:

Approximately 2,300 children and adolescents die of cancer each year, which makes cancer the most common cause of disease-related mortality for children 1-19 years of age.
Cancer accounts for the greatest number of disease deaths of children in the United States and kills more children per year than cystic fibrosis, muscular
dystrophy, asthma and AIDS combined.
Cancer claims twice as many lives as AIDS worldwide. At least 7 million people die of cancer each year and close to 11 million new cases are diagnosed.
More than 12% of all deaths every year are caused by cancer. That's more than AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria put together.

Research reality:

Cancer drugs used on children today are cancer drugs that were developed for adults 30 or 40 years ago.

Last year, The National Cancer Institute's (NCI) federal budget was $4.6 billion. Of that, breast cancer received 12%, prostate cancer received 7%, and all 12 major groups of pediatric cancers combined received less than 3% ...Across all age groups and 50 subtypes of cancer, sarcoma received less than 1%.

PET Scans Best for Measuring Response to Sarcoma Treatment

2008-02-13T22:03:00.000-08:00

PET Scans Best for Measuring Response to Sarcoma Treatment

FRIDAY, Feb. 8 (HealthDay News) -- Positron emission tomography (PET) is more accurate and sensitive than standard scans for measuring treatment response in sarcoma patients, UCLA researchers report.

The study, reported in the Feb. 1 issue of Clinical Cancer Research and among the first to compare PET to CT scanning, found standard scans only identified 20 percent of patients who responded to treatment, while PET identified 100 percent of responders.

Currently, sarcoma patient response to treatment is evaluated after patients are scanned using CT or MRI before and after treatment. The before and after findings are compared to determine if the tumor has shrunk. If there's no change, the disease is considered stable. Tumor shrinkage of more than 30 percent is considered partial response, while tumor elimination is considered total response.

CT and MRI scans provide anatomical images of the body, while PET provides information about numerous biochemical functions in real time.

The findings could prove important for patients, according to the UCLA researchers. They noted that if CT or MRI scans fail to detect treatment response, doctors may halt therapies that are working.

"We knew from our considerable experience with neoadjuvant therapy (treatment before surgery) in sarcoma patients that measuring tumor size correlated poorly with response," study senior author Dr. Fritz Eilber, an assistant professor of surgery and director of the Sarcoma Program at UCLA's Jonsson Cancer Center, said in a prepared statement.

"We have removed many tumors that have not changed in size with treatment or have even grown, but are completely dead on pathologic analysis. Just because the tumor doesn't shrink doesn't mean the treatment didn't work," he said.

-- Robert Preidt

SOURCE: University of California, Los Angeles, news release, Feb. 1, 2008

OCSC is partnering with Elise to beat sarcoma

2008-01-30T17:55:00.000-08:00

BeatSarcoma is excited to announce a new partner for our 2008 Pacific Cup efforts - and feels very grateful to OCSC for their support.

OCSC isn't just a sailing school. It is a community of sailors - linked together by a shared love for the ocean. OCSC treats everyone as a friend and this friendship can transcend the boundaries of sailing. When a member of the OCSC community, stricken by cancer, decided to rise up and give back to the researchers who helped save her life, she naturally wanted to associate her love for sailing with this fight. This is how the BeatSarcoma Pacific Cup program started. And Nat, our Founder, was going to have to be part of it, along with Nathan, a long-time sailing partner. She would also have to hone her offshore sailing skills. And naturally, she turned to her alma mater - one of the best sailing schools in the country.

OCSC assigned its best instructors and enrolled Nat and Nathan into a celestial navigation program. OCSC is donating what it can do so well: sharing the knowledge and skills necessary to develop the confidence to sail safely anywhere in the world.

Announcing BeatSarcoma 5K Fun Run

2008-01-21T19:03:00.000-08:00

Come run and have fun!

BeatSarcoma 5K Fun Run

San Francisco Golden Gate Park

When and where: Sunday 30 March. 9:00am - Start/Finish at

Conservatory of Flowers, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco.

BeatSarcoma races in the Pacific Cup 2008

2008-01-18T19:04:00.001-08:00

BeatSarcoma is entering a boat, "Elise", in the 2008 Pacific Cup - the crew is racing on behalf of the children and young adults who are sarcoma sufferers. This is a smaller race within the larger race toward a cure for sarcoma. Our goal is ambitious - we want to raise $100,000 to enable our first research project to start.

You can follow the boat and the crew's preparation on the Pacific Cup Blog.

Support our 2-person crew as they will endure cold and wet nights, battling wind and waves - and watch the smile you are enabling on the face of thousands of sarcoma patients around the world.

You can support the Pacific Cup fundraising campaign directly here. 100% of the money raised goes to BeatSarcoma. The crew is covering all race expenses themselves.

Fair winds.

Transvideo at the Service of Cancer Patients

2007-11-17T16:32:00.000-08:00

As more and more cancer patients survive their disease, survivorship issues become increasingly important.

Ray Clark, CEO of Transvideo Studios in Mountain View, California (Northern California's Largest Independent Video and Broadcasting Center) learned about Nat and her quest to inform other cancer patients about fertility preservation options before it is too late.
Clark donated Transvideo's state-of-the-art HDTV resources and assigned an award-winning team to produce a documentary detailing Nat's story.
Producer Robin McElhatoon, Director of Photography David Sabin, Audio Composer Herminio Quiroz and Senior Editor Karyne Holmes put together "Life Vs Life, Nat's Story", a powerful video bringing Nat's Story and message of hope to cancer patients worldwide.

You too can help cancer patients. Contact us if you have have suggestions about ways to distribute this message.

Robin, Herm and Dave on the set of "Life Vs Life, Nat's Story", at Stanford

Robin and Karyne in the editing suite.

Life Vs Life: Fertility Preservation for Cancer Patients

2007-11-08T19:40:00.000-08:00

www.youtube.com/BeatSarcoma
or
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFGg3yyDNYs

Children who survive cancers are more likely to develop secondary sarcoma

2007-10-18T13:20:00.001-07:00

Studies released by the Journal of the National Cancer Institute showed that children who survive cancers have an increased risk of developing a secondary sarcoma,compared with the general population.

Description of the study here (from the Journal summary):
"Tara Henderson, M.D., of the University of Chicago Department of Pediatrics, and colleagues examined the incidence of secondary sarcomas and the risk factors associated with that risk among the 14,372 participants in the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study. Overall, there were 751 second cancers diagnosed among the participants, 108 of which were secondary sarcomas such as soft tissue sarcoma, malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors, and osteosarcoma. These sarcomas were diagnosed an average of 11 years after patients were diagnosed with their primary cancer."

Budget Cuts

2007-10-15T22:06:00.000-07:00

In January 2007, President Bush cuts a portion of the federal budget to the National Institute of Health. Unfortunately, sarcoma was among the victims...

In addition, Southwest Oncology Group has shut down their coalition against sarcoma (ICAS) and the Eastern Cooperative Group has cut their brain and sarcoma clinical trials.

Dylan Crane - Ewing's Sarcoma

2007-10-15T21:48:00.000-07:00

More videos and Dylan's full story at: http://www.dylancrane.com/video.htm
Dylan lost his battle to the disease at age 9.

Miles Levin Accepts the Sarcoma Foundation 2008 Leadership in Courage Award

2007-09-12T14:24:00.001-07:00

Miles was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma. This form of sarcoma accounts for 5-8% of childhood cancers. 70% of all rhabdomyosarcoma cases diagnosed in the first ten years of life with the peak incidence in 1-5 age group. Overall, 50% of the children diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma survive 5 years. Miles lost his battle with this alien at age 18. Listen to his incredibly inspiring and moving speech of acceptance.

Nat's story - unclassified sarcoma

2007-07-12T14:10:00.000-07:00

A few useful facts -

One day I got a call from my OB/GYN -
"I have found some kind of tumor on your cervix. I have never seen this before. Hopefully, the pathology lab will know."
The pathology lab did not know, and five nationally-renowned pathology labs later, I received seven different diagnosis, all pointing at a different type of soft-tissue sarcoma. And, they could all have been right.

This poses a problem as oncologists rely heavily on pathology reports to make treatment recommendations. After consulting with 17 oncologists in the US, UK and France, I received eight different recommended treatment plans. And they could all have been right.
They ranged from some that I liked a lot because they would preserve my fertility - well, for a little while longer - to some that frankly sucked because they would render me sterile immediately. No one could quantify their risk given our current understanding of the disease. I had to make important life decisions with little to no data. Since my disease had no name and turned out to be unique, I called it "Alien".

Oncologists were telling me "Don't gamble with your life, this may be your only shot at survival. Relapsed sarcoma has no known cure today." and I opted for the most aggressive treatment, renouncing forever to pregnancy. I went through two IVF cycles in-between surgeries to freeze some embryos and ovarian tissue. My hopes as a mother are now all concentrated in a small tank full of liquid nitrogen.

How did that make me feel? -
The physical aspect of this little battle was the easy part. Yes, I have had more pelvic exams in the past 6 months than in the past 15 years, rectal exams are unpleasant; yes, the successive treatments were painful and made me feel sick and tired and yes, and the hormones from the IVF cycle drove me up the wall. The hardest part of my journey is way beyond that. Our bodies have an amazing ability to re-bounce despite their inherent fragility. What hurts the most is anything that throws your mind in disarray, that confuses you, that blurs the line between good and evil. Anything that sends you running around crying 'why me' - anything that burns the minute you caress the subject with hesitant thoughts. Especially when you lose something you thought would be yours forever, just because you were born with it.

I want to live, I want to get back to sailing and sports, get back to work, get back to Improv and writing. I want to travel, jump, run, feel mad and go fast.

I also feel deeply sad. I may have buried Alien but I will never feel a child growing in my womb. I will most probably not have a biological child with a future husband. I have lost something that meant the world to me. Anything that reminds me of motherhood and babies is excruciatingly painful right now.

My journey will be complete when I have accepted my loss, learned to focus on what I have gained and when I have moved from assisted to giver. An entire community supported me. I need to feel re-instated as an active citizen of this little family.

What's next? -
Alien made sure that I'd always remember. He left me a red-ish irregular scar at the bottom of my abdomen. It runs from side to side and looks like a big smile.

The first time I faced it, I thought I'd be afraid. Instead, I was curious. I followed the contour of the scar with a light finger, wincing when I would put a little too much pressure. I cried over that smile that may never fade - but soon I couldn't resist and my mouth took the shape of this little souvenir.

Slowly, a most unexpected feeling crept up. I felt satisfied. This is me now with a smiley face forever drawn on my skin, reminding the world of how incongruous life can be. I tried to imagine the ugly spiky face of Alien, drooling with acid and getting comfy in my belly. I couldn't grab hold of this idea for very long. It was replaced by this soft and tender smile, looking happily at the existence that lies ahead of me.

My battle with Alien and its cousins is not over. I want to raise a medical army so no one ever has to go through the same ordeal. I am building BeatSarcoma, our battleship.

The idea of a family might come back in other forms. Or maybe, this idea will go away. I don't know yet. After I get healthy again, new options will pop up. I don't get to pick the cards I am dealt with but I can still decide how I want to play that hand. God must have had something in mind that I don't yet comprehend. I trust that I will in due time. At least, I chose to find out.

So please, make a donation so that no other patient faces the uncertainties of sarcoma diagnosis, the frustrations of limited treatment options and the high risk of relapse and poor outcome.

Thank you.

Nathalie Criou
Founder of BeatSarcoma
www.beatsarcoma.org