Lung cancer survivor's goal: Save more lives
Lung cancer survivor's goal: Save more lives
Phyllis Goldstein never misses an opportunity to share her message. As the leader of the Lung Cancer Alliance of the Capital Region, she aims to raise awareness of the disease that takes the lives of 85 percent of those who contract it.
Goldstein's message carries special urgency. She is a lung cancer survivor since 2003, and although she is currently cancer-free, most people diagnosed live less than five years, due largely, she said, to a huge gap in research. Goldstein's current work as a volunteer follows a history of advocacy for those who didn't have a voice.
The 66-year-old daughter of Jewish immigrants from Ukraine and Austria-Hungary, she grew up in a poor section of Philadelphia, learned stenography after high school and became a secretary. She attended Temple University at night and completed her teaching degree over seven years. During that time she married her husband, Dr. Richard Goldstein, in 1964.
After a stint in Madison, Wis., where she was director of the Multiple Sclerosis Society, she and her husband moved to Albany. Their daughter, Heather, was born while she was working toward a master's of social work at the University at Albany.
Later, during her 20-year career at the state Office of Mental Health, she helped establish an annual research conference that brings together providers, patients, lawmakers and others involved with mental health issues.
Goldstein traces her wholehearted investment in each of her endeavors to her mother's profound influence on her life. Her mother, Goldstein said, fought schizophrenia and lived courageously despite the disease's crippling fear.
"She serves as a model to live each day the best that I can and to be passionate about whatever I undertake because so often she couldn't," Goldstein said, fighting back tears. After becoming involved in lung cancer advocacy, alarming statistics once again stirred Goldstein's fire for the disenfranchised. Unlike breast, prostate and colon cancer, she said, there is little recourse to detect lung cancer in its first stages.
Goldstein blames this on meager research funding for the disease: $1,829 per lung-cancer death, compared to $23,000 per breast-cancer death. She barely contained her anger when she asserted that the nearly $900 million dollars New York state received in the master tobacco settlement agreement was bonded to pay off the general debt.
"Not one cent was designated for lung cancer research," she said. Goldstein's mantra is that of securing research dollars in hopes of cutting lung cancer deaths in half by 2015 and educating everyone that battling the disease will take much more than stop-smoking campaigns.
BOB COWHERD Special to the Times Union
Section: Capital Region, Page: B5
Date: Tuesday, September 5, 2006
Bob Cowherd can be reached at 454-5420 or rcowherd@timesunion.com.
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Thank you for this informative SHARE.
I have a question: my assumption would be that there is little research on lung cancer because much (though not all) of it is "self-inflicted" through smoking and therefore somehow these lung cancer victims are somehow undeserving of the time and money that research takes. Would this be a correct assumption? Why else would there be so little research done?
According to a SHARE by Coach Virginia, there is $311 million spent on tobacco research every year which is astounding. Her SHARE can be found here:
http://www.empowher.com/community/share/medical-research-spending-report
Exactly who designates where every dollar goes?
Master Tobacco Settlement Agreement requires Philip Morris (other tobacco companies?) to pay each year in perpetuity a set amount to the states. The states in turn decide how to spend the money. Some of the money is spent on tobacco cessation and the rest is spent on everything BUT lung cancer research.
If everyone stopped smoking today, 18.2 million people (according to the Lung Cancer Alliance) will still get lung cancer.
Smoking is addictive and difficult to give up. Only about 10% of smokers get lung cancer. No one deserves to get lung cancer.
About 50% of new cases diagnosed are former smokers and never smokers.
The Lung Cancer Alliance website is lungcanceralliance.org. The site will provide information about patient support services, public awareness efforts, and advocacy.
The Lung Cancer Alliance is the only not-for profit organization dedicated solely to patient support and advocacy for people living with lung cancer or those at risk for the disease.
Patient support includes a phone buddy system, a chat room, literature, newsletters, hotline, and clinical trials matching service.
Advocacy includes lobbying public officials for research dollars for early detection, treatment and a cure.
Public awareness includes PR campaigns.
Phyllis, do you happen to know who I can talk to at the Lung Cancer Alliance about a possible partnership with EmpowHer? I handle partnerships with the site, and I'd love to talk with someone there about the many opportunities we have to help spread word of their wonderful mission.
Thanks so much for sharing this valuable info and lung cancer!
Kay Cofrencesco, Director External Relations is a contact. The phone number of the Lung Cancer Alliance is 202-463-2080. Kay's e-mail address is kay@lungcanceralliance.org.