November 26, 2007
Dear Friends,
We are proud and delighted to announce the Anita D.
Johnston Research Award, established by The Lung Cancer
Online Foundation (LCOF) to honor Anita for her tireless, unparalleled
work as a lung cancer advocate for more than fifteen years. Anita
has donated her time, knowledge and effort as a founding member
of our Board of Directors. She is widely loved within the lung cancer
community by the countless patients, clinicians and researchers
to whom she has imparted her guidance and wisdom during her tenure
as a survivor and advocate.
The $150,000 award will be given to Dr. John Minna, the Director
of the Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research at the University
of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Dr. Minna’s decades
of distinguished research have led to him being considered the dean
of lung cancer research, admired by colleagues worldwide both for
the quality of his work and for his leadership. His current research
centers on the influence of cellular genetics on lung cancer treatment,
and we are honored to be able to further his research with the Anita
D. Johnston Research Award.
We are also writing, with a mixed sense of accomplishment and sadness,
to inform you that we have decided to stop soliciting donations,
and to dissolve the Foundation at the end of 2007. Thanks to your
past support, our grants program will have disbursed in excess of
$650,000 for research addressing a wide variety of lung cancer issues,
including drug resistance, estrogen and lung cancer, bronchioloalveolar
carcinoma (BAC), fatigue and lung cancer treatment, and the treatment
of metastatic disease, among others. We have partnered with investigators
from the finest centers, including the Harvard School of Public
Health, Massachusetts General Hospital, Karmanos Cancer Institute,
Albert Einstein College of Medicine and now, UT Southwestern.
Our decision to dissolve was primarily influenced by the health
challenges faced by Karen Parles, our Founder and Executive Director.
Her own struggle with lung cancer has made it impossible for her
to administer our grants program while continuing to maintain our
website, which has been the core of our mission and our reputation.
Lungcanceronline.org is a leading resource for lung cancer patients,
their families and the medical community. Karen will remain as Editor
of Lungcanceronline.org, which will be funded privately.
Finally, we would like to thank you, our donors, who recognized
the vital importance of our mission - together we have made a difference
for millions of lung cancer patients and their families across the
globe. Your generous contributions will continue to help reduce
the impact of lung cancer for years to come.
Sincerely,
Robert J. Gorman, President
On behalf of the LCOF Board of Directors
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