ThyCa NEWS NOTES – February 2012

In This Issue:

Have Your Seen the New Neck Check Running Shirts?

The colorful shirts, designed by Tina Descovich, are now pictured on our web site, with Tina and her teammates, Team Neck & Neck. The 11 team members took part in the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend in Florida in January. They raised awareness of thyroid cancer, and much-needed funds for thyroid cancer research.

One photo is on our home page. Two more photos of the team are here. Congratulations and thank you, Tina and Team Neck & Neck!

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The Neck Check Awareness Shirts Are Here!

Running Shirts & T-Shirts with the colorful Neck Check Awareness message plus the thyroid cancer awareness ribbon in the three thyroid cancer colors are now available at www.thyca.org/how-to-help/spirit_items/. Proceeds support ThyCa’s services, outreach, and thyroid cancer research grants.

And the free Neck Check Awareness Cards, plus more free awareness materials, are available on our Awareness page.

Thank you very much again to Tina & Team Neck and Neck, for your inspiration and great efforts!

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Now in Chinese: More than 40 Thyroid Cancer Topics from the ThyCa site

We’re pleased to announce that more than 50 pages of thyroid cancer information are now on a Chinese language site on ThyCa’s site. Topics covered include thyroid cancer types, diagnosis, staging, treatment, and more.

Thank you very much to Haxia Guan, M.D., Endocrinologist, First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University (formerly of Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions) for her wonderful translation, and to our many other physician writers/reviewers, including many ThyCa Medical Advisors.

To find this important new resource, go to our home page and look for the link to the Chinese site on the right side list of topics, or go directly to the Chinese site.

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Thyroid Cancer Three Times More Common in Women than Men

Thyroid cancer is also one of the few cancers that is increasing in incidence. And, it’s the fastest increasing cancer in both women and men in the U.S. More than 56,000 people will be diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2012 in the United States alone.

Get the latest fact.

Get flyers for sharing, plus tips on how to raise awareness.

Or ask us to mail materials to you; e-mail your request along with your name and complete postal mailing address to thyca@thyca.org.

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Free Handbook, Thyroid Cancer Basics, Serves Patients, Caregivers, Professionals

Thyroid Cancer Basics has more than 50 pages of important information from physicians, patients, and caregivers. It’s available free of charge, by download or by mail from ThyCa, to anyone worldwide (e-mail your request along with your name and complete postal mailing address to thyca@thyca.org). We are also happy to provide bulk copies, free of charge, to medical professionals.

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Upcoming Free Workshops with Physicians

You’re invited! These meetings are live, and unrecorded.

  • Osage Beach, Missouri – Saturday, April 21, 2012: 8th Midwest Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Workshop, from 8:15 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. The seven confirmed speakers include medical professionals, health resource specialists, thyroid cancer survivors, and more. Details and registration are on ourConferences page.
  • Vineland, New Jersey — Saturday, April 21, 2012: New Jersey/Philadelphia Area Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Workshop from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Physician Speakers. Free. Details and registration are on our Conferences page.
  • 11th Annual Mid-Atlantic Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Workshop. Date to be announced. In Maryland/DC/Virginia Area.
  • Every Week: Thyroid Cancer Support Groups meet in numerous locations. The complete schedule is available here: page: www.thyca.org/sg/. If there’s no group near you, find out how ThyCa can help you start a new group. Just e-mail support_coord@thyca.org.
  • Mark your calendars for October 19 – 21, 2012, and the 15th International Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Conference in Chicago, Illinois.
  • More Seminars and Workshops are being planned. Our Calendar has details.

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Thank You to our Recent Seminar Speakers

  • In Raleigh, North Carolina, Michael Thomas, M.D., Endocrinologist, spoke and answered questions about “Feeling Well on Thyroid Medication” during the ThyCa Raleigh Support Group meeting on Saturday, January 21, 2012.
  • In New York City, New York, Jennifer Marti, M.D., Endocrine and Breast Surgeon, spoke at the ThyCa Manhattan Support Group meeting on February 1, 2012.
  • In Baltimore, Maryland, on February 11, the topic at the ThyCa Baltimore Support Group Meeting was Thyroid Hormone Management (Levothyroxine) & Medication Interaction-Related Topics in Thyroid Cancer Care. The speaker was Katy Pincus, Pharm.D., B.C.P.S., Assistant Professor, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy.
  • In Reno, Nevada, on February 14, Evan Klass, M.D., Endocrinologist, spoke and answered questions about thyroid cancer care at the ThyCa Reno Support Group meeting.
  • In Boston, Massachusetts, on February 18, Roy Phitayakorn, M.D., M.H.P.E., Massachusetts General Hospital, spoke and answered questions about thyroid cancer and thyroid cancer surgery at the ThyCa Boston Support Group.

To find out about all the ThyCa Support Groups, go to www.thyca.org/sg/

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Follow ThyCa on Facebook and Twitter

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Dancing for Thyroid Cancer Awareness and Support

In Boca Raton, Florida, Christine Ciletti and other volunteers from the ThyCa South Florida Support Group are hosting a dance benefit to raise funds for thyroid cancer. The event will be held on March 18, 2012, from 1 – 3 p.m. at the Busy Body Fitness Center in Boca Raton, Florida. Stop in and have a great time.

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96 Countries …

During January 2012, people from 96 countries visited ThyCa’s web site. In alphabetical order, the 20 countries from which the most visitors came were Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and United States.

ThyCa’s free services and resources are available to people everywhere. Our goal: to raise awareness of thyroid cancer, connect people with free support and education, and help ensure that no one feels alone as they cope with their thyroid cancer. We mail our free publications to patients, caregivers, and medical professionals worldwide.

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Rare Diseases Day

To help raise awareness of rare diseases, ThyCa partners in support of the National Organization for Rare Disorders in this important worldwide observance on February 29, 2012. ThyCa representatives will participate at Rare Diseases Day events at the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Anaplastic thyroid cancer, medullary thyroid cancer, and several variants of papillary and follicular thyroid cancer are less common than papillary and follicular thyroid cancer. For more information about rare diseases and NORD, visit www.rarediseases.org. Download the free handbook Thyroid Cancer Basics or e-mail to thyca@thyca.org and we’ll mail it to you.

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Low- Iodine Recipe of the MonthContributed by Deb D. of Minnesota

Chow Mein Noodles with Oriental Sauce

  1. Make the Oriental Sauce on page 24 of the ThyCa Low-Iodine Cookbook (www.thyca.org/wp-content/uploads/legacy/Cookbook.pdf ), from W. Eugene Ellison.
  2. Make the Chow Mein Noodles:
    Boil “no yolk” egg noodles till tender.
    Drain and toss with sesame oil
    Saute on medium heat until the noodles start to become crisp.
    Serve warm.

Deb writes, “My husband had to go on the Low-Iodine Diet twice last year. Thank goodness for your cookbook. It was a great help to us.”

“I pride myself on being a ‘scratch cook.” We have a large garden and raise our own livestock. What we can’t eat fresh we pickle, jam, can, or freeze ourselves.”

While on the Low-Iodine Diet my husband enjoyed the Oriental Sauce with several dishes I made for him, but missed the crunch of chow mein noodles.”

Editor’s Note: Thank you, Deb, for contributing this recipe and more, plus helpful tips. We will include them in the next edition of ThyCa’s FREE Downloadable Low-Iodine Cookbook.

Free and Downloadable

Download the 7th edition of the Low-Iodine Cookbook in English for free, with more than 340 favorite recipes from more than 150 generous volunteers.

The Cookbook is also available in:

Please remember, while you’re welcome to download and print the entire free low-iodine cookbook, you can also print just the pages you need.

This free cookbook is a wonderful help when you’re preparing to receive radioactive iodine for treatment or testing. All the recipes are favorites of some of our ThyCa volunteers, who are sharing them with everyone, to make the low-iodine diet easy and tasty. The recipes are also great for family meals and for potlucks, any time.

If you’d like to contribute your favorite recipe or tip, send it to recipes@thyca.org.

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Thank you!

Thank you to the more than 400 wonderful ThyCa volunteers who helped during 2011. You’re making a difference in so many ways—leading local support groups, giving one-to-one support, organizing workshops and the Conference, producing publications, raising awareness for early detection, and publicizing the Rally for Research for our dream of cures for all thyroid cancer. Thank you to all!

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ThyCa’s Free Guestbook and Newsletter Subscription

By signing up in ThyCa’s free Guestbook, you’ll receive the latest news about thyroid cancer, new free publications, events, and more.

The standard of care for thyroid cancer has changed dramatically in the past few years. Research continues to make advances.

We want to help you stay connected and informed. Our mission is to be there for every person affected by thyroid cancer.

If you haven’t already signed up, we invite you to sign up today.

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Join Us, Become a Member

Help us sustain, strengthen, and extend our services. We invite you to become a member of ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc.

Your membership dues will support ThyCa’s efforts to reach and serve other survivors and their families around the world. Members receive our quarterly Membership Messenger newsletter.

Membership is open to everyone worldwide. You may become a 1-year ThyCa member ($25), 2-year member ($45), or lifetime member ($225). For our online Membership Form and our mailed Membership Form, go to our Membership page.

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Every Day

Every day, thousands of people with thyroid cancer, and their families, receive support, education, and hope from ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc. Your generous support is what makes it possible to sustain, strengthen, and expand our services and outreach.

It only takes a minute to make a donation online in support of ThyCa’s work (or you are welcome to donate by mail to ThyCa, P.O. Box 964, Chesterfield, MO 63006-0964), so click here to give.

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Support the Rally for Research

Thanks to generous contributions and special fundraising events, ThyCa has awarded new thyroid cancer research grants every year starting in 2003. These grants support our goal of cures for all thyroid cancer and a future free of thyroid cancer. We plan to award 3 new grants and 3 continuation grants in 2012.

You’re invited to help support the Rally for Research. For details about the Rally for Research, donation opportunities, special events, Quarters for a Cure, and information about ThyCa’s past and future Research Grants, visit the Rally for Research page.

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About ThyCa NEWS NOTES
Copyright (c) 2012 ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc.

Please share ThyCa News Notes with your family and friends. For permission to reprint in another electronic or print publication, please contact us at publications@thyca.org. Each ThyCa News Notes complete issue is also published on this web page: www.thyca.org/news/newsletters/.

Your suggestions for articles are welcome. The deadline for articles and news items is the first day of each month.

Thank you to our writing, editing, and proofreading team for this issue: Leah Guljord, Stephen M., Pat Paillard, Barbara Status, Cherry Wunderlich, and Gary Bloom.

The information in this newsletter is intended for educational purposes only. It is not intended, nor should it be interpreted, as medical advice or directions of any kind. Readers are advised to consult their own medical doctor(s) for all matters involving their health and medical care.

ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc. is a national non- profit 501(c)(3) organization (tax ID #52-2169434) of thyroid cancer survivors, family members, and health care professionals. Contact us for free awareness materials and information about our free services and special events. E-mail to thyca@thyca.org, call toll-free at 1-877-588-7904, fax 1-630-604-6078, write PO Box 1102, Olney, MD 20830-1102, or visit our website.