Slightly sore after walking in the dark

24 hours after it started, I'm home from participating in the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life and recovered/awake enough to write about.

First, I want to thank everyone who made a donation to support my walk -- I surpassed my personal goal of raising $500 and our company team, the KVH Cancer Crusaders, raised more than $1,500 along with donations of materials for Hope Lodge in Boston. Congratulations also to everyone on the team (especially our awesome team captain Nicole Chevrette) who took time from home and their families to set up tents, walk more than 50 miles through the night, and then pack everything up amidst a pretty steady and moderately heavy rain this morning.

The KVH Cancer Crusaders, 2009 Edition

While I wasn't sure what to expect, it turned out to be a pretty special event. Kicking off with a celebration of survivors, including my mother, the field at Gaudet Middle School in Middletown, RI, was packed with people. Almost our entire family was there and together, we all shared a lap for survivors and their caregivers before beginning the long task of walking through the night.

Mom and her granddaughter Lorelei looked great as they came on to the track at the start of the Opening Ceremonies

Mom and the rest of the family circles the track together in a celebration of Survivors and their Caregivers

Lighting our way were more than 1,200 Cancer Society "luminaria", each decorated in memory of a loved one lost or in support of someone currently fighting or recovering from cancer. There wasn't a dry eye in the house when the stadium lights were turned off and a bagpiper slowly circled the track playing "Amazing Grace" and followed by all of the participants.

Watched by an-almost full moon, 1,200 luminaria stood vigil through the night and guided the steps of Relay walkers

Ensuring that there was always a member of the team walking, we were able to take breaks, catch brief naps here and there, grab a bite to eat, or just chat quietly amidst the tent city (well, tent village might be more accurate) established by the participating teams.

The Relay for Life "tent city" as seen from the bleachers at 2:30 AM

When the rain came, first just as a light sprinkle at 1:30 AM and then as heavier rain at 4 AM, the walkers were undeterred. None of us got much sleep -- by the time we returned home this morning, I was operating on about 90 minutes of light napping -- we were all moderately sore, and the rain made us all squelch like sponges as we bundled up soaking tents and hauled gear to our cars, but it all felt worthwhile.

In the grand scheme of things, the amount of money we raised is a drop in the bucket compared to the funds directed to cancer research and treatment but the real value for us came in the solidarity and sense of community engendered by the experience. The look on my mother's face as we stood alongside the track clapping and cheering for her and the other cancer survivors made it absolutely worth the effort, the lack of sleep, and the sore feet.

My stepfather John, accompanied by my colleague Angela, finishes his 60th lap and 15th mile at 3:10 AM

Walking for a Good Cause

Perhaps I was lucky when I was younger. I didn't really know too many people with cancer. Now, almost every friend I know has been touched with it in some way and it has reached into my own family again and again. That's why I'm participating in the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life in Middletown, RI, in 10 days as part of a team generously supported by my employer -- because the list of people lost to this disease doesn't need to go on.

• We lost my aunt last year to lung cancer
• my mother is facing the challenge of breast cancer:
• we lost an old family friend, only 43 years old, to cancer not long ago
• my grandmothers are survivors
• the mother of one of my best friends is recovering from lung cancer

and it seems like the list just goes on.

But it doesn't have to. I'm walking in this Relay to join others to raise funds that could bring a cure closer, to raise awareness among others, to raise a cry of joy and support for the survivors, and to raise hope that those who follow us won't have to face this particular challenge in the future.

I hope you'll join in this effort. Join a team for a Relay in your area, donate your time to advocate, make a contribution toward my walk and help fund research and the quest to find a cure, but don't stay on the sidelines. It's too important.

Thanks and good health to you, your families, and your loved ones.

Too High a Price

Earlier this year, my uncle's wife -- a vibrant, brilliant, creative woman whom, regretfully, I did not know nearly as well as I wish I had -- passed away following a long battle with lung cancer. Nora's struggle came to a close late one Friday night in her family's home on Cape Cod. The following morning, we made our way to the Cape, a trip we'd already been planning to make, only it was no longer to visit with Nora but instead to be with my uncle and my cousin and to try to fill the void we felt with memories of her shared among our family and her friends.

Lung cancer is a vicious disease -- the 5-year survival rate following diagnosis has NEVER exceeded 15%. However, it is all too often excused as a smoker's disease that people bring upon themselves. That's unfortunate in light of the horrific cost to our society, communities, families, and health care system caused by this disease that is often identified far too late to be successfully fought.

My uncle shared the following statistics in an e-mail he sent today:

• Lung cancer is the #1 cancer killer, claiming more than 160,000 American lives every year
• Four times as many people will die from lung cancer as breast cancer; nearly twice as many women will die from lung cancer as breast cancer
• Three times as many people will die from lung cancer as prostate cancer
• More people will die from lung cancer this year than breast, prostate, colon, liver, kidney, and melonoma cancers — COMBINED
• Spending on lung cancer research last year was approximately $1,400 per lung cancer death compared to breast cancer research receiving $23,953 per death and prostate cancer research spending $10,318 per death
• Approximately 15% of the people diagnosed with lung cancer have never smoked - we are all at risk
• Approximately 45% of the people diagnosed with lung cancer are former smokers, many of whom quit decades ago
• While smoking is a primary cause of lung cancer, Massachusetts, for example, (most other states are similar) generated tobacco-related revenue over $711 million while spending only $4 million on smoking cessation and prevention programs

The number of deaths is tragic. However, the addiction of our governments to the cash generated by sales of the drug that is so blatantly a cause of this disease is appalling.

However, the stigma of lung cancer -- it's a smoker's disease; it's their own fault for picking up the filthy habit; why don't they just stop; the warnings are right there on the package -- changes the rules, allows revenue to be generated and budgets to be balanced, and, tragically, weakens the drive to do something about it.

But perhaps that can change. November is National Lung Cancer Month. Next week, the Lung Cancer Alliance of Massachusetts is hosting a candlelight vigil in Boston to raise awareness (click below for details).


And at the national level, Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Chuck Hagel (R-NE) have introduced legislation in the U.S. Senate creating and authorizing at least $75 million for lung cancer research. This is the first-ever multi-agency, comprehensive program targeted at reducing lung cancer mortality.

I urge you to contact your U.S. Senators today and ask them to add their support to S. 3187, the Lung Cancer Mortality Reduction Act. It's easy to do -- simply CLICK HERE to arrange for an e-mail or letter to be sent to your Senators to urge them to get behind this legislation.

In a world where car makers and insurance companies are expecting multi-billion dollar bailouts, $75 million is a pittance that can change the lives of millions.

Make sure your Senators know that they need to support this. Do it for a friend or relative who might have suffered from this illness. Do it for a friend or relative who might find themselves diagnosed with this disease in the future. Do it because it's the right thing to do. I'm going to do it because never seeing Nora again is too high a price to pay.