The Eighth Annual Oral Cancer Walk for Awareness of New York at NYU raises more than $50,000

Source: dental.nyu.eduAuthor: Staff  On Sunday, April 21, 2013, oral cancer survivors and their families joined dental students from the NYU chapter of the Student National Dental Association (SNDA), residents, dental hygiene students, nursing students, faculty, and staff from the NYU Colleges of Dentistry and Nursing for the eighth annual NYC Oral Cancer Awareness Walk, which set out from the Kissena Park Velodrome in Queens for a four-mile walk, ending at Citi Field, home of the Mets. The event attracted 600-plus walkers and raised over $50,000 -- the highest total to date – for oral cancer awareness, prevention, and treatment. In addition to NYUCD and NYUCN, sponsors included Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center, the NYU Oral Cancer Center, Columbia University College of Dental Medicine, the Oral Cancer Foundation, New York Hospital in Queens, the Oral Cancer Consortium, the State University of New York at Stony Brook, the UMDNJ New Jersey Dental School, and Boulevard Dental Center. Free oral cancer screenings were available throughout the event. A highlight of the event was remarks by U.S. Representative Grace Meng (D-Queens), whose husband is Dr. Wayne Kye, ’02, clinical assistant professor of periodontology and implant dentistry. As he has done since 2006, Dr. Ross Kerr, clinical professor of oral and maxillofacial pathology, radiology and medicine, provided invaluable strategic advice, encouragement, and support to the extraordinary student volunteers who made the walk such a great success. *This news story was resourced by the Oral Cancer Foundation, and vetted for appropriateness and accuracy.

2014-06-06T11:14:32-07:00June, 2014|OCF In The News, Oral Cancer News|

Boot scootin’ for oral cancer screening…again!

Source: The Oral Cancer Foundation Author: John Pohl Nashville Hygienists Walk to Promote Oral Cancer Detection For the second straight year, the Nashville Area Dental Hygienists’ Society (NADHS) has organized a successful walk to raise both oral cancer awareness and funding for the Oral Cancer Foundation.  Despite grey skies and cold temperatures, the $7,700 raised by “Boot Scootin’ for Oral Cancer Screening II” represented more than a 20% increase over the inaugural event’s results. The walk took place took place the morning of Saturday, March 13 at Nashville’s Centennial Park.  Outgoing NADHS president Nicki Raines, who had convinced the organization to embrace the cause of oral cancer detection when she began her two-year presidential term, and her 6-person committee worked countless hours to ensure that the event would top last year’s efforts.  Before the walk, participants were treated to three inspiring speakers.  Two are oral cancer survivors:  Kathi Gill, a Georgia resident who attended but did not speak at the 2009 walk, and ShayLynn Grant, a 24-year-old from Kentucky.  The third speaker was Cydney Miller, Mrs. Tennessee International, who is a staunch advocate of early cancer detection. As with last year’s event, Nashville area merchants outdid themselves with their display of southern hospitality.  Auction and raffle items donated include bags of groceries from Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s, gift cards from Wal-Mart, fine wines from anonymous donors, and autographed memorabilia by such Nashville area superstars as George Strait, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, and Brooks and Dunn (whose “Boot Scoot Boogie” [...]

2010-05-09T09:57:11-07:00May, 2010|OCF In The News, Oral Cancer News|

The little town that could!

Source: The Oral Cancer Foundation Author: John Pohl Rossville, Indiana Delivers Big Results With Oral Cancer Walk Don’t tell Kelly Hodson and Shana Frey that a town with a population of 1,513 is too small for an oral cancer walk.  The Oral Cancer Foundation certainly won’t. Kelly is a certified dental assistant and Shana a registered dental hygienist for Rossville Family Dentistry, the best—and only—dental practice in Rossville, Indiana.  The practice is owned by a mother-and-daughter team:  mom Dr. Alice Sue Green has been practicing for almost 40 years, while daughter Dr. Jennifer Green-Springer has been at it for 11 years.  The practice’s all-femaie staff understandably has a soft spot for women’s health issues. About a year ago, after participating in breast cancer walks in Indianapolis and Lafayette, Kelly and Shana decided to organize their own cancer walk.  Given that they work as dental professionals, it seemed natural to them that oral cancer would be the cause they would target.  So Kelly started surfing online and quickly discovered the Oral Cancer Foundation.  Soon thereafter, she was in touch with Susan Lauria, the Foundation’s New Jersey-based Event Coordinator. As Kelly put it, “I had lots of questions, and Susan had all the answers.” To promote the event, Susan advised Kelly and Shana to send letters and posters to dental practices in Lafayette and other nearby towns, and to contact newspapers and radio stations in those areas as well.  They also relied heavily on word-of-mouth support.  And support is exactly what they [...]

2010-05-09T09:57:36-07:00May, 2010|OCF In The News, Oral Cancer News|

No choo choo needed–Chattanooga walks for oral cancer

Source: The Oral Cancer Foundation Author: John Pohl Chattanooga Walk  Promotes Early Detection of Oral Cancer! Chattanooga, Tennessee derives its name from a Cherokee word that means “big catch” and refers to the great fishing that can be found on the Tennessee River.  And “big catch” is exactly what the cause of oral cancer detection has landed in the way of Jeanna Richelson, a very determined Chattanooga-based engineer and oral cancer survivor who is very clearly on a mission. On Saturday, April 10, Jeanna organized the First Annual Chattanooga Oral Cancer Awareness Walk, which raised over $18,000 for the Oral Cancer Foundation.  According to Foundation founder and executive director Brian Hill, “I don’t believe there has ever been an oral cancer walk that was this successful in its first year.  This was an absolutely amazing effort by Jeanna.” Less than one year ago, it dawned on Jeanna that while other types of cancer had support groups, there was no support group for oral cancer in the Chattanooga area.  Not one to sit around and wait for things to happen, Jeanna let local hospitals and media know that she was starting such a group.  Only one other person attended the group’s first meeting in 2009.  Fortunately, word soon started to spread, and today the group numbers 20 members.  One of these members is Kathi Gill, who lives just across the Tennessee-Georgia border and who had attended an oral cancer walk in Nashville in 2009.  Last fall, Kathi suggested that the group [...]

2010-05-09T09:58:17-07:00May, 2010|OCF In The News, Oral Cancer News|

Roger Ebert’s story inspiring local cancer survivors

Source: News Channel 9 Author: Kevin Sims Tuesday on the Oprah Winfrey Show, movie critic Roger Ebert is talking about his battle with oral cancer.  That's a fight many folks here in the Tennessee Valley face everyday.  And now there's a support group specifically for those survivors. Five days a week, Jeanna Richelson is an engineer at Sisken Steel.  365 days a year, she's an oral cancer survivor.  "They found it in the base of my tongue.  I had surgery and spent nine days in the hospital," says Richelson.  "I had a feeding tube, I was a mess." What a difference a decade makes.  Nearly ten years after her diagnosis, Jeanna is cancer-free and is spear-heading that support group for others.  "I'm meeting people who are young mothers in their 20's who have oral cancer and they've never smoked," says Richelson.  "It used to be the old man's smoking disease but not anymore."  When she started her support group last summer, one person showed up for the first meeting.  Now they're up to twenty. That's why she says it's so important for celebrities like Roger Ebert to tell their stories.  At times, even though she's happily married, Richelson felt like she had nowhere to turn.  Now she wears her battle scars proudly.  Like the one on her right arm where doctors transplanted a muscle to her tongue.  "There are some (victims) that are newly diagnosed and they can see that we have survived it no matter how difficult it is," says Richelson. The hard parts aren't all behind [...]

2010-03-05T07:34:53-07:00March, 2010|Oral Cancer News|
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