This year, 2012 will represent the tenth year that ECEF has been in existence, and I am in my twelfth year, with no further evidence of esophageal cancer disease (NED). Thank God for this time and giving me the opportunity to give something back and hopefully make a difference in patient lives.
 
In 2011, ECEF made major strides in its development, and we are very proud and thankful for the people we have come in contact with as patients, caregivers and people interested in helping us spread our message about this disease. We continue to walk the journey with patients who have this disease, and during 2011 have spoken to 140 patients who have been recently diagnosed with esophageal cancer.

NEW EXECUTIVE MEMBERS

In 2012 we plan to take ECEF to still a higher level. Our Board of Directors has gotten stronger as we enter 2012, with the additions of Kimberly Guilfoyle, a News anchor for FOX News and Scudder Fowler the head of the New York Office of Methodologie a strategic marketing firm specializing in the branding and corporate social communications. 

We have developed a very strong and informative web site and we have built a strong Medical Advisory Committee.  We have added Dr David Cooke from UC Davis in California. He brings his enthusiasm and professionalism to our Medical Advisory Committee.

GRANTS

During 2011, we made the commitment to grant $100,000 to Memorial Sloan- Kettering Cancer Center for a research project that will lead ultimately to a blood test that will detect esophageal  cancer at an early stage.  We will make the final payment of this grant in 2012. We have taken on an additional project from Mount Sinai for 2012 that is entitled Early Detection of Esophageal  Adenocarcinoma Using Targeted fluorescent imaging. This $60,000 grant will be paid over the 2012 and 2013 period of time. We believe with this fluorescent imaging and seeing cancer tissue 1100 X greater than the normal endoscopic machine will bring awareness of adenocarcinoma at a very early stage.

As additional donations become available during 2012, they will go to support these two projects with additional grants.

BOOK

We have now published our post surgical guide, and it is available now. This book called "Esophagectomy, Post Surgical Guide, Questions and Answers" will be available through Authorhouse and through ECEF. This guide is the product of our Medical Advisory Committee responding to the most frequently mentioned issues in a patient’s recovery process post esophagectomy surgery.

ECEF COMMITTEES

We will continue our growth during 2012, refining the committees we have within ECEF. We have decided to focus on the following committee during 2012;

Membership/ Patient Services Committee

During 2012, we will bring on two additional patient advocates and we will expand our patient and caregiver services and hopefully help more people journey through this disease.
Our Support Groups, which meet monthly via conference call, will continue to grow in 2012. We have had speaker presentations at some of these meetings, and we will continue to do that to provide direction to patients and caregivers in their journey.

We have patients and caregivers, who are members of ECEF. They have asked about ECEF services and we have told them, in detail, what we have to support them as they journey through this disease. We need to have a committee that will stay in touch with these members, and provide assistance, should that be needed. Diane and Bob Quaranta will spearhead this project, and hopefully we will be in touch with all our members.

Volunteer “Get Involved” Committee

Our Goal, as we enter 2012, is to establish a formal program that will assist people in their desire to be a volunteer for ECEF and help make their local communities aware that this dreaded disease exists.  We have created an Ambassador Program that reflects 10 areas that a volunteer can choose from to help with our goal of Awareness. We will have this program up on our web site www.fightec.org shortly.

Marketing Committee

To bring awareness and educate the public and medical community about this disease is the first priority of our Marketing Committee. Our plan for 2012 is to approach Corporations and other Foundations to see how we can work with them to get the message out to their employees, that heartburn can cause esophageal cancer.  In addition, we will approach Foundations that give Grants to Foundations like ECEF, to see if we can secure grants to help us with our effort to support our Mission Statement. Scudder Fowler, a recent addition to our Board of Directors, has taken this project on, and he will lead this committee in its efforts to bring awareness, at the corporate level, for both other Foundations and Corporations. 

Financial Management Committee

ECEF continues to be run by volunteers. We do not have any paid employees. This committee will oversee the preparation of the budget, and deal with the outside accountants as part of the certification process. Paul Rovinsky, a Board Member has indicated that he will work with me on this committee, and we will use Paul’s talents as a non-profit executive, for guidance and direction.

Respectfully Submitted,

Bart Frazzitta
President

 

A Survivor's Story:

Salt of the Earth: