Knoxville's Komen Volunteers 

The following volunteers promoted Coldwater Creek's "Try It On for the Cure" event on Sunday, April 20, 2008:

Melody Rippons, Amanda Rippons, Kristi Spurling, LeAnn Spurling, Cassandra Stuart, Jordan Johnson, Cierrah Smith, Claudia Burton, and Sharise Brooks.

A special "thank you" goes to the volunteers that were gracious enough to give of their time on such a beautiful spring Sunday afternoon.  They worked furiously with friendly smiles as they gave informational fliers and directions to shoppers at the West Town Mall entrance.  There were three mother/teen daughter pairs to volunteer for this event!  All of the volunteers looked great in their black attire and the new "Komen logo aprons."

There were 280 pieces "Tried On for the Cure", 27 Promise Bracelets sold, and $6,700.00 in retail merchandise sold.  The Knoxville Affiliate will receive $670.00 (10% of the total retail sales) from Coldwater Creek, National Series Sponsor of the Komen Race for the Cure.

"Thank you" Michele Amazeene, Coldwater Creek Manager and her staff for a fun-filled afternoon and your generous donation!

Komen Knoxville Events Calendar 

2^nd Tuesday each Month:  Komen Knoxville Race for the Cure Committee meetings; 6 pm at the Affiliate office. 

June 21:  TN Smokies "Pink Ribbon Survivor Night" vs. Mobile at Smokies Park 7:15 p.m.  Special ticket prices for survivors and their friends and family (more details to come). Survivor ceremony on the field before the first pitch. Custom player jersey auction and pro shop "pink item' sales benefit Komen Knoxville.

August 13: BMW Ultimate Drive at Grayson BMW Knoxville, TN

August 22 & 23:  Team Captain Training - Knoxville Race for the Cure - (more details to come)

September 6:  "Golfers for God" golf tournament at Three Ridges to benefit Komen Knoxville. For player and/or sponsor information contact Coach Jim Strickland at 865-591-8214.

September 12:  Annual Survivor Celebration Luncheon-  Rothchild's Catering Center, Noon.

September 27:  "Volley for the Cure" tennis pro-am tournament at Fox Den Country Club to benefit Komen Knoxville.  For sponsorship information call Bill Enser or Rob Cameron at 966-9771.

October 5:  "Cuts for the Cure" at area participating salons, 12:30 - 5:00. New salons welcome; call Mae Swanner 584-3033 for more information.

October 11:  Komen Knoxville Race for the Cure - World's Fair Park, Knoxville, TN, Expo opens 6:30 a.m. and Race begins at 8:30 a.m.

October 16: Tips for the Cure - Green Hills Grille; lunch and dinner hours.  Pink martini specials all day.

Hurry! Time is Running Out

Our Specialty License Plate, "Driving to a Cure" to support Susan G. Komen for the Cure and our promise to end breast cancer forever has passed the Tennessee House of Representatives. We need your help to put the plate into production.

If you are interested in purchasing one of these "pink ribbon" license plates please click here, sign the form attached and return it with your $35.00 check. The Knoxville Affiliate will receive $17.50 of each plate sold.  We must reach 1000 commitments statewide before June 30, 2008 in order for the production of the license plates to begin! By signing and returning the form with your check, you are making a commitment to purchase one of the license plates.

National Susan G. Komen for the Cure News 

Susan G. Komen for the Cure® Announces Largest Grants Slate Ever: $100 Million to Speed Delivery of Breast Cancer Discoveries, Cures

"Promise Grants" Offer Individuals, Corporations Unique Opportunities to Invest in Significant Collaborative Research Ventures

DALLAS - April 21, 2008 - Susan G. Komen for the Cure®, the world's largest breast cancer organization, today announced the awarding of more than $100 million in research grants, representing the largest single-year investment in research in the organization's 26-year history and a 30 percent increase over last year's award total of $77 million. The 2008 grants slate moves Komen for the Cure closer to accomplishing its goal of investing another $2 billion in breast cancer research and community health programs by 2017.

Speeding the discovery and delivery of the cures
With this year's slate of 143 grants, Komen for the Cure has fully activated new funding mechanisms designed to speed the discovery and delivery of the cures for breast cancer. The 2008 slate funds projects designed to promote breast cancer research collaboration and cost efficiencies, arrive at reliable and replicable research results more quickly, motivate bright young investigators to commit to breast cancer research careers and keep career researchers intensely focused on breast cancer.

"We've made it clear that our money will fund projects that focus on ways to significantly reduce breast cancer incidence and mortality within the next ten years," said Susan G. Komen for the Cure President and CEO Hala Moddelmog.

Specifically, Komen for the Cure is funding research initiatives exploring key breast cancer issues, including genetic risks, risk modulation, breast cancer stem cells, new targets for breast cancer therapies, therapeutic vaccines, treatment resistance, the molecular basis for chemotherapeutic response, strategies for the reduction of tumor progression, the role of micro-environments, the role of specific proteins in metastasis and treatments for bone metastasis.

Click here for an overview of the 2008 Komen grants slate

Education Spotlight

Changes in Lifestlye May Improve Quality of Life for Breast Cancer Survivors

A recent study conducted by the American Cancer Society reports that although few cancer survivors are following recommendations for lifestyle changes aimed to improve health and well-being, adhering to these guidelines may improve quality of life among breast cancer survivors. Full details of the study were recently published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

The American Cancer Society has created guidelines aimed at improving the quality of life among cancer survivors. In the current study, researchers looked for an association between three of these recommendations and health-related quality-of-life scores. The three recommendations were physical activity, eating five servings of fruit and vegetables per day, and stopping smoking.

A total of 9,105 survivors from six different cancer groups completed a national survey requesting information regarding lifestyle and health status. Results of the study found the following:

. Only 14-19% of cancer survivors were eating five servings per day of fruit and vegetables.
. Physical activity recommendations were met by 29-47% of cancer survivors.
. Smoking cessation was met by 82-91% of cancer survivors.
. Overall, only 5% of survivors met all three of the recommendations.

Further analysis showed that higher quality of life scores were observed among survivors who met the lifestyle recommendations, particularly the physical activity recommendation. Among various types of cancer, significant positive associations were seen between quality-of-life scores and lifestyle recommendations among breast, prostate, colorectal, bladder, and uterine cancer survivors as well as melanoma survivors.

Researchers concluded that although few cancer survivors are meeting the lifestyle recommendations, many cancer survivors have reported an improvement in quality of life when they do follow the guidelines. Interventions by healthcare providers that encourage patients to follow these recommendations are warranted and are an important part of improving quality of life for cancer survivors.

Reference:  Blanchard, C., Courneya, K., Stein, K. Cancer survivors' adherence to lifestyle behavior recommendations and associations with health related quality of life: results from the American Cancer Society's SCS-II. Journal of Clinical Oncology. 2008; 26(13): 2198-2204.