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With You, We Stand: October 2, 2012
Posted on October 2, 2012, 4:06 PM
Avalanna Routh
For six years, Avalanna Routh shared her courage, her sparkling wit, her bravery and her strength with the world. We were honored to count her as part of the Stand Up To Cancer family, and mourn her loss on Wednesday, September 26. Avalanna battled atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor. As she sought treatment at a Boston facility last year, the nurses decided to throw the Justin Bieber fan a pretend wedding. She tied the knot with a cutout of the 18-year-old singer, and she soon had the chance to meet her “husband” in person. Despite our tears, we will forever carry with us a gratitude for having encountered a life and spirit as precious as Avalanna’s.
Dr. Barton Aron Kamen
Stand Up To Cancer mourns the passing of Dr. Barton Aron Kamen on Sept. 27, 2012. Dr. Kamen was a distinguished pediatric oncologist, cancer pharmacologist, devoted family man, and member of SU2C’s Pancreatic Cancer Dream Team. Among his myriad degrees, publications, and professional roles, Dr. Kamen’s clinical and research interests were driven by the overarching goal of “translational research” – taking best science to bedside, where it could help patients the most. Dr. Kamen balanced the art and science of patient care and had a very special relationship with his patients and their families by holding their hands, listening, and earning his patients’ trust with his magic tricks. Dr. Kamen was known by his colleagues as a brilliant scholar, physician and mentor and a gentle man. His unfettered enthusiasm for learning, teaching, talking science and challenging the mainstay was matched only by his love of his family and a good round of golf. Dr. Kamen passed from the disease he treated. He will be missed dearly, but his passion, his intelligence, his work, and his conviction will live on. You can watch his TED MED talk on the art of medicine here:
Kathy Bates
Academy Award-winning actress Kathy Bates revealed she recently underwent a double mastectomy after receiving a breast cancer diagnosis, nine years after surviving ovarian cancer. Bates, who won a Best Actress Oscar in 1991 for Misery, remains upbeat and is now looking ahead to the future. “My doctors have assured me I’m going to be around for a long time,” she says. “I’m looking forward to getting back to work doing what I love to do.” We’ve always loved Ms. Bates’s strength and warmth on screen; we’re blown away by her strength and warmth off screen. Kathy Bates, we Stand Up with you.
SU2C is inspired by stories like these and millions of others. Cancer takes one person every minute and to wait for someone else to save our lives and the lives of those we love is no longer an option. At SU2C, we believe that together we can end this disease by becoming one unstoppable movement.
Learn more about the groundbreaking research SU2C is funding and how you can get involved today.
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Comments
Our hearts goes out to Avalannas family. We certainly know what it is like to loose a child. We lost Brad in 2010. This is why we are so passionate about helping these families to get their child to the hospitals for their treatments. We have seen first hand the need for the type of funding our foundation provides. For more info visit our web site http://www.bradcolemancancerfoundation.com
This is a sad story, but it’s interesting that he used magic tricks in his patient care. I run http://magiciansblog.com where we teach some simple magic tricks and have advice on magic. I’m a magician and can see how magic might be used in a variety of ways. To engage with children and other patients in hospitals is a great way to use magic.
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