Last summer, Dave Fleischer crisscrossed America to draw attention to the battle to find a cure for the rare, deadly cancer, Cholangiocarcinoma, which claimed the life of his daughter, Sarah, at age 35.
On his trip, supported by the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation in a specially designed Honda SUV, Fleischer visited hospitals and healthcare institutions that specialize in research and treatment of the disease, and met with patients, caregivers and healthcare providers who were important in Sarah's life.
Each week, Dave reported in to Not Fake News and our podcast to discuss his Journey of Hope and keep readers and listeners up to date on his progress. When it was over, he had raised $105,000 in contributions and an estimated $2.2 million in exposure through media interviews.
February is Cholangiocarcinoma Awareness Month and Feb. 12 is World Cholangiocarcinoma Day, and Fleischer and Janice Meyer, who has been battling the deadly bile duct cancer since her diagnosis in 2018, will be our guests on the Lean to the Left podcast Thursday, Feb. 10. You can listen to that interview by clicking on the Podcast tab above or by visiting your favorite podcast channel.
Yesterday, I received a thank you letter and a box packed with swag that Janice and other members of the Foundation are using to draw public attention to this little known disease. Included was a special card, at left, signed by "Warriors" — those fighting the cancer — from across the country.
"This card has traveled from DE to SC to NC to MD to NY to NJ to NH to NY to NJ to OH to MO to MN to OK to LA to TX to FL to CA to VA to DC to PA to DE and back to me," she wrote. n
"Thank you for helping raise awareness about this deadly, aggressive, terminal cancer. We are so thankful to you."
In a lengthier letter describing her personal struggle, Janice wrote the following:
"As you know, Cholangiocarcinoma is a deadly, aggressive, terminal cancer that is difficult to diagnose, often diagnosed at a later stage, often misdiagnosed for over a YEAR before official diagnosis, has limited treatment options, and has a poor outcome. Once a disease of mostly men over 65 it is now being seen more and more in younger people and sadly also in increasing numbers of 911 rescuers. A recent study of patients showed the medium age of diagnosis is now to be 44 and a recent study in JAMA predicted that liver and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma will be the THIRD leading cause of cancer death by 2040. (PUBMED.NCBI.NIUM.NIH.GOV/33825840/) THIS. IS. A. CRISIS. We strongly feel that awareness = donations, donations = research, research = improved and increased treatment options = HOPE. And we all need hope."
If you would like to know more, please visit the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation, where you can also contribute.
Meanwhile, watch for the podcast with Dave Fleischer and Janice Meyer on February 10.