To bring awareness and educate the public and medical community about this dreaded disease.
We have taken the position that by enhancing our social network affiliations we will accomplish a segment of this goal. Our Twitter and Face Book accounts are updated each time we add an article to our NEWS section of our site. We believe that driving people to our web site will be the way to get the Esophageal Cancer message to people around the world. We will work with any Foundation or Group that has esophageal cancer awareness as its focus regardless of where they are located in the world. We have also begun a marketing effort to bring awareness of this disease to the public. We will contact Corporations and other Foundations to see if we can place an article in their employees newsletter about the causes of esophageal cancer and to work with their HR or Health Deaprtments and participate in any Health Fairs they may conduct.
To walk the journey with patients who have this disease.
From January 1, 2002 until the end of 2011 we have spoken to, in excess of 900 patients who have been diagnosed with this disease. Being a part of a patient to patient program we meet patients when they are first diagnosed and we walk the journey with them through chemo, radiation and /or surgery and beyond through the recovery process.
Presently we are meeting patients at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Canter, Hackensack Medical Center, Beth Israel and Mount Sinai and we have prepared a pamphlet indicating various services that patients and caregivers can take advantage of when they start their recovery process from surgery. We have just published a book called Esophageactomy, Post Surgical Guide, Questions & Answers that can be purchased through Authorhouse the publishing company.
To financially support research projects that focus on the development of an early warning test for this disease.
We have made Grants to institutions that are performing research projects that will lead to an early detection of this disease. For 2011 and 2012 we have or will commit $130,000 in donations to support research projects being conducted at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and Mount Sinai Medical Center. We have also committed an additional $30,000 for 2013 for these research projects. As additional funds are received this year we will add to these Grants for these projects.