ThyCa NEWS NOTES – July 2013

In This Issue:

Now Online! Medullary Thyroid Cancer Handbook Preview Edition

This new handbook is free. Its 55 pages and 27 sections are packed with information about sporadic and hereditary medullary thyroid cancer.

Topics include diagnosis, staging, surgery, follow-up testing, new treatments for recurrent disease, clinical trials, doctor-patient communications, living with medullary thyroid cancer, and sources of support and further information.

Go to the Free Publications section of our Home Page to download and read the Medullary Thyroid Cancer Handbook Preview Edition. The printed edition will also be available soon. We will mail it anywhere in the world.

Thank you to the numerous physician specialists, researchers, medullary thyroid cancer survivors, and caregivers who developed and reviewed this new publication from ThyCa.

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More Than 35 Speakers Confirmed for the Conference September 27-29

On September 27 – 29, 2013, thyroid cancer survivors, caregivers, and health care professionals from near and far will come together in Philadelphia for the 16th International Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Conference.

You’re invited to come for 1, 2, or all 3 days. Learn from experts, get answers to your questions, and share experiences and coping tips with others with each type of thyroid cancer, at all phases of testing, treatment, and follow-up.

We’re honored to introduce our distinguished guest speakers confirmed as of July 15, 2013.

  • Douglas W. Ball, M.D., Endocrinologist, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, Maryland
  • Zubair W. Baloch, M.D., Ph.D., Cytopathologist, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • Andrew J. Bauer, M.D., Pediatric Endocrinologist, Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland, and Children’s Hospital of   Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • Marcia S. Brose, M.D., Ph.D., Medical Oncologist, University of Pennsylvania Health System, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • Monica Fawzy Bryant, Esq., Attorney, Navigating Cancer Survivorship, Chicago, Illinois
  • Kenneth D. Burman, M.D., Endocrinologist, Washington Hospital Center, Washington, DC
  • Naifa L. Busaidy, M.D., Endocrinologist, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
  • Herbert Chen, M.D., F.A.C.S., Endocrine Surgeon, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin
  • Catherine Dinauer, M.D., Pediatric Endocrinologist, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
  • Gary L. Francis, M.D., Ph.D., Endocrinologist, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia
  • Robert F. Gagel, M.D., Endocrinologist, University of Texas, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
  • David Goldenberg, M.D., F.A.C.S., Otolaryngologist, Pennsylvania State University, Hershey, Pennsylvania
  • Mimi I. Hu, M.D., Endocrinologist, Univ of Texas, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
  • Julie Hunsaker, Hypoparathyroidism Association, Idaho Falls, Idaho
  • Nick Isenberg, Documentary Filmmaker, Glenwood Springs, Colorado
  • Arjun Joshi, M.D., Otolaryngologist, George Washington University, Washington,  DC
  • Rachel R. Kelz, M.D., M.S.C.E., General Surgeon, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • Donald Margouleff, M.D., Nuclear Medicine, North Shore University Hospital, Manhasset, New York
  • Bryan McIver, M.D., Ph.D., F.R.C.P., Endocrinologist, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida
  • David Myssiorek, M.D., F.A.C.S., Otolaryngologist, New York University Clinical Cancer Center, New York, New York
  • Rebecca V. Nellis, M.A., Vice President, Programs & Strategy, Cancer & Careers, New York, New York
  • Karen Neyer, L.S.W., M.S.W., Social Worker, Cancer Support Community of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • Daniel A. Pryma, M.D., Nuclear Medicine, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • Tanveer Rather, M.D., Nuclear Medicine, SKIMS, India
  • Jennifer Rein, L.C.S.W., Social Worker, Children’s Hospital of Boston, Boston, Massachusetts
  • Carol Sanders, Hypoparathyroidism Association, Idaho Falls, Idaho
  • Donna Sherman, M.S.W., Psycho-therapist, CenterPoint Integral Counseling & Wellness, Highland,  New York
  • Steven I. Sherman, M.D., Endocrinologist, University of Texas, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
  • Joyce J. Shin, M.D., Endocrine Surgeon, The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Ohio
  • Julie Ann Sosa, M.D., M.A., Surgeon, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina
  • R. Michael Tuttle, M.D., Endocrinologist, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York City, New York
  • Douglas Van Nostrand, M.D., Nuclear Medicine, Washington Hospital Center, Washington, DC
  • Lynn A. Waldmann, L.C.S.W., Senior Social Work Counselor, Univ of Texas, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
  • Lori J. Wirth, M.D., Medical Oncologist, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Boston, Massachusetts
  • Linwah Yip, M.D., Surgeon, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

And more professionals are being confirmed. In addition, we have confirmed more than 25 roundtable discussion leaders, including survivors and caregivers coping with each type of thyroid cancer.

Conference Features

  • Meet leading experts
  • Learn the latest about thyroid cancer care and research
  • Get answers to your questions
  • Learn coping skills and complementary approaches to well-being
  • Share experiences with others coping with all types and situations with thyroid cancer
  • Online and mail-in registration are open, with early-bird discount
  • Scholarships to cover the registration fee are available on request
  • Special $99 Hotel Room Rate for conference attendees

Our web site has details. We’ll post more updates soon as well.

Join us for this unique and important weekend for everyone interested in thyroid cancer!

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1,094 Miles and Counting for Thyroid Cancer Awareness!

Congratulations and thank you to Jennifer Smart, for your terrific hike for Thyroid Cancer Awareness, as well as fundraising for ThyCa’s services and thyroid cancer research grants! For Jennifer’s story of her 2,650-mile hike, & more, visit our Rally for Research page www.thyca.org/how-to-help/rally/. Find out how you can support Jennifer’s great efforts!

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ThyCa Awards 6 Thyroid Cancer Research Grants

We are proud to announce our 2013 thyroid cancer research grants. The recipients of the 3 new grants are researchers at Duke University Hospital, North Carolina; Harvard Medical School and Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Massachusetts, and Ohio State University, Ohio. The recipients of the continuation grants are researchers at Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute, Pennsylvania; University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Arkansas; and Cancer Center Karolinska, Sweden 

ThyCa’s grants are open to researchers and institutions worldwide. We have awarded grants to researchers in 5 countries: France, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, and United States. This is our 11th year of awarding grants.  Recipients are selected by an independent expert committee of the American Thyroid Association (ATA). Our thanks to ATA for your support.

Watch for more details on our web site.

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Check Out Our Newly Redesigned Web Site
Extensive Thyroid Cancer Resources & Support Available

June 30, 2013 — ThyCa’s web site, with more than 750 pages of quality information about thyroid cancer, support services, events, and free downloadable publications in 5 languages, has been updated and redesigned.

The site provides fast and easy access to up-to-date physician-reviewed information, free support services available worldwide, and additional resources on the cancer that’s the fastest increasing cancer in the U.S.

Specific information on all types of thyroid cancer, testing, treatment, research, living with the disease, Webinars with experts, and downloadable materials in English, Spanish, Japanese, French, and Chinese, are all available on the site.

Added features include the Calendar of Events, plus details about the annual International Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Conference, Thyroid Cancer Awareness Month, ThyCa’s research fundraising and thyroid cancer research grants, and more.

Special thanks to our webmasters, Betty Solbjor and Joel Amromin, and to all our publications volunteers and web consultants who helped with this project 

ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc. is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization of thyroid cancer survivors, family members, and health care professionals, founded in 1995 and serving people worldwide. ThyCa is dedicated to support, education, communication, and research for cures for all thyroid cancer. ThyCa sponsors Thyroid Cancer Awareness Month, year-round awareness campaigns, the annual International Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Conference, and thyroid cancer research fundraising and research grants. 

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In 5 Languages: Free Information and Materials on our web site

Visit our web site for information and publications in English, Chinese, French, Japanese, and Spanish. Our publications include numerous free downloadable flyers, handbooks, and the Low-Iodine Cookbook.

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Not Long Now – Partner with Us in Thyroid Cancer Awareness Month

September is Thyroid Cancer Awareness Month, Worldwide! Help us raise awareness. Learn more about Thyroid Cancer Awareness Month, begun in 2000.

Get tools, tips, and free materials here www.thyca.org/how-to-help/awareness/. Or ask us to mail free awareness materials to you.

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Dinner/Auction Research Fundraiser Invites Auction Items

On Saturday, September 28, 2013, you’re invited to join us at the Clarion Hotel Conference Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for a wonderful evening of connections, camaraderie, and fundraising for Thyroid Cancer Research.

Whether or not you can come, you’re invited to contribute an item for the auction, and your financial support.

We all share the dream of research for cures for all thyroid cancer. You may donate an auction item and reserve your seat at the 12th Annual Dinner/Auction for Thyroid Cancer Research by using the online forms on our Conferences web page at www.thyca.org/support/conferences/

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Memorial Slide Show and Quilt at the Conference

Again this year at the Conference, we will recognize individuals who have passed away. Again our Conference Booklet will have a Memorial Page to remember and honor loved ones.

In addition, we will show the Memorial Video Slide Show created by Cheri Lindle and will display the Memorial Quilt created by Leah Guljord. Cheri and Leah are both longtime ThyCa volunteers.

If you would like us to include your loved one’s picture in the slide presentation and his or her name in a square in the quilt, please send us an attached photo (jpeg).

Please send the photo and information to Cheri Lindle, ThyCa Volunteer, at clindle@thyca.org no later than September 15, 2013.

For more information and a photo of the first quilt squares, visit our Memorial Quilt page.

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Free Thyroid Cancer Education Program in New Jersey on August 2

Surviving Thyroid Cancer program with several physician speakers will take place on August 2 from 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, New Jersey. It includes free parking, continental breakfast, and lunch. ThyCa will have an exhibit at this event.  Details on the ThyCa Jersey Shore University Medical Center support group’s web page on www.thyca.org. 

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Know Someone (you?) Newly Diagnosed with Thyroid Cancer?

We have a free patient information packet and mail it to people around the world. It has the handbook Thyroid Cancer Basics, and much more, including some materials to share with your physician. To request your copy, or a copy for someone you know, go to: www.thyca.org/support/packet/

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Low-Iodine Recipe of the Month and Preview of the Cookbook’s 8th Edition
Contributed by Shannon R. of South Carolina.

This recipe is one of dozens of new recipes that we’ll soon add to the Free Low-Iodine Cookbook, in its expanded 8th edition!

Cool Cucumber Pasta

8 ounces pasta (with no eggs
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
2 medium cucumbers, thinly sliced – do not peel
medium onion sliced thin

Dressing:

1 Cup Water
3/4 Cup Vinegar
1 1/2 Cups sugar
1 Tablespoon prepared mustard (use dry and add water)
1 teaspoon non-iodized salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

Cook pasta, drain, and rinse in cold water. Put in a large bowl and add oil, then cucumbers and onions, and stir.
Mix dressing ingredients, and pour over the salad and toss.
Cover and chill several hours, or eat the next day. Makes 4 – 6 servings.  

Enjoy!

Thank you, Shannon! Your recipe will appear in the 8th Edition of the Cookbook. 

Free and Downloadable

Click here to 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:

• Spanish and
• French

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.

To contribute your favorite recipe or tip, send it to recipes@thyca.org.

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News From the Rally for Researc 

We support thyroid cancer research, and have awarded more than $1 million in thyroid cancer research grants to researchers in 5 countries thanks to your support!

ThyCa’s Research Grants are open to institutions and researchers worldwide, with grant recipients selected by an independent expert panel of the American Thyroid Association.

Read more here, and find out how you can help, on the Rally for Research page.

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Follow Us on Social Media

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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, in the time you give and in financial contributions, is what makes it possible to sustain, strengthen, and expand our services and outreach.

It only takes a minute to volunteer your time by e-mailing to volunteer@thyca.org or 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 hereto give.

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About ThyCa NEWS NOTES and ThyCa
Copyright (c) 2013 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.

Thank you to everyone who helped with this issue: Leah Guljord, Roselle Kovitz, Pat Paillard, Shannon R., Barb Statas, 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 non-profit 501(c)(3) organization (tax ID #52-2169434) of thyroid cancer survivors, family members, and health care professionals serving people worldwide and dedicated to education, support, communication, and fundraising for thyroid cancer research.

ThyCa sponsors the annual International Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Conference, as well as Thyroid Cancer Awareness Month, a worldwide observance each September, plus year-round awareness campaigns, research funding, and thyroid cancer research grants.

Contact us for free materials and information. 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 www.thyca.org.