Chemotherapy Bill Stalled — Does This Seem Right? You Decide!

The bill in the Wisconsin Legislature which would have made oral chemotherapy drugs more affordable for cancer patients has been stalled due to some unusual maneuvering by Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald.  These oral chemotherapy drugs are life-saving treatments. Please read the article about the bill and Senator Fitzgerald’s political footwork in the Milwaukee Journal…

The Return Of The Lorax:

The words of The Lorax, as penned by Dr. Seuss, continue to inspire The Triumph Fund:  “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot; Nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” The Triumph Fund has chosen the evening of Sunday, August 17, 2014, to hold its annual fundraising event, which this year we…

T. J. Lang — Sensitivity Works In The Trenches

T. J. Lang is an offensive lineman for the Green Bay Packers.  He successfully plies his trade in the violent trenches of the NFL, battling giant defensive linemen who weigh in excess of 300 pounds and linebackers who are only slightly smaller but who can be cat-quick.  Imagine trying to block Clay Matthews, play after…

A Worthwhile and Smart Organization

As one with cancer, I have spent many days receiving chemotherapy treatments at the Day Hospital at Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee. In what I view as an irony, poison is injected into me so that I might live. When I receive these treatments, I see many of the other cancer patients in the Day Hospital…

Please Consider Giving

“Those who are happiest are those who do the most for others.”        ― Booker T. Washington, Up from Slavery The Triumph Fund is overwhelmed at its success in its initial year and humbled by the outpouring of generosity by our inter-connected communities that has allowed it to raise those funds.  Because of the generosity…

“The Intersection of Innovation and Hope”

“Well-designed, well-run clinical trials are the only way to determine the true effectiveness of a promising new agent or intervention   being investigated”       – Cancer Clinical Trials: The In-Depth Program, National Cancer Institute. The Triumph Fund was established to raise funds for life-saving cancer research and, in particular, to support the Clinical Trials Office at…

Corporations and Charitable Giving

                    “To those whom much is given, much is expected.”                                          President John F. Kennedy There is a recent article in Slate.com  which raises the question of how philanthropic corporations really are.  It is entitled:  “Why Don’t Corporations Give To Charity?”  Its subtitle:  “Their profits soar, yet they only get stingier.” The article…

A Rationale Relating to Philanthropy:

There is presumably much scientific research that examines why people give to charity or otherwise engage in selfless behavior.  I am not sure much research is needed.  I am convinced that many people who are in a position to give will give if there is a cause that touches them and there is an available…

Thank You:

“Honoring The Lorax” was a great success.  To all who attended, donated, or just wished us success: THANK YOU! The Clinical Trails Office at the Medical College of Wisconsin Cancer Center is the beneficiary of your generosity.

Private Philanthropy – Turning Promise Into Reality:

“What is the use of living, if it not be to strive for noble causes and to make this muddled world a better place for those who will live in it after we are gone?”                                                        —  Winston Churchill                                                                                                                                                        “I believe in intuition and inspiration. Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is…

Metastasis — Hope Peeks Out From Behind Its Dark Shadows

“This particular nurse said, cancer cells are those which have forgotten how to die.  I was so struck by this statement.”     —  Harold Pinter (The author thanks Dr. Michael Dwinell of the Medical College of Wisconsin for his assistance on this post.) Hearing a doctor say the words “I am sorry, but you have…

A Real Life Illustration of the Value of Clinical Trials:

Monica Barlow works for the Baltimore Orioles baseball club.  Four years ago she was diagnosed with lung cancer that had spread to her liver. A recent article in Medicinenet.com discusses Monica’s participation in two consecutive clinical trials and how she believes her participation in those trials has prolonged her life.  As part of her second clinical…