Positivity and Hope at the Abramson Cancer Center #CSD14

Cancer Survivor’s Day is a day to celebrate life with and after cancer. Every person diagnosed with cancer is considered a survivor, and today, we share inspirational stories of Penn’s Abramson Cancer Center survivors.“Not a day goes by that I am not thankful for the incredible care that I received.”Dimitrios Donavos of Silver Spring, MD was diagnosed with papillary carcinoma in May of 2006. Today, he is grateful to be cancer free.“Sitting in Dr....

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Make Your "Echoes" Count - Support Cancer Research at the Abramson Cancer Center

In 2011, Bill Barbour was diagnosed with prostate cancer and treated with proton therapy at Penn Medicine. Today, he is cancer free. But this story isn’t about Bill. An avid cyclist, Bill is riding the inaugural Ride to Conquer Cancer Philadelphia ride this October.Though he’s not doing it for himself.“For many people participating, the ride is a metaphor for their life and their survival,” says Bill. “The ride has a purpose, beginning, support,...

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A Pub, A Drug, and A Basser Global Prize Winner

“I met a bloke in a pub and he offered me some drugs,” explains Alan Ashworth, FRS in his keynote address at the Basser Research Center for BRCA’s second annual symposium, where Ashworth received the Basser Global Prize for his contributions to BRCA-related research.It turns out the bloke was a DNA-repair researcher and the drug was Olaparib. Olaparbib is a PARP inhibitor, part of a class of experimental medications that have been developed to target...

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BRCA Beat: 2014 Spring/Summer Issue

As Spring sets in, Basser's quarterly e-newsletter reports on the annual Basser Center Scientific Symposium, Research Updates, Upcoming Events and highlights Partner in Hope Shari Basser Potter, whose generous gift funds the Basser Global Prize:When the Basser Research Center for BRCA was established in 2012, in honor of [her sister] Faith, Penn alumna Shari, and her husband Len made an extraordinary gift to launch a global effort....

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I Got All My Sisters With Me

Jane E. Herman, a BRCA2 mutation carrier volunteers as an Outreach Coordinator for FORCE: Facing our Risk of Cancer Empowered in New York City and blogs regularly about her BRCA journey and other slices of her life at JanetheWriter Writes… Looking forward to the 8th Annual Joining FORCEs Conference in Philadelphia, June 12-14, Jane reflects on her time in college and a recent patient education and support conference:A generation...

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"I truly believe there will be a cure within my lifetime." -John, Cancer Survivor and Ride to Conquer Cancer Rider

John Robinson was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) in 1984, and given a 35 percent chance of survival. He beat the odds, and will be riding for the cure in the Ride to Conquer Cancer this October. Read more about John on his blog here. When I went home form the hospital, I looked in my family's 1970 encyclopedia, to learn more about my cancer only to realize that the chance for survival back then was 0 percent with a life expectancy...

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Meet Dennis, Ride to Conquer Cancer Rider

Dennis McLaughlin isn’t particularly athletic. Nor is he a fundraising expert or known within local cycling circles as a die-hard rider.But what Dennis lacks in athletic ability he more than makes up for in determination, in spirit, in having a survivor’s mentality.During a routine colonoscopy last year, Dennis underwent surgery and chemotherapy. Now, at 61 and in remission, he’s ready to support the research needed to make sure more people like...

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Celebrate Women's Health

Are you a woman with a busy schedule?As chief caretaker, taxi driver, scheduler and employee, it can be difficult to carve out time for yourself. This month is Women's Health Month, and the Abramson Cancer Center wants to remind you to schedule some time to keep yourself healthy. Schedule a MammogramThe mammogram is still the most important screening test in detecting breast cancer, and is thought to save thousands of lives a year. Beginning at 40,...

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Dating After the Death of a Spouse

Jessica Bemis is a full-time, working mom of two who lost her husband to testicular cancer in November 2011. Since then, Jessica has been sharing her story on her blog, Hope for Young Widows and working to bring awareness and hope to women and men who have lost their spouses to cancer. Dating after the death of a spouse can be an awkward experience. It can bring out feelings of guilt or betrayal in the widow or widower. It can also bring out...

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Penn Study Reveals Breastfeeding, Birth Control Pills May Reduce Ovarian Cancer Risk Among BRCA Carriers

Research has shown that women carrying BRCA mutations are at increased risk for ovarian cancer, with a 10-45% risk of developing the disease over the course of their lifetimes compared to the average 1-2% chance. As a result, both BRCA carriers and their health care providers frequently ask about other factors that may impact ovarian cancer risk for the already high risk population."Heredity is Not Destiny"Towards that end, a group of researchers...

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