CURE Media Group’s Heroes of Glioblastoma Announced Today
SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS (PRWEB) November 16, 2015 -- CURE Media Group, publishers of CURE® magazine, the guide to every stage of the cancer experience, proudly announces the recipients of the first annual Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) Heroes Awards. These heroes will be honored at a gala event, along with special guest speaker Valerie Harper, on Friday, November 20, at the 20th Annual Scientific Meeting and Education Day of the Society for Neuro-Oncology.
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Four honorees, who were nominated by patients and caregivers, are being recognized for their selfless contributions in the field of GBM or in the individual lives of people with GBM. They are Greg Cantwell, the founder of Greg’s Mission, an advocacy group based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Dr. Sherry Fox, director of Quality of Life Programs and Services at the Cullather Brain Tumor Quality of Life Center in Richmond, Va.; Dr. Santosh Kesari, chair of the Department of Translational Neuro-Oncology and Neurotherapeutics at the John Wayne Cancer Institute and director of Neuro-Oncology at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, Calif., and Rick Sontag, an entrepreneur who has dedicated his time and resources to improving the lives of patients with GBM and other brain tumors. The Sontag Foundation is based in Ponte Vedra Beach., Fla.
The winners and those who nominated them are joining CURE at the event in the San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter. Registration for this event is accepted at http://www.curetoday.com/events/gbm.
Glioblastoma is the most aggressive and most common form of primary brain cancer in the U.S., with about 10,000 Americans diagnosed annually. The median overall survival time from initial diagnosis is 15 months.
Award-winning actress and author Valerie Harper is the GBM Heroes guest speaker. Best known for her character Rhoda Morgenstern on the 1970s sitcoms “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and “Rhoda,” Harper was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2009. In 2013, she learned that her cancer had spread to the membranes surrounding her brain. While undergoing successful treatment, Harper continues to advocate for cancer research funding.
“We celebrate those who have gone above and beyond on behalf of the GBM community,” said Mike Hennessy Jr., president of Intellisphere Oncology and Healthcare Specialty Group, part of the Plainsboro, N.J.-based Michael J. Hennessy Associates, Inc., family of businesses. “Their passion and interminable spirit in making a difference in the lives of patients are an inspiration to us all.”
The 2015 Heroes of Glioblastoma Multiforme are:
Greg Cantwell
When Greg Cantwell was diagnosed with GBM at age 30, he didn’t know anyone who could relate to the fight he was about to undertake. In 2012 he founded Greg’s Mission, which provides support, hope, education and resources to patients suffering from brain tumors. Cantwell has dedicated his life to making sure that no person diagnosed with a brain tumor has to go through the experience alone and that no family member or caregiver should go without support. Greg’s Mission, based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, has provided guidance and support to more than 1,700 patients, families and caregivers.
Dr. Sherry Fox
Dr. Sherry Fox, the director of Quality of Life Programs and Services at the Cullather Brain Tumor Quality of Life Center, has also served on the board of directors of the Society of Neuro-Oncology and was the quality-of-life liaison to the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group Brain Committee. She is a recipient of the American Cancer Society’s Lane Adams Quality of Life Award and was recently inducted as a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing.
Dr. Santosh Kesari
Dr. Santosh Kesari, chair of the Department of Translational Neuro-Oncology and Neurotherapeutics at the John Wayne Cancer Institute and director of Neuro-Oncology at Providence Saint John’s Health Center, is ranked among the top one percent of neuro-oncologists and neurologists in the U.S. Dr. Kesari has written more than 250 scientific publications, reviews and books. He is also founder and advisor to several biotech startups focused on cancer and neuroscience.
Rick Sontag
Rick Sontag, an entrepreneur who has worked to improve the lives of patients with GBM and other brain tumors, takes a multifaceted approach to engaging and supporting the brightest scientific minds in brain cancer research through Sontag Foundation grants, convening the only brain tumor support group in northeast Florida and providing treatment-related information services to brain tumor patients throughout the U.S. through the creation of the Brain Tumor Network.
GBM Heroes is hosted by MJH/CURE and sponsored by Novocure.
About CURE Media Group
CURE Media Group’s flagship product, CURE magazine, is the indispensable guide to every stage of the cancer experience. With nearly 1 million readers, CURE is the largest consumer publication in the United States focused entirely on cancer, with broad distribution to cancer patients, cancer centers and advocacy groups. CURE Media Group’s offerings also include its online resource, curetoday.com; live meetings; a resource guide for the newly diagnosed; and the Extraordinary Healer™ national nursing award. CURE Media Group combines science and humanity to make cancer understandable. CURE Media Group is part of the Plainsboro, N.J.-based Michael J. Hennessy Associates, Inc. family of businesses, which includes the acclaimed OncLive® (http://www.onclive.com) platform of resources for the practicing oncologist. For more information, visit http://www.curetoday.com or http://www.mjhassoc.com.
About Novocure
Novocure is a Jersey Isle oncology company pioneering a novel therapy for solid tumors called TTFields. Novocure’s U.S. operations are based in Portsmouth, New Hampshire and New York, New York. Additionally, the company has offices in Germany, Switzerland and Japan, and a research center in Haifa, Israel. For additional information about the company, please visit http://www.novocure.com or follow us at http://www.twitter.com/novocure.
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Media Contacts:
For CURE Media Group: Becky Taylor, 609-240-6886, becky(at)btaylorpa(dot)com
Becky Taylor, CURE Media Group, http://www.curetoday.com/, +1 609-240-6886, [email protected]
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