San Jose, CA. Lung cancer survivors Fawn Lee (Stanford Cancer Institute) and Don Stranathan (Kaiser Santa Rosa) will kickoff Lung Cancer Awareness Month at the SAP Center in Downtown San Jose. As part of our A Survivor At Every Rink, the survivors will watch the Sharks take on the New York Islanders and will also give out facts about lung cancer during the intermissions.
Fawn Lee:
On February 4, 2011, Fawn Lee received a call from her doctor asking her to come in right away. Being a mother of three young children and having just went through a move, Fawn scheduled a time later on that day to go in. The day before, she had gotten an X-ray and so she assumed that he just wanted to go over the finding. She was worried but didn’t realize what significance the call made in her life. This was a call that would set into motion a new battle that no one ever thinks is waiting in the midst for them, ready to rear its ugly head if life calls upon it.
Don Stranathan:
I was diagnosed with Stage 4 Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer in June of 2009. I have had numerous treatments of radiation and chemotherapy for the lung cancer, and six cycles of Genzar for metastasis to my liver. I am one of the fortunate few because only 16.8 % ever reach the five year mark. I am stable today because of the targeted therapy pill Tarceva that I have been taking for almost five years.
All through my journey I have kept a positive attitude, good nutrition and plenty of exercise. I try to live my life by spiritual principles. I feel they all play an important part in my recovery and the reason I am still above ground. The bad news is that I have cancer, the good news is that cancer has taught me to live life to the fullest. I never allow cancer to define me. I rarely miss an opportunity to hike, bike, or do anything that strengthens my immune system and keeps me out in nature.
In October 2011 I met Penny Blume, the love of my life, on a lung cancer support community on Inspire. Penny left this earth on 1-21-2014 after battling small cell lung cancer, for the previous 32 months. Penny and I spent our time together traveling back and forth from New York to California. She passed at my home in Santa Rosa, CA, after trying one last clinical trial at Stanford Cancer Center.
Penny and I turned to each other for emotional support to battle our cancers and fell in love. It was after a couple of months of texting and chatting on social media that we decided to meet. Penny flew to California for her first visit in January of 2012, and the rest is history.
Read more:
Through our Survivor at Every Rink initiative, we are working with all 30 NHL teams to have lung cancer survivors from local cancer centers and their guests attend one of the team’s home games as a part of the NHL’s national initiativeHockey Fights Cancer!
Our goals are to create a unique experience for participating survivors and to raise awareness on a local and national level by using each game and each survivor’s story to weave a broader narrative about the state of lung cancer and the hope that now exists for those battling the disease. This year, we hope to increase our ability to achieve those goals by adding the Super Bowl Challenge, which will build on the success of our established Survivor Series by using the games at the heart of that initiative to create buzz for the Super Bowl Challenge and, in turn, funds for research and awareness.
Special thanks to the San Jose Sharks, Stanford Cancer Institute, Kaiser Santa Rosa and of the Team Draft supporters for making this experience possible.
Donate now to support the national campaign to change the face of lung cancer! www.teamdraft.org
