Same Guys, Different Room: Why we don’t have a Breast Cancer Vaccine

We could, you see, have a preventive breast cancer vaccine sooner, not later. I remember in my conversations with Dr Devra Davis, we talked about the ridiculously long delay for the declaration that smoking causes cancer; yup, the money was in the tobacco, and many of the honchos in the ACS were smokers.  So, it would seem to me that now the money is in big Pharma, and the FDA just doesn’t have the baba....guts (keeping it clean) to stand up to them or to turn down the money.  I read that in August 2011, the FDA gave Dr Keith Knutson the approval to proceed to the trial phase for two new cancer vaccines that fight cancer; the goal—to prevent recurrence.  While this is huge, what struck me is that maybe the FDA and Big Pharma thought this was okay because the caveat is that you won’t qualify for the vaccine unless you’ve already agreed to take their toxic and very expensive chemo.  So what if women don’t want to be diagnosed with breast cancer; have they considered this?  Have they considered that many don’t want to be told they have to accept chemo? Apparently not.  However, it moves; we will see this vaccine—if we live long enough.  Thank you, Dr Kathleen Ruddy for an informative and humorous post.  I have no doubt that this vaccine will become a reality; my hope is that it is sooner than later. http://breastcancerbydrruddy.com/?p=4183#more-4183

Elyn Jacobs is a breast cancer survivor, professional cancer coach, radio talk show host, speaker, and the Executive Director for the Emerald Heart Cancer Foundation. Elyn empowers women to choose the path for treatment that best fits their own individual needs. She is passionate about helping others move forward into a life of health and wellbeing. Elyn lives in New York with her husband and two young boys. Find Elyn at www.elynjacobs.wordpress.com. To tune into the Survive and Live Well show, visit www.W4CS.com, Tuesdays at 1pm, EST.

Follow Elyn on Twitter@elynjacobs, Facebook @Elyn Jacobs Consulting and LinkedIn @Elyn Jacobs

Click here to view Elyn’s story on CNN Money–Seven cancer survivors confronted life-threatening diseases and turned their experiences into successful small business ideas; read the stories of survivors whose cancer inspired them to help others with cancer.

Introducing ... Champions for the Pink Vaccine

More from Dr Kathleen Ruddy....Thank you Dr Ruddy for getting this ball rolling!

July 16 2012

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To the best of my recollection, this is how it happened.

I read about the world's first preventive breast cancer vaccine, developed by Professor Vincent Tuohy of the Cleveland Clinic in 2010.  I read his paper, published in "Nature Medicine" May 2010, and called his lab to introduce myself  as Founder and President of the only breast cancer foundation whose mission is primary prevention of the disease - and, so, his vaccine was like a dream come true!  I left a message with Tuohy's secretary and twenty minutes later, as I was grocery shopping, he called.  We talked for over an hour.

Then Toni Turchi, a breast cancer survivor who lived in Cleveland, found out about Tuohy's vaccine and started a foundation to support his work.  Tuohy told Toni to get in touch with me, which she did; we talked and became friends and colleagues.
Then Elyn Jacobs, a breast cancer survivor living in New York City, found me on the Internet, contacted me through Facebook, and we met in NYC to chat.  She had never heard of the breast cancer virus or Tuohy's vaccine.  And so we became friends and colleagues in the fight to change the tawdry race for the cure into something more substantial - primary prevention of the disease.  Elyn introducted me to Janet Hanson, who invited me to join 85 Broads - which I happily did.  Thank you Elyn and Janet, and all the wonderful, wonderful women I've met through 85 Broads.
Then Judy Fitzgerald got breast cancer.  Shei's a retired teacher in Rhode Island.  She learned about Tuohy's vaccine, contacted Tuohy to tell him she was going to help suppport his work, and he told her to get in touch with me.  Judy and I became friends and colleagues in this enlarging grassroots movement to fund Tuohy's vaccine.
Then Elyn Jacobs invited me to join her on her weekly radio show two weeks ago, and Cindy Sullivan, a breast cancer survivor living in Colorado was listening in and went berserk when she learned of Tuohy's vaccine and the total lack of funding for it.  Cindy got in touch with me and suggested that this small band of women supporting Tuohy's vaccine gather together on a Skype conference call to put our heads together to what would happen, which we did this past week.  Thank you Cindy, that was brilliant.  So obvious, but so brilliant.
And now, three days later, we have organized ourselves to support each other's individual efforts, but with the common goal - to see that Tuohy's vaccine gets funded.  And here in the United States not in China.
We've got a brand:  the Pink Vaccine.   It's the world's first preventive breast cancer vaccine.  It doesn't need reinventing as the National Breast Cancer Coalaition would like you to think.  It already exists.  It's in Cleveland.  It just needs to be funded to see if it's safe in women; and if safe, whether it is effective.
We've chosen a name for our group:  Champions for the Pink Vaccine.
We have a domain:  pinkvaccine.com
We have  a Pinterest site:  The Pink Vaccine.
We've got groups on Facebook and LinkedIn:  The Pink Vaccine.
And we're going to create a CPU for information about the Pink Vaccine:  a blog where the Champions can post and share hard facts, dispel falacies, promote awareness, and generate ideas for how to fund the Pink Vaccine - the world's first preventive breast cancer vaccine.
Stay tuned.  According to complexity theory, it only takes two individuals to move a crowd in any one direction.  (Did you know that? It's true.)    But we have five women who intend to move the crowd toward the Pink Vaccine.  Think how fast we can move it now.
Please join us.  We're going to have a blast; we already have.  And we're going to do great things for the world, starting with funding the world's first preventive breast cancer vaccine.
Take a break from racing.  Take a peek at us.  Thanks!

Dr Kathleen Ruddy

Read more at http://www.85broads.com/public/blogs/kathleen-ruddy/articles/introducing-champions-for-the-pink-vaccine#wGmCke7Bhf9f1Eud.99

Breast Cancer Survivor Is Tired of the Race for the Cure: She Wants Prevention

The following is a guest post by Dr Kathleen Ruddy. I am proud to be part of a special group of ladies dedicated to funding a breast cancer vaccine that is both preventive and curative.

Breast Cancer Survivor Is Tired of the Race for the Cure: She Wants Prevention

April 30th, 2012 at 8:13pm

Toni Turchi is a woman who’s been running for more than thirty years, but she’s not interested  in a race for the cure; she wants prevention of breast cancer.
As a woman who always maintained a healthy lifestyle, and faithfully had her mammograms every year, she knows that prevention is more than a just smoothie word you paste across other slick words like “awareness” – for she was diagnosed with breast cancer on March 7, 2011 – and she knows that prevention, like love, is something you do, not something you say.

And what Toni is doing is this:  she’s going to give prevention the boost it needs to get itself out of the mouths of Madison Avenue mad men and into the clinic, for she’s thrown her weight behind Professor Vincent Tuohy’s preventive breast cancer vaccine developed at the Cleveland Clinic the year before she was diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer, a vaccine that has yet to be funded by large breast cancer foundations or the federal government.
Toni is not going to race for the cure, she’s demanding prevention.  She created the Toni Turchi Foundation several weeks ago and has been tirelessly working to get Tuohy the recognition, support, and money he needs to take his vaccine off the shelf at the Cleveland Clinic, where it has been parked for the past two years for lack of funding, and into clinical trials and on to women as soon as possible.
Did you know it only takes two people to move a crowd?  Yes, that’s right:  it only takes two people to move a crowd in a particular direction.  For details on this remarkable phenomenon, Google “complexity theory” and read all about it.  In the meantime, there are now two people who have officially taken on the task of moving a crowd of women who don’t want breast cancer in the direction of funding Tuohy’s vaccine – Toni Turchi and I.
All we need is a crowd.  Please help us get one.  And please take a look at the Toni Turchi Foundation website and donate to this very worthy cause.
http://toniturchifoundation.org