From Whispers to Shouts by Elaine Schattner

Author:Elaine Schattner
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: SOC057000, Social Science/Disease & Health Issues, HEA039030, Health & Fitness/Diseases & Conditions/Cancer
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Published: 2023-03-07T00:00:00+00:00

More and increasingly granular cancer charities formed, expanding the ways people could contribute and, essentially, divvying the “cause.” In 2001, a group of Chicago-area lung cancer patients, horrified by their prognosis, established LUNGevity to support investigations into their disease.132,133 Two new sarcoma organizations adopted complementary missions: the Sarcoma Foundation of America promoted research, while the Sarcoma Alliance sponsored awareness, peer support, and educational programs.134,135

Some cancer charities appealed to people in particular lines of work. The St. Baldrick’s Foundation, for instance, began when a group of men in the insurance industry decided to support pediatric cancer research by shaving their heads. After an inaugural fundraising event at a New York City pub on St. Patrick’s Day in 2000, St. Baldrick’s (a fictitious name) took off among firefighters and police officers in New York, then elsewhere. So far it’s raised and distributed over $322 million for childhood cancer research.136–138 Meanwhile, the V Foundation (“V” for “Victory Over Cancer”) became popular among professional athletes, executives, and media and sports figures. North Carolina State basketball coach Jim Valvano initiated this charity before his 1993 death from cancer; the V Foundation became Valvano’s legacy.139,140

Niche agencies like the Inflammatory Breast Cancer Research Foundation and Triple Negative Breast Cancer Foundation gained reach on the web. The Metastatic Breast Cancer Network arranged educational conferences for stage 4 patients and caregivers, while Breastcancer.org vetted online information and managed message boards. The Pink Fund began providing financial support for patients’ nonmedical expenses like rent or childcare. Some nonprofits targeted particular demographics. Sisters Network, based in Houston since 1994, Cierra Sisters in Seattle, and later Tigerlily, based in Virginia, center their advocacy on affected Black people and young patients. In California, Latinas Contra Cancer connect affected Hispanics. Later groups like the Blue Wave and, later, Male Breast Cancer Coalition, raise awareness of breast cancer occurring in men. Sharsheret, based in New Jersey, holds programs for Jewish cancer patients and caregivers. There are many examples.141–152

The biggest new player is Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C), an Entertainment Industry Foundation offshoot conceived by a few determined women in show business—Katie Couric, TV producer Noreen Fraser, former Paramount Pictures chair and CEO Sherry Lansing, and film producer Laura Ziskin, among others. On Friday evening of the 2008 Labor Day weekend, they held the first SU2C telethon in a Los Angeles theater. Thanks to the women’s connections, all three major TV networks—ABC, CBS, and NBC—broadcast this event. In a simulcast performance, Beyoncé and others sang “Just Stand Up,” a song crafted for the fundraiser, at a “Fashion Rocks New York” benefit. That weekend’s telethon raised over $100 million, most of which was distributed to scientists through SU2C’s partnership with the American Association for Cancer Research. The telethons have continued biennially, drawing superstar entertainers. During the 2012 telethon, Taylor Swift debuted a heartbreaking song, “Ronan,” about a child with cancer; during an SU2C telethon in the United Kingdom, the actor Samuel L. Jackson plugged his “Love the Glove” campaign for prostate cancer screening.153–155

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.