CR 675: BCAN Walk and a Hopkins Bladder Cancer Workshop on May 19

Last Saturday was the Washington DC annual BCAN walk for bladder cancer awareness. It’s one of BCAN’s primary fundraisers. Participants are asked to form teams with contributions going to fund bladder cancer research. (If you want to donate to my team, there’s still time. I’m looking at you, extended family members!) The participants gathered at the Jefferson Memorial and walked around the Tidal Basin.

It was good to see Dr. Andrea Apolo, who heads NIH’s bladder cancer work; Dr. David McConkey, head of Hopkins' Greenberg Bladder Cancer Institute, LizRaymond, Hopkins’ Senior Associate Director of Development, Diane Zipursky Quale, co-founder of BCAN, my family and friends, as well as hundreds of other people from the DC area who were walking to raise awareness and funds. 

It’s still amazing to me that the fifth most common cancer in the US still has such a low profile, both in public awareness (who has heard of bladder cancer unless a family member or close friend is diagnosed?) and funding (20^th). BCAN has awarded more than $4 million in grants to researchers devoted to advancing the fight against this pernicious disease, but so much more is needed. C’mon, if you haven’t donated a few bucks, hit this link and do it now. Please.

Speaking of leading the fight against bladder cancer, on Friday May 19 from 12-1:30 pm, the Johns Hopkins Greenberg Bladder Cancer Institute is sponsoring a program regarding promising updates in bladder cancer treatment for patients and caregivers. Several Hopkins faculty members (including Drs. Noah Hahn and Trinity Bivalaqua, who have treated me) will discuss the cutting edge of bladder cancer therapies, and David McConkey will be discussing how the Institute is changing how bladder cancer is treated. I’ll also be on the panel to provide a patient point of view. The speakers will take questions both during their talks as well as a general Q&A at the end. Feel free to attend – just make sure you RSVP by May 12 so enough rubber chickens are ordered!