Pancreatic Cancer Action Network: Purple Stride Los Angeles 2016

Guest post by Larry Clark, retired Rancho Palos Verdes Mayor and National Volunteer Ambassador for The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network

March 12, 2013, was a date that changed my life forever, it was the day I was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer. From that day almost 3 years ago, I believed I would win my War with pancreatic cancer and dedicated my life to not just surviving this the deadliest of cancers with a dismal survival rate of 8% at 5 years, but joining the larger fight to change this picture for those affiliated today and in the future with pancreatic cancer.

I was incredibly fortunate to be able to have lifesaving successful resection surgery 10 days after diagnosis, performed by Dr. Nick Nissen, M.D., an amazing surgeon and incredible human being, who has become a close personal friend and continues to lead my amazing medical “Dream Team” at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. I was again very fortunate 2 months later qualify for a breakthrough immunological (pancreatic cancer vaccine) phase III clinical trial where for 1 year I received an experimental pancreatic cancer vaccine that kept my cancer from coming back.

Unfortunately, my pancreatic cancer returned in my liver during the Summer of 2014, and I became a Stage IV Pancreatic Cancer Patient.

Since then, my cancer has returned 5 times and I have endured 5 additional medical procedures including 3 ablation surgeries and 2 radiation treatment procedures (both internal & external), all accomplished by my medical “Dream Team” at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, headed by Dr. Nicholas Nissen.

I was honored to the receipant of the “Spirit of Hope” Award by The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network in Nov. 2013, and named a voluteer National Ambassador for PANCAN in early 2014.

Over the past 2 years I’ve be dedicated to raising awareness, helping other pancreatic cancer patients, and raising critically needed research funding for pancreatic cancer.

Please join me in this fight to WAGE HOPE for all those afflicted now and in the future with pancreatic cancer by making a donation in any amount to my page.

My Sincere Thanks,

Larry Clark

Mayor(ret.) Larry Clark
Rancho Palos Verdes
National Volunteer Ambassador
Ambassadors Circle
The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network
3 Year Pancreatic Cancer Survivor

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It’s Our Turn – Young Women’s Conference

This year I was honored to be invited to the It’s Our Turn – Young Women’s Conference at the Brentwood School. Over 1,000 teenage girls from Los Angeles area schools attended this one day event. Various female leaders, mentors and performers were present in order provide guidance, empower, and inspire these young women.

The event will be held again this January. You can learn more by visiting the Brentwood School website.

Life Moments for Women

Dr. Magliato recently contributed to a chapter in the book, Life Moments for Women.   The book will be announced during the International Women’s Festival which starts today.  More information can be found in an email they recently sent to me:

 

We are thrilled to announce that Life Moments for Women will be introduced on March 9 & 10 at the 5th annual International Women’s Festival, in Santa Barbara – in honor of International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month!
Our book project would not have come to fruition without YOU, and we are deeply grateful for your support.  Thank you for generously sharing your special “moment,” we are sending you a free copy of the book with your picture on the cover
Life Moments for Women (especially with your picture on the cover) is a perfect gift for all the special women in your life: mothers, grandmothers, sisters, daughters, aunts, nieces, co-workers, customers and friends.  It’s a great gift for the men in your life too!
Remember, profits will benefit the Women’s Foundation of California!
Also, we invite you to help us announce Life Moments to the world at a Press Conference on Friday, March 9 at 4:15 pm, followed by a VIP reception, 5-8 pm.  Supermodel and entrepreneur/business woman Kathy Ireland will be presented the Gutsy Gals Inspire Me Award and many of our esteemed colleagues will attend.

www.west.net/~bpbooks/LifeMoments.html

Women’s Heart Foundation Heart Disease Facts

An organization that is close to the heart, Women’s Heart Foundation, is dedicated the the prevention, survival, and quality of life for women and related health issues to the heart.  Click here to download their Women’s Heart Foundation Heart Disease Facts.

 

womens heart foundation

Source: Statistics complied from the National Center on Health Statistics; National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, the American Heart Association, HANES III and the World Heart Federation.
Women and Heart Disease
Fact Sheet
www.womensheart.org
Prevalence:
• Worldwide, 8.6 million women die from heart disease each year, accounting for a third of all deaths in women. Three million
women die from stroke each year. Stroke accounts for more deaths among women than men (11% vs 8.4%) with additional risk
for CHD unique to women related to oral contraceptive use in combination with smoking.
• 8 million women in the US are currently living with heart disease; 35,000 are under the age of 65. Four million suffer from angina.
• 435,000 American women have heart attacks annually; 83,000 are under the age of 65 with the average age of 70.4 years.
• 42% of women who have heart attacks die within 1 year, compared to 24% of men.
• Under age 50, women’s heart attacks are twice as likely as men’s to be fatal.
• 267,000 women die each year from heart attacks, which kill six times as many women as breast cancer. Another 31, 837 women
die each year of congestive heart failure, representing 62.6% of all heart failure deaths.
At-Risk:
• 71% of women experience early warning signs of heart attack with sudden onset of extreme weakness that feels like the flu.
• Nearly two-thirds of the deaths from heart attacks in women occur among those who have no history of chest pain.
• Women who smoke risk having a heart attack 19 years earlier than non-smoking women.
• Women with hypertension experience a risk of developing coronary heart disease 3.5 times that of females with normal blood
pressure. High blood pressure is more common in women taking oral contraceptives, especially in obese women.
• Women with diabetes have more than double the risk of heart attack than non- diabetic women. Diabetes doubles the risk of a
second heart attack in women but not in men.
• 23% of white women, 38% of black women, and 36% Mexican American women are obese. Obesity leads to an increased risk of
premature death due to cardiovascular problems like hypertension, stroke and coronary artery disease.
• The age-adjusted rate of heart disease for African American women is 72% higher than for white women. African American
women ages 55-64 are twice as likely as white women to have a heart attack and 35% more likely to suffer CAD.
• Marital stress worsens the prognosis in women with heart disease.
Compared to Men:
• Men’s plaque distributes in clumps whereas women’s distributes evenly throughout artery walls. This results in women’s
angiographic studies being misinterpreted as “normal”.
• Women wait longer than men to go to an emergency room when having a heart attack and physicians are slower to recognize the
presence of heart attacks in women because “characteristic” patterns of chest pain and EKG changes are less frequently present.
• After heart attack, women are less likely than men to receive beta blockers, ACE inhibitors and aspirin – therapies known to
improve survival. This contributes to a higher rate of complications after heart attacks in women, even after adjusting for age.
• Women are twice as likely as men to die within the first few weeks after suffering a heart attack; 38% of women and 25% of men
will die within one year of a first recognized heart attack.
• 46% of women and 22% of men heart attack survivors will be disabled with heart failure within six years.
• Women are two to three times as likely to die following heart bypass surgery. Younger aged women between the ages of 40-59
are up to 4 times more likely to die from heart bypass surgery than men the same age.
• Studies show women who are eligible candidates for life-saving clot-buster drugs are far less likely than men to receive them.
• Since 1984, more women than men have died each year from heart disease each year, and the gap between men and women’s
survival continues to widen.
• Women receive fewer heart disease procedures than men, however, more is not necessarily better in this setting and the best
course of treatment for a woman with heart disease has yet to be established.
• Women’s hearts respond better than men’s to healthy lifestyle changes, yet 2% of the NIH budget is dedicated to prevention.
• Women comprise of only 24% of participants in all heart-related studies

Advocacy Re: City Hall and National Wear Red Day

Letter to Los Angeles City Hall for National Wear Red Day: Click here to download letter to City Hall and National Wear Red Day

 

Hon. Antonio Villaraigosa
Mayor, City of Los Angeles
200 North Spring St. Room 303
Los Angeles, CA 90012

RE: Request for Los Angeles City Hall building to light Red on the eve of February 2nd,
2012, in support of Go Red for Women and National Wear Red Day

Dear Mayor Villaraigosa

For several years we have been successful in having many of our downtown buildings light hearts
on their building facades in support of our Go Red for Women and National Wear Red Day,
which falls this year on Friday, February 3rd, 2012. Go Red for Women is the American Heart
Association’s campaign to raise awareness about heart disease and women, and the importance of
prevention in combating the number one killer of women in Los Angeles County and in the United
States.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has in the past lit their heart on Valentine’s Day. This
year we have a special request for City Hall. We would like to see City Hall light a heart or Go Red
on the eve of Thursday, February 2nd, 2012 with other participating buildings and landmarks in
downtown Los Angeles. This will create a “red skyline t” that we expect will garner notable media
attention and generate amazing photo opportunities for the MTA’s own internal use. We plan to
orchestrate the “red skyline” on Thursday, February 2nd, 2012 to maximize the chances for news
stories on Friday, February 3rd, 2012, which is the actual National Wear Red Day.

We respectfully ask you as the Mayor and leader of our great City to introduce a motion asking
the City Council to light City Hall Red, or to light the building with a heart, on the eve of February
2nd, 2012. Los Angeles City Hall is an important landmark and an important part of the downtown
skyline; City Hall’s participation on February 2nd, 2012 will help make National Wear Red Day a
success in Los Angeles.

Thank you in advance for your assistance, and I look forward to speaking with you soon. If you or
your staff have any immediate questions or need additional information please contact Jacqueline
Hernandez, our Advocacy Director from the American Heart Association. Jackie can be contacted
at (213) 291-7016 or via email at jacqueline.hernandez@heart.org.

With heartfelt thanks for your support,

Kathy E. Magliato, MD, MBA, FACS
President
American Heart Association
Greater Los Angeles Division Board

 

Advocacy Re: MTA and National Wear Red Day

Letter to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority board for National Wear Red Day:  MTA Request Click here to download the MTA Request

 

Hon. Michael Antonovich

Supervisor

County of Los Angeles

500 W. Temple Street., Room #869

Los Angeles, CA  90012

 

RE:  Request to Light a HEART on the MTA building February 2nd, 2012, in support of Go Red For Women and National Wear Red Day,  

 

Dear Supervisor Antonovich:

For several years we have been successful in having many of our downtown buildings light hearts on their building facades in support of our Go Red for Women and National Wear Red Day, which falls this year on Friday, February 3rd, 2012.  Go Red for Women is the American Heart Association’s campaign to raise awareness about heart disease and women, and the importance of prevention in combating the number one killer of women.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has in the past lit their heart on Valentine’s Day. This year we have a special request. We would like to see the MTA building light the heart on the eve of Thursday, February 2nd, 2012 with other participating buildings and landmarks in downtown. This will create a “skyline with heart” that we expect will garner notable media attention and generate amazing photo opportunities for the MTA’s own internal use.  We plan to orchestrate the “skyline with heart” on Thursday to maximize the chances for news stories on Friday, February 3rd, 2012, which is the actual National Wear Red Day.

We respectfully ask you as a member of the MTA Board to introduce a motion asking that the MTA light its building with a heart on the eve of February 2nd, 2012.   The MTA building is an important part of the downtown skyline; MTA’s participation on February 2nd, 2012 will help make National Wear Red Day a success in Los Angeles.

Thank you in advance for your assistance, and I look forward to speaking with you soon.  If you or your staff have any immediate questions or need additional information please contact Jacqueline Hernandez, our Advocacy Director from the American Heart Association. Jackie can be contacted at (213)291-7016 or via email at jacqueline.hernandez@heart.org.

 

With heartfelt thanks for your support,

 

 

 

 

Kathy E. Magliato, MD, MBA, FACS

President

American Heart Association

Greater Los Angeles Division Board

 

 


Upcoming: Women’s Leadership Speaking Series: Nov 2nd, 2011

Join Jennifer Siebel Newsom and Dr. Magliato as they discuss their role in defining women’s roles  in today’s world, in the first Women’s Leadership Speaking Series sponsored by the Women’s Foundation of California.


Event is free and open to the public
(you must RSVP to ensure space)

In Conversation: Jennifer Siebel Newsom and Dr. Kathy Magliato
Wednesday, November 2, 2011, 6 to 9 PM
Skirball Cultural Center
2701 North Sepulveda Boulevard, Los Angeles
(complimentary parking at the Skirball)
RSVP to Emma Mayerson at emmam@womensfoundca.org

AHA Invitation to the National Spokesperson Panel

June 7, 2011

 

Dear Kathy Magliato, M.D.:

 

I would like to personally invite you to join a select group of American Heart Association/American Stroke Association volunteers to serve on the National Spokespersons Panel in 2011-2012. This group of nationally renowned scientists, physicians, and experts has been identified by fellow volunteers and staff to represent the association in interviews with national media and, when appropriate, regional/local media outlets.

 

The national spokesperson’s panel greatly enhances the American Heart Association’s ability to communicate its mission, goals, and viewpoints to the public. As the immediate voice of the American Heart Association, members of the National Spokesperson Panel serve a vital purpose for the organization. Only by communicating frequently and effectively with the public can the American Heart Association achieve the public understanding and support needed to:

 

  • keep Americans informed of the latest developments in preventing and treating heart disease and stroke;
  • persuade the public (– including high-risk audiences) to adopt the health-enhancing behaviors that will reduce their risk for cardiovascular disease and stroke;
  • achieve our advocacy goals and other organizational priorities; and
  • Raise more money to sponsor research.

 

News media coverage is one of many ways that the American Heart Association reaches the public to achieve these goals. News organizations from The New York Times to Associated Press to ABC-TV routinely call upon the American Heart Association’s Communications’ staff to provide spokespersons about a wide range of subjects.  To be effective, Communications’ staff must be able to recruit a spokesperson quickly and be able to promote spokespersons when appropriate to reporters covering important cardiovascular and stroke science/medicine issues.

 

Please note the following expectations of panel members:

  • Affiliation.  When contacted to speak on behalf of the AHA/ASA, each panel member will be responsible for emphasizing to the reporter or producer that he or she is also to be identified as an AHA or ASA spokesperson.  Often, reporters interview representatives of the association but do not identify their American Heart Association connection.  Of course, the panel member’s institutional affiliation should be mentioned – in addition to the association affiliation.
  • Availability.  Panel members should be accessible for media requests, however we understand that schedules may preclude them from participating each time they are asked.  They also will need to provide Communications’ staff with contact information and expertise topics.
  • Keeping Up-to-Date.  Panel members will receive by e-mail the weekly news releases that the Communications’ staff distributes to reporters, editors, and producers about Circulation, Stroke and other association journals as well as media advisories and news releases about American Heart Association scientific statements and conferences.
  • Feedback.  Panel member views about this program will help improve it. If problems occur, please contact me and the Communications’ staff.
  • Time commitment:  At least one year of service on the panel is requested.

 

Panel members should expect the following from Communications staff:

  • Scheduling of media interviews – Communications’ staff will obtain your approval before providing your name to a reporter, editor, or producer, or committing you to an interview. 
  • “Message points” – Staff also will help you determine the key points that you will want to make in your interview and will brief you about the reporter, the news media outlet, and purpose of the interview.
  • Topics – Staff will note your preferences/expertise and provide AHA/ASA stats, recommendations/guidelines and programmatic information as needed.
  • Your time – Staff will spread the media opportunities among as many spokespersons as possible and respect your professional obligations, vacation schedule and other times when you cannot be available. You may receive anywhere from zero-several calls a month depending on the topical news of the day and/or news from an AHA/ASA Journal if/when it is related to your area of expertise.

 

By participating in the panel, you will help shape media coverage and influence the public’s awareness of cardiovascular disease and stroke and the American Heart Association’s role in reducing the impact of these diseases on society and its individuals. As someone who has worked in this capacity before, it is quite gratifying. You will find the media to be very respectful of the opinions of the American Heart Association and you will find the assistance of the Communications staff both by way of updates and direct facilitation to be very helpful.

 

For questions and to respond to this invitation, please contact Julie Del Barto, a member of the Communications’ staff, at 214-706-1330 or e-mail her at Julie.delbarto@heart.org to inform her about your availability to join our group.  We would like to have your response by June 17, 2011.

 

We thank you for your consideration of this invitation and look forward to hearing from you.

 

Sincerely,

 

Ralph Sacco, M.D., M.S.

President, American Heart Association, 2010-2011