The Making Strides Against Breast Cancer of Concord kick-off event was held on August 20. The kick-off event is the official start to the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer fundraising campaign for the 23rd annual American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast Cancer event taking place in Concord on Sunday, October 18.
The kick-off event was attended by over a hundred team leaders, sponsors, and community members. Participants learned about the mission of the American Cancer Society and how fundraising efforts fund the programs and patient services available in the community to help people get well, stay well, and fight back against cancer. The highlight of the program was keynote speaker Dr. Shannon Stott, an American Cancer Society Postdoctoral Research Fellow.
Shannon Stott was finishing her PhD in mechanical engineering when her stepmom was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer. She was frustrated when some of the treatments and medications prescribed to her stepmom didn’t work, and her tumor grew. This motivated her to switch her focus to cancer research.
“With funding from the American Cancer Society, I helped develop a special microfluidic chip. When a small amount of someone’s blood is filtered through the chip, it separates cancer cells from other cells. I can then determine the cancer cells’ genetic fingerprint, identify the tumor type, and make sure the patient is receiving the treatment that is most likely to help her win her fight against cancer.”
“This work is leading to what will someday be a liquid biopsy, where a simple blood draw in the doctor’s office will diagnose cancer quickly and painlessly. No more surgical biopsies and a lot less waiting to see if the patient is getting the right treatment or not.
“My stepmom inspired me to begin my cancer research; my son inspires me to continue; and the American Cancer Society is helping me finish it. I want him to know cancer only as something manageable or hopefully just a distant memory,” Dr. Stott explained to the audience.
“To hold this technology in your hand and to know Dr. Stott’s research was made possible by a grant from the New England Division of the American Cancer Society that our event contributed to funding is very validating. It is inspiring to know that our fundraising efforts played a role in something that will truly help make strides against breast cancer and all cancers. Who would have thought that a researcher talking about blood at 7:30 in the morning could bring people to tears? Dr. Stott truly is creating hope in a lab,” says Kimberly Laro, Volunteer Director of Publicity.
The American Cancer Society has funded researchers with cutting-edge ideas early in their careers. Forty-seven of them have gone on to win the Nobel Prize. Just this year, the American Cancer Society has awarded 100 grants totaling $45.6 million, with another 122 approved research applications just waiting to be funded.
You can help create more hope in the lab by forming a team or registering to participate in the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer of Concord event on Sunday, October 18, by visiting MakingStridesWalk.org/ConcordNH or by e-mailing Teams@nullConcordStrides.com for a Team Leader Kit.
The Concord event is one of nine events being held throughout New Hampshire in the month of October. For the last eight consecutive years, Concord’s event has raised over half a million dollars each year and has been recognized as the #1 per capita Making Strides event in the country, out of over 300 events. Last year, over 5,000 participants raised $559,446 for the American Cancer Society.