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In This Issue:
At left, BWH’s Yolonda Colson, MD, PhD, Betsy Nabel, MD, Ross Berkowitz, MD, Richard S. Swanson, MD, and David Sugarbaker, MD, join Robert and Myra Kraft Sept. 26. At right, New England Patriots legend John Hannah visits with patient Sharon Anderson on Tower 7 Oct. 14.
Nearly 70,000 fans pack the stands at Gillette Stadium for every Patriots home game and, statistically, far too many of them will develop cancer in their lifetimes. BWH, along with MGH, Partners and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, are supporting the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation with the launch of Kick Cancer, a season-long initiative to increase cancer awareness among Patriots fans.
BWH President Betsy Nabel, MD, joined Patriots President and CEO Robert Kraft and leadership from the other organizations Sept. 26 for a pre-game announcement of the initiative.
“In many ways, awareness and prevention are as important as finding a cure,” said Kraft. “We want Patriots fans to be aware of their options for cancer screening, preventive steps they can take and questions they can ask their doctors. There are multiple afflictions that can be avoided or detected early with the right information and screening.”
At each home game, the Patriots will raise awareness about common cancers through messages to fans and the distribution of educational material. To help launch the initiative, Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski and punter Zoltan Mesko filmed public service announcements promoting cancer screening.
“We all know someone who has been affected by cancer,” said Gostkowski. “Win or lose, we want Patriots fans to leave games this year knowing more about risk factors and their options for screening.”
“It’s a good feeling to know that we can play a part in someone taking a small step, such as deciding to get screened, that could ultimately save their life,” added Mesko.
New England’s best medical institutions have also partnered with the foundation to provide fans with valuable information about screening and prevention, both at Gillette Stadium and through the Patriots’ web site at www.patriots.com/community