NBC

[Fay A.]

Just my personal opinion here folks:

It appears to me that NBC, especially the morning show with Matt Lauer, Al Roker, Katy Couric, is more sympathetic to the issues surrounding a diagnosis of Lung Cancer than any other major studio I've watched. This may be due to the fact that both Matt Lauer and Al Roker lost their much loved Fathers to Lung Cancer in recent years. I know that the first week of June as I sat in the radiology department waiting for next post pneumonectomy chest xray I saw a spot done by NBC announcing that ASCO had just announced a new "standard of care" for NSCLC /stating study had been done showing adjuvant chemo after surgery was increasing survival times for NSCLC patients. Perhaps the NBC local affiliated stations (especially if they have a health writer) would be interested in helping to get the word out about local LCSC start up groups? I"ve had a little setback from the surgery...but once I'm really on my feet I'm going to do my best to start a local group in my community... Fay

[Guest DaveG]

Fay:

That's exactly the goal of Estrea, myself, and others here, start local groups of LCSC. Not by the internet, but in person. I have talked to the group at the University of Wisconcin Cancer Center and they are showing positive interest in this idea. We have known since our inception, that one small group is not going to get anything accomplished on a national basis. It is going to take many small groups, throughout the US and Canada, for a start, working under the auspices of a national organization to get this lung cancer movemnet off the ground and noticed by the media. It is going to be events, such as the golf outing for Lung Cancer Research at the Univ of Wisconcin Comprehensive Cancer Center, I have orgainized for July 18. These events have to grow to a national scale. Not only can they be golf outings, but walks/runs, sogtball tourneys, basketball, curling events (such as the one I participated in April). These could have unique slants to go along with traditional events in geographical areas.

All this may sound like a dream, but this dream is going to happen, because people like you, Fay, and so many others are going to pick up the ball and start running with it. Just remember these things can not be done alone. You need a committee, and maybe, eventually, professional orgainzers to help us out. 501 non-profit status would be a must and every group associated officially, with LCSC, would be able to operate under the 501. This would mean the organization of chapters and chapter certificates, certifying offical membership, would be issued. Eventually, a professional staff, at the national office would be a necessary entity. I can even foresee a merger between ALCASE and LCSC taking place, so we're all working un the same umbrella.

Dreams are how things get started. Dreams become goals, when they come out into the open and get discussed and then action takes place. Action is just starting to take place. We have members already working on the 501 status.

Communication between chapters would be a must. A national newsletter, along with chapter newletters would be a must for discimination of information throughout the organization. National officers would be necessary. But all this is possible. The spark has been ignited and soon it will a flame, and then a wildfire.