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Addario Lung Cancer Foundation Joins Hands with Upstage Lung Cancer in Youth Music Partnership

Funds raised by Sing Out Youth Music Festival benefit the Genomics of Young Lung Study

 

Upstage Lung Cancer (ULC) and The Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation (ALCF) have formed a new partnership pairing the power of music with the lung power of youth to raise awareness and research funds for lung cancer.  As the world’s number one cancer killer, lung cancer takes the lives of more people each year than breast, ovarian, uterine and colon cancer combined. 

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ALCF and ULC share the same mission - to raise awareness and research funds for early detection and new treatments of lung cancer.   The two organization’s initial collaboration highlights the vibrant voices of youth, through their dedication to fighting lung cancer and supporting research.  The first annual Sing Out Youth Music Festival, presented Sunday, May 18 in Brookline, MA, features talented student musicians delivering the message that anyone can get lung cancer, regardless of age.  Young musicians from the region’s noted ensembles perform an eclectic variety of repertoire all to benefit the cause, emceed by Boston WBZ radio personality Jordan Rich.  The event honors the memory beloved Brookline educator, James Walsh, who lost his life to lung cancer in 2009.

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Proceeds from Sing Out will support ALCF’s Genomics of Young Lung Study, a landmark international study of lung cancer patients ages 18 to 39, a population never before studied, and at growing risk for the disease.  Although a diagnosis of lung cancer is catastrophic at any age, it is especially devastating for young adults in the prime of their life.  The Genomics of Young Lung Study will be conducted through ALCF’s sister organization, the Addario Lung Cancer Medical Institute (ALCMI), to facilitate the identification of new genome-defined subtypes of lung cancer, accelerate delivery of targeted therapies, lay the groundwork for further studies of lung cancer risk and inheritance, and ultimately, save lives.

 

“Lung cancer is an ‘equal opportunity’ disease,” says Bonnie J. Addario, Founder of ALCF, as well as a lung cancer survivor. “Who gets lung cancer? Anyone with lungs! It does not discriminate based on age, race or gender, whether you are a former or current smoker or you never smoked.”

 

Both organizations stress the need for research funding to impact lung cancer survival rates. Statistics have remained relatively unchanged in the past 40 years. Statistic prove that only 16 percent of lung cancer patients survive 5 years with the disease, that number jumps to 57 percent if caught in the earliest stages before it has the opportunity to spread.

 

“We want to bring awareness to the public that the funding is the lowest for the most lethal cancer and that it is time to do something about it!” says Hildy Grossman, founder of Upstage Lung Cancer.  “With a common interest and determination, partnering our two organizations builds an instant natural bond.”

 

Addario and Grossman note the synergy of this Sing Out is unique, in the way it showcases their shared mission and message. “Students who perform in this festival remind the audience that lung cancer can affect people younger than 40, once only thought to be a disease of older people. We are going to put lung cancer and the people it affects center stage,” says Addario. “These students have healthy lungs and are singing out, but sadly, many people their age do not. People need to be aware of this reality.” 

 

ALCF will enlist the help of Jill’s Legacy to assist in Boston-area outreach for the concert and and the international study.  A special advisory board of young professionals within ALCF, Jill’s Legacy is committed to raising awareness about the disease among youth.  The group is named in memory of Jill Costello, a student athlete and never-smoker, who lost her life to the disease at age 22.

 

ULC presents Sing Out Youth Music Festival on Sunday, May 18 from 4 to 6 pm, at Brookline High School, 115 Greenough Street, Brookline.  Tickets are available through Brookline High School by contacting Paul Priestly at SingOutPP@gmail.com or by calling 617-290-0527.  People interested in supporting the cause, but unable to attend the concert, are encouraged to make a donation in support online.   To make a donation, or for more information about Upstage Lung Cancer, email info@upstagelungcancer.org, visit www.upstagelungcancer.org, call 617-835-9722 or follow us on Facebook.  To make a donation or to learn more about ALCF, visit www.lungcancerfoundation.org

 

About Upstage Lung Cancer

Upstage Lung Cancer is an all-volunteer driven 501(c)(3) lung cancer charity based in Massachusetts. Our mission is to heighten lung cancer awareness, remove the stigma, and hold lung cancer fundraising events to support research on early detection and innovative treatments. We use music and the performing arts to accomplish our mission. Since our founding in 2008, we have funded $800,000 in research grants. To learn more about the organization and to purchase concert tickets, visit www.upstagelungcancer.org.

 

About the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation

The Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation is one of the largest philanthropies (patient-founded / patient-focused) devoted exclusively to eradicating lung cancer through research, advocacy, education, early detection, genetic testing, and drug discovery. The Foundation works with a diverse group of physicians, organizations, industry partners, individuals, survivors, and their families to identify solutions and make timely and meaningful change. Our goal is to transform lung cancer into a chronically managed disease by 2023 and ultimately a survivable disease. The California-based organization was established on March 1, 2006 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and has raised more than $10 million for lung cancer research. To learn more about ALCF, visit www.lungcancerfoundation.org.



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