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DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20141122T080000
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CREATED:20141122T152301Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20141211T235952Z
UID:4068-1416643200-1416675600@www.teamdraft.org
SUMMARY:A Survivor at Every College Stadium: Arizona State Sun Devils
DESCRIPTION:Tempe\, AZ. Sedona\, AZ native lung cancer survivor Andy Bonnett will represent Team Draft at the ASU vs. WSU game today\, as a part of Team Draft A Survivor at Every College Stadium initiative. \nAndy Bonnett: \nPhysicians at the University of Colorado Hospital are finding startling success with medications that are made to match the genes of a particular lung cancer. The new strategy means the drugs work only on certain patients – but they can work really well. Researchers think the cancer-fighting drugs may tamp the disease for a few years\, and then the cancers may mutate and find a way around the medication. But years of healthy living is fantastic for people who’ve been diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer\, which has a five-year survival rate of less than 3 percent. Dr. Ross Camidge of UCH says patient Andy Bonnett is a prime example of what one of this new strategy of “personalized medicine” can do. Two years ago Bonnett was one of those Stage 4 lung cancer patients. He was\, said Camidge\, “a young man who had never smoked\, led a very healthy life\, developed increasing shortness of breath and pain\, and was diagnosed with lung cancer in his mid-30s.” \nWatch more: https://vimeo.com/72344655 \nTeam Draft’s goals are to create a unique experience for participating survivors and to raise awareness on a local\, national\, and international level by using each game and each survivor’s story to weave a broader narrative about the state of cancer and the hope that now exists for those battling the disease. \nLeveraging our connections with the NCAA\, its teams and players and our relationships with many of the top cancer centers in the country\, we are arranging to have lung cancer survivors attend games at NCAA stadiums across the country during the last two months of the 2014 season. \nAs part of our National Campaign\, this celebration of survivorship raises lung cancer awareness\, gives hope to those battling the disease\, and shines a light on the important work being done at cancer research and treatment centers around the country. \nSpecial thanks to ASU AD Scottie Graham\, the ASU Football\, the University of Colorado Cancer Center\, Dr. Ross Camidge and our Team Draft supporters for making this experience possible. \nDonate Now to Support the National Campaign to Change the Face of Lung Cancer @www.teamdraft.org
URL:https://www.teamdraft.org/event/a-survivor-at-every-college-stadium-arizona-state-sun-devils/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20141207T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20141207T170000
DTSTAMP:20260407T162414
CREATED:20141211T235848Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20141211T235848Z
UID:4078-1417939200-1417971600@www.teamdraft.org
SUMMARY:A Survivor at Every Stadium: Jacksonville Jaguars
DESCRIPTION:View Photo Gallery \n  \nJacksonville\, Fl. Lung cancer survivor Samantha Mixon represented Team Draft at EverBank Field today. She watched the Jaguars take on the visiting Houston Texans. \nSamantha Mixon’s Blog: \nAs everyone knows\, today is the last day of November. It’s also the last day of lung cancer awareness month. It was such a crazy month and I live so far away\, it’s hard to do too much for it….especially with Karley. I noticed some great strides\, but also noticed the continuous lack of national media coverage. In fact\, I can barely watch the national media because of all of the madness and hate right now. It’s tough\, because some of us just want to live. I don’t want to debate. I just want to live a happy life\, spend time with my family and friends. The national media is focused so much on some very important issues\, but they also have the power to spin things and have the power to help things from getting out of control. I don’t understand all of the hate. It makes me sad for all of us and scares me for the future. \nI feel like it’s dividing people when we should be coming together. In the words of the great Dr. Martin Luther King\, Jr. “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that”. “I have decided to stick to love…hate is to great a burden to bear.” It’s 2014 people. Let’s come together to solve issues that don’t belong in 1952. Hey…maybe a cure for cancer and other diseases. Something always makes the media over this disease that KILLS 3\,000 Americans each WEEK. I’m not trying to be insensitive. This was a no win situation for all parties and my prayers go out to all of the families involved. Everyone has their opinions…..It’s time to love and forgive as God forgives us every day. “Forgiveness is not an occasional act\, it is a constant attitude.” – Dr. Martin Luther King\, Jr. \nRead more about Samantha: http://samlmixon.blogspot.com/ \nNovember is Lung Cancer Awareness Month. In 2012\, Team Draft marked the occasion by launching our inaugural Survivor at Every Stadium initiative on CNN during a nationally-televised prime time special focusing on lung cancer and our National Campaign to Change the Face of Lung Cancer. \nLeveraging our connections with the NFL\, its teams and players and our relationships with many of the top cancer centers in the country\, we arranged to have lung cancer survivors attend games at NFL stadiums across the country during the last two months of the 2012-2013 season. By the time the initiative concluded at the ProBowl in Hawaii\, more than 30 lung cancer survivors representing 30 cancer centers and nearly every NFL team had participated. Given the overwhelming success of our Survivor at EveryStadium initiative\, we have expanded it beyond the NFL to the NBA\, the NHL and MLS—and this year\, London\, UK! As part of our National Campaign\, this celebration of survivorship raises lung cancer awareness\, gives hope to those battling the disease\, and shines a light on the important work being done at cancer research and treatment centers around the country. \nTeam Draft’s goals are to create a unique experience for participating survivors and to raise awareness on a local\, national\, and international level by using each game and each survivor’s story to weave a broader narrative about the state of cancer and the hope that now exists for those battling the disease. \nSpecial thanks to the Jacksonville Jaguars\, Piedmont Healthcare and our Team Draft’s supporters for helping make this experience possible. \nnow to Support the National Campaign to Change the Face of Lung Cancer! www.teamdraft.org
URL:https://www.teamdraft.org/event/a-survivor-at-every-stadium-jacksonville-jaguars-2/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20141210T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20141210T170000
DTSTAMP:20260407T162414
CREATED:20141213T132152Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20141213T132152Z
UID:4084-1418198400-1418230800@www.teamdraft.org
SUMMARY:A Survivor At Every Arena: Orlando Magic
DESCRIPTION:Orlando\, Fl. Lung cancer survivors and caregivers from the Orlando area we recognized on the court at halftime during the Orlando Magic game. #ALA #TeamDraft
URL:https://www.teamdraft.org/event/a-survivor-at-every-arena-orlando-magic/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20141211T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20141211T170000
DTSTAMP:20260407T162414
CREATED:20141217T111740Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20141217T112504Z
UID:4090-1418284800-1418317200@www.teamdraft.org
SUMMARY:A Survivor at Every Rink: Buffalo Sabres
DESCRIPTION:Buffalo\, NY. Roswell Park Cancer Institute lung cancer survivor Cindy Kureczka and her husband Steve represented Team Draft at the Buffalo Sabres game. They watched the Sabres defeat the Florida Panthers in overtime at the First Niagara Center. \nThrough our Survivor at Every Rink initiative\, we are working with all 30 NHL teams to have lung cancer survivors and a lung cancer doctor from a local cancer center and their guests attend one of the team’s home games as a part of the NHL’s national initiative Hockey Fights Cancer! \nOur goals are to create a unique experience for participating survivors and to raise awareness on a local\, national and international level by using each game and each survivor’s story to weave a broader narrative about the state of lung cancer and the hope that now exists for those battling the disease. \nSpecial thanks to Roswell Park Cancer Institute\, the Buffalo Sabres and our Team Draft supporters for making this experience possible. \nDonate now to support the national campaign to change the face of lung cancer @ www.teamdraft.org
URL:https://www.teamdraft.org/event/a-survivor-at-every-rink-buffalo-sabres-2/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20141212T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20141214T170000
DTSTAMP:20260407T162414
CREATED:20141213T132433Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20141213T132433Z
UID:4086-1418371200-1418576400@www.teamdraft.org
SUMMARY:A Survivor At Every Rink: Boston Bruins
DESCRIPTION:Boston\, MA. Mass General lung cancer survivors Matty Leaf and Bill Schrul will represented Team Draft at TD Garden tonight as a part of our Survivor at Every Rink with the NHL. The survivors were joined by Mass General Medical Oncologist Lecia Sequist and watched the Bruins take on the visiting Chicago Blackhawks.  \nThrough our Survivor at Every Rink initiative\, we are working with all 30 NHL teams to have lung cancer survivors and a lung cancer doctor from a local cancer center and their guests attend one of the team’s home games as a part of the NHL’s national initiative Hockey Fights Cancer! \nOur goals are to create a unique experience for participating survivors and to raise awareness on a local\, national and international level by using each game and each survivor’s story to weave a broader narrative about the state of lung cancer and the hope that now exists for those battling the disease.  \nSpecial thanks to the Boston Bruins\, Mass General and our Team Draft supporters.  \nDonate now to support the national campaign to change the face of lung cancer. www.teamdraft.org
URL:https://www.teamdraft.org/event/a-survivor-at-every-rink-boston-bruins-2/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20141214T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20141217T170000
DTSTAMP:20260407T162414
CREATED:20141217T112158Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20141217T112158Z
UID:4092-1418544000-1418835600@www.teamdraft.org
SUMMARY:A Survivor at Every Stadium: Buffalo Bills
DESCRIPTION:Orchard Park\, NY. Toronto lung cancer survivor & Lung Cancer Canada Board member Anne Marie Cerato represented Team Draft at the Buffalo Bills vs. Green Bay Packers game. \nAnne Marie Cerato\nAge: 35\nCity: Toronto\, Ont. \nI was diagnosed with Stage 3A adenocarcinoma (cancer that affects several organs) in 2009 at the age of 30. After undergoing radiation\, chemotherapy and surgery\, in 2011\, my cancer returned in both lungs. At the time\, I was told to wait for further treatment until symptoms occurred\, which was not an acceptable answer to me\, so I started conducting my own research. I was fortunate enough to qualify for a clinical trial for Crizotinib\, a targeted therapy drug. This treatment has improved my scans to the point that I now view my disease as chronic and manageable\, rather than terminal. While I initially set a goal to live until age 40\, I now feel like I am able to look much farther into my future. \nWhen I think about the lack of funding and public awareness surrounding lung cancer\, I believe that the stigma of the disease is probably one of the main factors. It seems like lung cancer is the ugly cousin; no one has any empathy when they think you deserve your disease. The truth is\, no one deserves lung cancer whether they have smoked or not. We put a lot of attention on this ribbon or that “run” but ribbons and runs don’t matter when people are still dying. We need to do better. There have been breakthroughs in both treatment and diagnostics for lung cancer patients all courtesy of the hard work and dedication of physicians\, researchers and clinicians. I can only imagine what could be achieved with adequate funding. \nRead more about lung cancer in Canada: http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2013/11/05/lung-cancer-awareness-_n_4213854.html \nLeveraging our connections with the NFL\, its teams and players and our relationships with many of the top cancer centers in the country\, we arranged to have lung cancer survivors attend games at NFL stadiums across the country during the last two months of the 2012-2013 season. By the time the initiative concluded at the ProBowl in Hawaii\, more than 30 lung cancer survivors representing 30 cancer centers and nearly every NFL team had participated. Given the overwhelming success of our Survivor at EveryStadium initiative\, we have expanded it beyond the NFL to the NBA\, the NHL and MLS—and this year\, London\, UK! As part of our National Campaign\, this celebration of survivorship raises lung cancer awareness\, gives hope to those battling the disease\, and shines a light on the important work being done at cancer research and treatment centers around the country. \nTeam Draft’s goals are to create a unique experience for participating survivors and to raise awareness on a local\, national\, and international level by using each game and each survivor’s story to weave a broader narrative about the state of cancer and the hope that now exists for those battling the disease. \nSpecial thanks to the Buffalo Bills\, Lung Cancer Canada and our Team Draft’s supporters for helping make this experience possible. \nDonate now to Support the National Campaign to Change the Face of Lung Cancer! www.teamdraft.org
URL:https://www.teamdraft.org/event/a-survivor-at-every-stadium-buffalo-bills-2/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20141227T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20141227T170000
DTSTAMP:20260407T162414
CREATED:20141229T010300Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20141229T010300Z
UID:4103-1419667200-1419699600@www.teamdraft.org
SUMMARY:Remembering Keasha Rutledge Draft
DESCRIPTION:Atlanta\, GA – For most of us\, December 27\, is just another day on the calendar\, but not for Chris Draft.  Having played linebacker in the NFL for more than 10 years\, Draft was used to facing tough opponents\, but nothing could have prepared him for the news he and then girlfriend\, Keasha\, received on December 27\, 2010.  On that day\, Keasha\, a vibrant young woman who had never smoked\, was diagnosed with Stage IV Lung Cancer.  Despite the diagnosis and knowing the long odds they faced\, Chris and Keasha decided to fight back\, and on November\, 27\, 2011\, standing hand-in-hand\, they launched Team Draft at their wedding.  A month later\, on December 27\, 2011—one year to the day after her diagnosis—Keasha lost her courageous battle and died at the age of 38. \nLakeasha Monique Rutledge Draft courageously faced lung cancer\, showing us all with every breath that we all need to hold onto life and love with both hands for as long as we can. Not just an inspiration\, but a light\, and a force that led the way with a beautiful\, sweet smile and bright shining eyes that both belied the pure steel of her strength and determination. \nStrong is too pale\, too shallow and too small of a word to describe Keasha’s vibrancy… Quite simply\, she was ferocious. She fiercely held onto life\, and love with a forcefulness that was absolutely awe-inspiring and completely breathtaking. \nKeasha’s spirit and legacy live on through Team Draft’s National Campaign to Change the Face of Lung Cancer—a public awareness campaign dedicated to exposing the true nature of the disease\, and to sharing the hope that now exists for those battling the disease.  This year\, Team Draft is taking that Campaign to the next level by creating a unique funding challenge centered around the biggest event in sports—the Super Bowl. \n  \n“The day my wife was diagnosed with lung cancer\, she made the decision to live each day to the fullest\,” says Draft. He goes on to explain that “when you’re in what is literally a life and death struggle like Keasha and I were in\, you realize moments matter\,”—moments like the trip Chris and Keasha took to Dallas to watch the Super Bowl shortly after her diagnosis.  “It was something she had always wanted to do\,” says Draft\, “and being with her at that game is a memory I will cherish forever.”  Now\, Team Draft is giving other lung cancer survivors the opportunity to create similar memories through its Super Bowl Challenge. \n  \nThe Super Bowl Challenge gives lung cancer survivors the opportunity to compete against one another to raise funds in support of Team Draft’s National Campaign.  The lung cancer survivor whose team raises the most money byJanuary 1\, 2015\, will represent Team Draft in Arizona during Super Bowl week.  The winner will receive airfare for two\, hotel accommodations for four nights\, and 2 tickets to the game.  In addition\, the winner and a guest will meet legendary players from all 32 NFL teams\, including several Hall of Famers\, while enjoying dishes prepared by some of the best chefs in the country when they join Team Draft at the 24th annual Taste of the NFL on the night before the big game. But the Super Bowl Challenge is about more than creating a unique experience for the wining survivors.  It is about raising critical public awareness of this deadly\, but misunderstood disease. \n  \nThe survivors and physicians battling lung cancer face a unique challenge due in large part to the fact that “[l]ung cancer carries a stigma almost unheard of with any other deadly disease\, hindering the unconditional support and investment of resources afforded to patients with other serious conditions.”[1]  This stigma is the result of widely held belief that lung cancer is a “smoker’s disease”—a misconception that “researchers and advocates agree . . . contributes to the underfunding of research on the disease.”[2]  Team Draft’s Super Bowl Challenge is designated to address the research funding gap and “smoker’s disease” stigma by attacking the underlying problem of a lack of public awareness about lung cancer. \n  \nAs Draft explains\, “the Super Bowl Challenge gives us a unique opportunity to use the overwhelming media coverage surrounding the Super Bowl as a platform to raise critical public awareness about lung cancer on an international level.”  “With the game as a backdrop\, we can use each survivor’s story to weave a broader narrative about the state of lung cancer and the hope that now exists for those battling the disease thanks to new detection techniques and innovative treatments\,” he adds. \n  \nTo join Team Draft’s fight to tackle lung cancer\, visit https://www.crowdrise.com/lungcancersurvivorsHoliday/fundraiser/chrisdraftfamilyfoun
URL:https://www.teamdraft.org/event/remembering-keasha-rutledge-draft/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20141228T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20141228T170000
DTSTAMP:20260407T162414
CREATED:20141229T010817Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20141229T010817Z
UID:4104-1419753600-1419786000@www.teamdraft.org
SUMMARY:A Survivor At Every Stadium: Seattle Seahawks
DESCRIPTION:Seattle\, WA. Former NFL linebacker Chris Draft has traveled the country\, to challenge local residents to help send one of their lung cancer survivors to the Super Bowl. On Sunday\, lung cancer survivors Kim Wieneke and Jessica Steinberg will represent Team Draft at the Seattle Seahawks game against the St. Louis Rams. The survivors will be on the field at the beginning during pregame warmups. \n\nAccording to Kim’s blog: Kim Wieneke\, living in Portland\, Oregon.  I’ve got lung cancer and I’m not very happy about it.  It pretty much sucks. \nAt age 34\, I was diagnosed with Stage 3b lung cancer on May 11\, 2011.  On September 14\, 2011 I learned that my cancer spread.  It is now considered incurable. \nEach day\, I get better at “living with a terminal illness”.  I don’t have it mastered; I certainly don’t I have all the right answers.  What I do have and openly share\, in my writing\, are my experiences and how they impact me.\n \nhttp://aquariusvscancer.com/about/\n\nTeam Draft’s Super Bowl Challenge gives lung cancer survivors\, throughout North America\, the opportunity to compete against one another to raise funds in support of our National Campaign to Change the Face of Lung Cancer–a campaign dedicated to raising public awareness about the true nature of the disease and shattering the misconception that lung cancer is just a “smoker’s disease.” \nJessica Steinberg doesn’t like the stereotypes that surround lung cancer patients. You know\, the ones that say they’re all smokers\, who did it to themselves\, and who likely won’t live long past their diagnoses…. \nhttp://www.oregonlive.com/health/index.ssf/2014/10/lung_cancer_patients_fight_sti.html\n \nThe lung cancer survivor\, whose Team raises the most money by January 1\, 2015\, will represent Team Draft in Arizona during Super Bowl week. The winner will receive airfare for 2 and hotel accommodations for 4 nights. OnJanuary 31\, 2015 the winner and a guest will have an opportunity to meet legendary players from all 32 NFL teams\, including several Hall of Famers\, while enjoying dishes prepared by some of the best chefs in the country when they join Team Draft at the 24th annual Taste of the NFL. \n\nIn December 2010\, Keasha Rutledge Draft was diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer when she went to her doctor after feeling a slight shortness of breath a few days earlier. As a former Charlotte Hornets Honeybee dancer and member of Clemson University’s Rally Cat dance squad\, Keasha was an energetic\, vibrant young woman who never smoked and was the picture of health at the time of her diagnosis. Despite the diagnosis and knowing the long odds they faced\, Keasha and her husband\, former NFL linebacker\, Chris Draft decided to fight back. On November 27\, 2011\, standing side-by-side\, they launched Team Draft together at their wedding. One month later\, Keasha lost her courageous fight. (https://vimeo.com/37410459) \nOver the last three years\, the Chris Draft Family Foundation has been leading a national campaign to change the face of lung cancer. Our signature Survivor Series is the centerpiece of that Campaign.  While the Survivor Series has become a powerful tool in the fight to raise lung cancer awareness\, this year we are taking  that initiative to the next level by creating a funding challenge centered on the biggest event in sports—the Super Bowl. \nThe Survivor Series is an outgrowth of our Survivor at Every Stadium initiative\, which we debuted in November 2012 on CNN during a nationally-televised prime time special focusing on lung cancer and our National Campaign.  Leveraging our unique connections with the NFL\, its teams and players\, and many of the top cancer centers in the country\, we arranged for lung cancer survivors to attend games at NFL stadiums across the country during the last two months of the 2012-2013 season.  The initiative proved to be an immediate and overwhelming success.  By the time this first “national celebration of survivorship” concluded at the Pro Bowl in Hawaii\, survivors from 30 different cancer centers and nearly every NFL team had participated. \nGiven the success of our inaugural Survivor at Every Stadium program\, in its second year\, we expanded the initiative to create the Survivor Series by branching out beyond the NFL to the NBA and NHL\, among others.  We also enhanced the Survivor at Every Stadium initiative by adding the NFL’s International Series in London\, specially designated lung cancer awareness games at home\, and a national media tour\, which resulted in more than 35 national and local media placements\, reaching more than 13 million people. \nThe goal of the Survivor Series is not only to create a unique experience for participating survivors\, but to raise awareness on a local and national level by using each game and each survivor’s story to weave a broader narrative about the state of lung cancer and the hope that now exists for those battling the disease thanks to new detection techniques and innovative treatments. This year\, we have increased our ability to achieve those goals by adding the Super Bowl Challenge\, which builds on the success of the Survivor Series by using the games at the heart of that initiative to create buzz for the Challenge. (https://vimeo.com/68178658) \nThe survivors and physicians battling lung cancer face a unique challenge due in large part to the fact that “lung cancer carries a stigma almost unheard of with any other deadly disease\, hindering the unconditional support and investment of resources afforded to patients with other serious conditions.” This stigma is the result of the widely held belief that lung cancer is a “smoker’s disease”—a misconception that “researchers and advocates agree . . . contributes to the underfunding of research on the disease.”  Team Draft’s Super Bowl Challenge is designed to address the research funding gap and “smoker’s disease” stigma by attacking the underlying problem of a lack of public awareness about lung cancer. \nThe Super Bowl Challenge presents a unique opportunity to use the overwhelming media coverage surrounding the Super Bowl as a platform to raise critical public awareness about lung cancer on an international level.  A comprehensive public relations and media campaign using the game as a backdrop will allow us to talk about the true nature and state of lung cancer in a context in which such subjects are not ordinarily discussed and in front of a broad and varied audience that might not otherwise be exposed to stories about lung cancer or the important work being done in research facilities and cancer centers across the country to fight the disease. \nIt takes a team to tackle cancer\, and we are pleased to invite you to join Team Draft in our fight to raise lung cancer awareness by taking part in this exclusive fundraising challenge! \nDonate now to a Lung Cancer Survivor’s Team or donate directly to the Chris Draft Family Foundation to support our National Campaign to Change the Face of Lung Cancer. \nhttps://www.crowdrise.com/lungcancersurvivorsHoliday/fundraiser/chrisdraftfamilyfoun
URL:https://www.teamdraft.org/event/a-survivor-at-every-stadium-seattle-seahawks-2/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20141228T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20141228T170000
DTSTAMP:20260407T162414
CREATED:20141229T011056Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20141229T011056Z
UID:4106-1419753600-1419786000@www.teamdraft.org
SUMMARY:A Survivor at Every Stadium: Atlanta Falcons
DESCRIPTION:Atlanta\, GA. Former Atlanta Falcon Chris Draft will be at the Georgia Dome on Sunday\, with 20 year old lung cancer survivor Kiersten Dickson. Dickson\, diagnosed with lung cancer in May 2014\, will complete her last round of chemotherapy Sunday before heading to the Falcons game. Kiersten will be representing Team Draft\, as a part of our A Survivor at Every Stadium program with NFL teams.\n\n \nBoth Draft and Kiersten are challenging Atlanta residents to #RiseUP and help send one of their local lung cancer survivors to the Super Bowl. Team Draft’s Super Bowl Challenge gives lung cancer survivors\, throughout North America\, the opportunity to compete against one another to raise funds in support of our National Campaign to Change the Face of Lung Cancer–a campaign dedicated to raising public awareness about the true nature of the disease and shattering the misconception that lung cancer is just a “smoker’s disease.” \nhttps://www.crowdrise.com/lungcancersurvivorsHoliday/fundraiser/chrisdraftfamilyfoun \n\nThe lung cancer survivor\, whose Team raises the most money by January 1\, 2015\, will represent Team Draft in Arizona during Super Bowl week. The winner will receive airfare for 2 and hotel accommodations for 4 nights. On January 31\, 2015 the winner and a guest will have an opportunity to meet legendary players from all 32 NFL teams\, including several Hall of Famers\, while enjoying dishes prepared by some of the best chefs in the country when they join Team Draft at the 24th annual Taste of the NFL. \nIn December 2010\, Keasha Rutledge Draft was diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer when she went to her doctor after feeling a slight shortness of breath a few days earlier. As a former Charlotte Hornets Honeybee dancer and member of Clemson University’s Rally Cat dance squad\, Keasha was an energetic\, vibrant young woman who never smoked and was the picture of health at the time of her diagnosis. Despite the diagnosis and knowing the long odds they faced\, Keasha and her husband\, former NFL linebacker\, Chris Draft decided to fight back. On November 27\, 2011\, standing side-by-side\, they launched Team Draft together at their wedding. One month later\, Keasha lost her courageous fight. (https://vimeo.com/37410459) \nOver the last three years\, the Chris Draft Family Foundation has been leading a national campaign to change the face of lung cancer. Our signature Survivor Series is the centerpiece of that Campaign.  While the Survivor Series has become a powerful tool in the fight to raise lung cancer awareness\, this year we are taking  that initiative to the next level by creating a funding challenge centered on the biggest event in sports—the Super Bowl. \nThe Survivor Series is an outgrowth of our Survivor at Every Stadium initiative\, which we debuted in November 2012 on CNN during a nationally-televised prime time special focusing on lung cancer and our National Campaign.  Leveraging our unique connections with the NFL\, its teams and players\, and many of the top cancer centers in the country\, we arranged for lung cancer survivors to attend games at NFL stadiums across the country during the last two months of the 2012-2013 season.  The initiative proved to be an immediate and overwhelming success.  By the time this first “national celebration of survivorship” concluded at the Pro Bowl in Hawaii\, survivors from 30 different cancer centers and nearly every NFL team had participated. \nGiven the success of our inaugural Survivor at Every Stadium program\, in its second year\, we expanded the initiative to create the Survivor Series by branching out beyond the NFL to the NBA and NHL\, among others.  We also enhanced the Survivor at Every Stadium initiative by adding the NFL’s International Series in London\, specially designated lung cancer awareness games at home\, and a national media tour\, which resulted in more than 35 national and local media placements\, reaching more than 13 million people. \nThe goal of the Survivor Series is not only to create a unique experience for participating survivors\, but to raise awareness on a local and national level by using each game and each survivor’s story to weave a broader narrative about the state of lung cancer and the hope that now exists for those battling the disease thanks to new detection techniques and innovative treatments. This year\, we have increased our ability to achieve those goals by adding the Super Bowl Challenge\, which builds on the success of the Survivor Series by using the games at the heart of that initiative to create buzz for the Challenge. (https://vimeo.com/68178658) \nThe survivors and physicians battling lung cancer face a unique challenge due in large part to the fact that “lung cancer carries a stigma almost unheard of with any other deadly disease\, hindering the unconditional support and investment of resources afforded to patients with other serious conditions.” This stigma is the result of the widely held belief that lung cancer is a “smoker’s disease”—a misconception that “researchers and advocates agree . . . contributes to the underfunding of research on the disease.”  Team Draft’s Super Bowl Challenge is designed to address the research funding gap and “smoker’s disease” stigma by attacking the underlying problem of a lack of public awareness about lung cancer. \nThe Super Bowl Challenge presents a unique opportunity to use the overwhelming media coverage surrounding the Super Bowl as a platform to raise critical public awareness about lung cancer on an international level.  A comprehensive public relations and media campaign using the game as a backdrop will allow us to talk about the true nature and state of lung cancer in a context in which such subjects are not ordinarily discussed and in front of a broad and varied audience that might not otherwise be exposed to stories about lung cancer or the important work being done in research facilities and cancer centers across the country to fight the disease. \nIt takes a team to tackle cancer\, and we are pleased to invite you to join Team Draft in our fight to raise lung cancer awareness by taking part in this exclusive fundraising challenge! \nDonate now to a Lung Cancer Survivor’s Team or donate directly to the Chris Draft Family Foundation to support our National Campaign to Change the Face of Lung Cancer. \nhttps://www.crowdrise.com/lungcancersurvivorsHoliday/fundraiser/chrisdraftfamilyfoun
URL:https://www.teamdraft.org/event/a-survivor-at-every-stadium-atlanta-falcons-3/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20150115T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20150115T170000
DTSTAMP:20260407T162414
CREATED:20150122T135622Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20150402T045924Z
UID:4133-1421308800-1421341200@www.teamdraft.org
SUMMARY:Team Draft Sends Super Bowl Challenge Winners to Super Bowl\, Pro-Bowl and Taste of the NFL to Raise Lung Cancer Awareness
DESCRIPTION:Atlanta\, GA. The winners of the inaugural Super Bowl Challenge will enjoy trips to the Super Bowl\, the NFL Pro-Bowl and the Taste of the NFL this month as part of Team Draft’s National Campaign to Change the Face of Lung  Cancer . The winners are all lung cancer survivors with powerful stories to share about their often misunderstood disease. Team Draft was founded by NFL veteran Linebacker Chris Draft and his late wife Keasha\, an engineer and Clemson graduate who died of lung cancer at the age of 38.\n\n \n“ We are proud to honor these outstanding advocates who are truly changing the face of lung cancer by supporting promising research and treatments that are giving lung cancer survivors more days weeks \, months and even years to treasure with their loved ones\,” Chris Draft. Lung cancer survivors across the United States joined the Super Bowl Challenge by raising funds in support of Team Draft’s National Campaign to Change the Face of Lung Cancer—which is dedicated to raising public awareness about the true nature of the disease and shattering misconceptions about lung cancer which is often mischaracterized as a “smoker’s disease”. Challenge participants were part of a friendly competition\, with the top fundraisers awarded trips to the Super Bowl\, the  NFL Pro-Bowl and the Taste of the NFL.\n\n \nThe winner of the Super Bowl Challenge\, Paul Kalanithi and his wife Lucy will attend the Taste of the NFL on January 31\, 2015 and Super Bowl XLIX (49) on February 1\, 2015 at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale\, Arizona.\n\n \n “We were thrilled to raise funds for Team Draft! My husband Paul was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer as a 36-year-old\, and Team Draft has really helped boost our family’s spirits during this challenging time\,” said Lucy Kalanithi. “Team Draft raises awareness of lung cancer and empowers survivors in such a positive way. We’ve also had tremendous support from our friends and family\, who really stepped up to contribute to the Super Bowl Challenge. Paul is a huge football fan\, and we can’t wait to join Team Draft at Super Bowl XLIX! I’m also excited to meet Samantha Mixon at Taste of the NFL.”\n\n \n Paul Kalanithi was a Resident in Neurosurgery at Stanford University when he was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer in June 2013.  A graduate of Stanford University\, he had also attended Cambridge and graduated from medical school at Yale before returning to Stanford to complete his residency and neurosurgical training. Dr.  Kalanithi chronicled his lung cancer journey in an op-ed piece in the New York Times in January\, 2014. In addition to continuing his medical practice\, Dr. Kalanithi has become a tireless advocate for lung cancer awareness and research.\n\n \nLung Cancer Survivor and Super Bowl Challenge Runner-up Dan Powell of Greenville\, South Carolina is headed to the NFL Pro Bowl January 25\, 2015.  “Going to the Pro Bowl is a dream come true.  This time last year I was fighting for my life with the stage IV lung cancer diagnosis. We have incredible support from my friends\, family\, my church\, support groups\, and cutting-edge treatment from St. Francis Cancer Center.  I’ve learned through my cancer experience and support from Team Draft ‘anything is possible and to never give up.’ We are bringing in the new year with a trip to the Pro bowl- I am stoked! “\, said Powell.\n\n \nDan Powell is a fit and health-conscious non-smoker who has dedicated much of his professional career to preventing air pollution; he has served as Director of Air Quality for Greenville County\, South Carolina. He was stunned when he got a diagnosis of stage IV lung cancer at the age of 35. A husband and father\, Dan has reached out to other lung cancer survivors and spearheaded the creation of the first lung cancer support group in his part of the state in cooperation with his cancer center- St. Francis Bon Secours in Greenville. Dan is a native of Asheville\, North Carolina. During the 2014 football season\, he was a guest of Team Draft at a Panthers vs. Falcons game in Charlotte.\n\n \nDan’s guest at the Pro Bowl will be his friend Rick Owens who lives outside Greenville\, South Carolina in Simpsonville.  Dan describes Rick as one of his strongest supporters and Dan has had the unforeseen opportunity to return the kindness since Rick was diagnosed with lung cancer in October of last year. Rick is also a non-smoker\, and like tens of thousands of lung cancer patients\, was shocked to learn of his diagnosis. Rick shares another close bond with Team Draft- he works for Clemson University \, the Alma Mater of the late Team Draft co-founder Keasha Draft.\n\n \n\n \nSuper Bowl Challenge second Runner-Up and lung cancer survivor Samantha Mixon of St. Simons Island\, Georgia is heading to the Taste of the NFL\, a gala event taking place in the Super Bowl city the night before the big game. “We are super excited to be able to go to the Taste of NFL thanks to Team Draft and all of our amazing friends\, family\, and even strangers that supported us.  God is so good\, we are beyond blessed!” said Samantha.  Guests at the Taste of the NFL will enjoy dishes prepared by some of the best chefs in the country on the night before the Super Bowl\, and they’ll meet legendary players from all 32 NFL teams. The event raises money for food banks around the country. For Samantha Mixon\, it also offers an opportunity to share the story of her journey with lung cancer\, and plans to share details and photos of the occasion on her blog.\n\n \n\n \nSamantha Mixon was 33 when she was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer two years ago. The mother of a young daughter\, she pressed her doctor for a prognosis\, and was given one year\, perhaps eighteen months to live. Looking back\, she says she regrets asking for that time line\, and since getting the diagnosis\, she has profoundly changed her way of approaching each and every day.  “After almost a year I quit asking “why me?” and became grateful that I know. I know I may not have much time left on this earth. Knowing that is a gift in itself. You see\, I could get into an accident tomorrow and not survive. But that didn’t happen. I was given a warning\, not the ticket.”  Samantha grew up in Jonesboro\, Georgia and though she now resides on St. Simons Island\, she frequently visits her mother in Atlanta and in addition to lung cancer advocacy work she does with her blog she has worked with the Free to Breathe Atlanta Lung Cancer Run.\n\n\n\n \n The survivors and physicians battling lung cancer face unique challenges due in part to the fact that lung cancer carries a stigma almost unheard of with any other deadly disease\, hindering the unconditional support and investment of resources afforded to patients with other serious conditions.  This stigma is the result of the widely held belief that lung cancer is a “smoker’s disease”—a misconception that researchers and advocates agree contributes to the underfunding of research.   Team Draft’s Super Bowl Challenge is designed to address the research funding gap and the stigma by attacking the underlying problem of a lack of public awareness about lung cancer. By giving lung cancer survivors\, researchers and treatment teams the opportunity to partner with organizations that reach diverse audiences\, Team Draft is often able to connect lung cancer patients and their families with resources they would not have been otherwise aware of. “ There is hope\, and there are remarkable new targeted lung cancer treatments being introduced at lung cancer research and treatment centers all over the country. The progress is phenomenal and funding is critical to keep it moving forward\,” says Draft.\n\n\n\n \nKeasha and Chris Draft  had attended the Super Bowl the year of her diagnosis\, fulfilling one of her lifelong dreams. The memory of that Super Bowl trip served as part of the inspiration for The Super Bowl Challenge. “It takes a team to tackle lung cancer\, and the Super Bowl Challenge has expanded this amazing team. Keasha’s legacy of hope lives on through the Super Bowl Challenge team and we are grateful to all who have contributed and continue to contribute to lung cancer awareness\, research\, treatment and patient advocacy efforts\, and “said Draft.  “We are excited to have the opportunity to take the Super Bowl Challenge winners and their stories to the Super Bowl the Pro-Bowl and the Taste of the NFL.”\n\n.\n\nAbout Team Draft\n\n \nTeam Draft\, an initiative of the Chris Draft Family Foundation\, is dedicated to raising lung cancer awareness and increasing badly needed research funding by shattering the misconception that lung cancer is a “smoker’s disease.” Despite the fact that between 20\,000 and 30\,000 people who have never smoked are diagnosed with lung cancer in the United States each year\, the smoking stigma negatively impacts lung cancer research funding\, which pales in comparison to funding for other major cancers and diseases. Team Draft is committed to educating people about the true nature of lung cancer\, raising funds for research and improving the lives of those affected by lung cancer. To learn more about Team Draft\, share your story\, or make a donation\, please visit https://www.teamdraft.org.
URL:https://www.teamdraft.org/event/team-draft-sends-super-bowl-challenge-winners-to-super-bowl-pro-bowl-and-taste-of-the-nfl-to-raise-lung-cancer-awareness/
CATEGORIES:press release
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20150122T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20150122T170000
DTSTAMP:20260407T162414
CREATED:20150121T232049Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20150203T165808Z
UID:4128-1421913600-1421946000@www.teamdraft.org
SUMMARY:NFL Vets Chris Draft and Levon Kirkland Join Lung Cancer Survivor Super Bowl Challenge Winner at NFL Pro Bowl
DESCRIPTION:Atlanta\, GA. Former NFL linebackers Chris Draft and Levon Kirkland will hold the line against lung cancer at the NFL Pro Bowl January 25th.  Kirkland\, an All-Pro linebacker who spent ten seasons in the NFL playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers\, Seattle Seahawks\, and Philadelphia Eagles\, joins Chris Draft and his Team Draft initiative in hosting lung cancer survivors Dan Powell and Rick Owens at the Pro Bowl.  The stories that bring the men together in Arizona are full of coincidence\, challenges and hope. \nDraft and Kirkland have much more than their NFL careers in common. They both married dynamic\, outgoing women named Keasha who lost their lives to lung cancer at an early age. Neither Keasha Draft nor Keisha Kirkland smoked\, and like thousands of other lung cancer survivors\, they were stunned by their diagnoses.  Before they passed away\, both women dedicated themselves to changing the face of lung cancer and educating people about the true nature of the disease–a disease that is too often mischaracterized as a “smoker’s disease”.  Their legacies live\, with their husbands continuing their fight. \nChris Draft and Levon Kirkland will watch the Pro Bowl with Dan Powell and Rick Owens who are also on the front lines in the lung cancer fight. Dan Powell was 35 when he was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. A non-smoker\, Powell is well aware of the role air quality plays in lung health- he has served as Director of Air Quality for Greenville County\, South Carolina.  Powell won the trip to the Pro Bowl in Team Draft’s Super Bowl Challenge–a friendly competition between lung cancer survivors to raise funds and awareness for lung cancer research and treatment.  Dan’s guest at the Pro Bowl will be his friend Rick Owens who was diagnosed with lung cancer in October of last year. Rick shares another bond with the Team Draft lung cancer awareness project unfolding in Arizona–he works for Clemson University\, the alma mater of both Keasha Draft and Levon Kirkland. \n“Super Bowl week is a fitting time to spotlight the crusade to change the face of lung cancer. The level of commitment\, drive and passion required to make it this far parallels the efforts required to get lung cancer research to the next level\,” said Chris Draft who co-founded Team Draft with his late wife Keasha to change the face of lung cancer. \nBorn and raised in Williamston\, outside Greenville\, South Carolina\, Keasha Draft danced with Clemson University’s Rally Cats dance squad before graduating with a degree in Electrical Engineering. She later worked as an engineer and then in pharmaceutical sales and enjoyed dancing for the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets dance team. \nKeasha had never smoked when she was diagnosed with Stage IV Lung Cancer in December 2010 after experiencing a slight shortness of breath a few days earlier. Despite the diagnosis and knowing the long odds they faced\, Keasha and Chris fought back.  They launched Team Draft at their wedding on November 27\, 2011\, but just one month later\, Keasha lost her courageous fight and died at the age of 38. \nA Danville\, Kentucky native\, Keisha Kirkland attended the University of Louisville before transferring to Life University where she completed chiropractic school\, graduating with honors. Keisha went on to pursue a career in broadcasting\, and became the weather anchor at NBC TV affiliate WYFF Channel 4 in Greenville\, South Carolina. \nKeisha and Levon had a 5 year old daughter\, Kennedy when Keisha was diagnosed with lung cancer. Despite her illness\, Keisha spent many months speaking at churches and support groups\, giving hope to others who faced the challenge of lung cancer and other adversities. Keisha Kirkland shared her story nationwide in a CNN special about lung cancer and Team Draft’s efforts to change the face of the disease. In October of 2013\, Keisha Kirkland passed away at the age of 41 after battling lung cancer for 5 years. \n“Keisha’s memory is celebrated with every advance we see in lung cancer research\,” said Levon Kirkland. “ Keisha had a strong faith and her wish was that someone would hear her story and be inspired or encouraged as they endure personal challenges\, by bringing her story to the forefront\, we are carrying out her wish.” said Kirkland. \nDraft and Kirkland thank the pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and Company and their Lilly Oncology team for sponsoring the Team Draft initiative to change the face of lung cancer. \n  \nAbout Team Draft \nTeam Draft is an initiative of the Chris Draft Family Foundation created by former NFL linebacker Chris Draft and his late wife Keasha during Keasha’s year-long struggle with Stage IV Lung Cancer. Team Draft is committed to educating people about the true nature of lung cancer\, raising funds for research and improving the lives of those affected by the disease. To learn more about Team Draft\, share your story\, or make a donation\, please visit https://www.teamdraft.org. \nAbout Levon Kirkland \nBorn in Lamar\, South Carolina\, Levon Kirkland attended Clemson University before being drafted in the second round of the 1992 NFL draft.  Kirkland played 11 seasons in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers\, Seattle Seahawks\, and Philadelphia Eagles.  The All-Pro linebacker was named to two consecutive Pro Bowls\, and was a member of the 1995 Pittsburgh Steelers team that made it to Super Bowl XXX in Arizona.  After retiring from the NFL\, Kirkland returned to Clemson to complete his degree in sociology.  He is currently the Defensive Coordinator and Linebackers’ Coach at Florida A&M University. \nAbout Chris Draft \nA native of Anaheim\, California\, Chris Draft graduated with degree in economics from Stanford University where he was a standout in both football and baseball before being selected by the Chicago Bears in the sixth round of the 1998 NFL Draft.  Draft played more than 10 years in the NFL with the Chicago Bears\, Atlanta Falcons\, Carolina Panthers\, St. Louis Rams\, Buffalo Bills\, and Washington Redskins.  Known for his leadership both on and off the field\, Draft has received numerous accolades and awards in recognition of his tireless commitment.  A recognized health care advocate and leader of a National Campaign to Change the Face of Lung Cancer\, Draft has appeared on many national and local new outlets\, including CNN and ESPN.  He is the founder of the Chris Draft Family Foundation\, co-cofounder of the Foundation’s Team Draft initiative\, and currently serves as an NFL Ambassador.\n\nAbout Lilly Oncology \nFor more than five decades\, Lilly Oncology\, a division of Eli Lilly and Company\, has been dedicated to delivering innovative solutions that improve the care of people living with cancer.  Because no two cancer patients are alike\, Lilly Oncology is committed to developing novel treatment approaches. To learn more about Lilly’s commitment to cancer\, please visit www.LillyOncology.com . \n 
URL:https://www.teamdraft.org/event/nfl-vets-chris-draft-and-levon-kirkland-join-lung-cancer-survivor-super-bowl-challenge-winner-at-nfl-pro-bowl/
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20150125T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20150125T170000
DTSTAMP:20260407T162414
CREATED:20150203T165602Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20150203T165602Z
UID:4146-1422172800-1422205200@www.teamdraft.org
SUMMARY:Super Bowl Challenge Winner at NFL Pro Bowl
DESCRIPTION:Lung cancer survivor Dan Powell is heading to the NFL Pro Bowl! \n“Going to the Pro Bowl is a dream come true. This time last year I was fighting for my life with the stage 4 lung cancer diagnosis. We have incredible support from my friends\, family\, my church\, support groups\, and cutting-edge treatment from St. Francis Cancer Center. I’ve learned through my cancer experience and support from Team Draft “anything is possible and to never give up.” We are bringing in the new year with a trip to the Pro bowl!! I am stoked!!” View Photos \nFOX Carolina 21 \nDan Powell was 35 when he was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. A non-smoker\, Powell is well aware of the role air quality plays in lung health- he has served as Director of Air Quality for Greenville County\, South Carolina. Powell won the trip to the Pro Bowl in Team Draft’s Super Bowl Challenge–a friendly competition between lung cancer survivors to raise funds and awareness for lung cancer research and treatment. \nDan’s guest at the Pro Bowl was his friend Rick Owens who was diagnosed with lung cancer in October of last year. \n“It was an honor to go with my good friend Dan Powell to the 2015 NFL Pro bowl in Arizona. We were very excited\, to meet all of the incredible NFL athletes and listen to their stories. We were also excited to share our lung cancer survivor stories with them.” \nRick shares another bond with the Team Draft lung cancer awareness project unfolding in Arizona–he works for Clemson University\, the alma mater of both Keasha Draft and Levon Kirkland. \nKirkland\, an All-Pro linebacker who spent ten seasons in the NFL playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers\, Seattle Seahawks\, and Philadelphia Eagles\, joined Chris Draft and Team Draft in hosting lung cancer survivors Dan Powell and Rick Owens at the Pro Bowl. \nDraft and Kirkland have much more than their NFL careers in common. They both married dynamic\, outgoing women named Keasha who lost their lives to lung cancer at an early age. Neither Keasha Draft nor Keisha Kirkland smoked\, and like thousands of other lung cancer survivors\, they were stunned by their diagnoses. Before they passed away\, both women dedicated themselves to changing the face of lung cancer and educating people about the true nature of the disease–a disease that is too often mischaracterized as a “smoker’s disease”. Their legacies live\, with their husbands continuing their fight. \n 
URL:https://www.teamdraft.org/event/super-bowl-challenge-winner-at-nfl-pro-bowl/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20150131T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20150131T170000
DTSTAMP:20260407T162414
CREATED:20150203T172201Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20150203T172514Z
UID:4150-1422691200-1422723600@www.teamdraft.org
SUMMARY:2015 Taste of the NFL
DESCRIPTION:Super Bowl Challenge second Runner-Up and lung cancer survivor Samantha Mixon of St. Simons Island\, Georgia is heading to the Taste of the NFL\, a gala event taking place in the Super Bowl city the night before the big game. “We are super excited to be able to go to the Taste of NFL thanks to Team Draft and all of our amazing friends\, family\, and even strangers that supported us. God is so good\, we are beyond blessed!” said Samantha. Guests at the Taste of the NFL will enjoy dishes prepared by some of the best chefs in the country on the night before the Super Bowl\, and they’ll meet legendary players from all 32 NFL teams. The event raises money for food banks around the country. For Samantha Mixon\, it also offers an opportunity to share the story of her journey with lung cancer\, and plans to share details and photos of the occasion on her blog.  \nView Photos \nSamantha Mixon was 33 when she was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer two years ago. The mother of a young daughter\, she pressed her doctor for a prognosis\, and was given one year\, perhaps eighteen months to live. Looking back\, she says she regrets asking for that time line\, and since getting the diagnosis\, she has profoundly changed her way of approaching each and every day. “After almost a year I quit asking “why me?” and became grateful that I know. I know I may not have much time left on this earth. Knowing that is a gift in itself. You see\, I could get into an accident tomorrow and not survive. But that didn’t happen. I was given a warning\, not the ticket.” Samantha grew up in Jonesboro\, Georgia and though she now resides on St. Simons Island\, she frequently visits her mother in Atlanta and in addition to lung cancer advocacy work she does with her blog she has worked with the Free to Breathe Atlanta Lung Cancer Run. \n“Super Bowl week is a fitting time to spotlight the crusade to change the face of lung cancer. The level of commitment\, drive and passion required to make it this far parallels the efforts required to get lung cancer research to the next level\,” said Chris Draft who co-founded Team Draft with his late wife Keasha to change the face of lung cancer.
URL:https://www.teamdraft.org/event/2015-taste-of-the-nfl/
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20150201T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20150201T170000
DTSTAMP:20260407T162414
CREATED:20150202T214434Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20150203T181530Z
UID:4137-1422777600-1422810000@www.teamdraft.org
SUMMARY:2015 Super Bowl 49
DESCRIPTION:“We are proud to honor these outstanding advocates who are truly changing the face of lung cancer by supporting promising research and treatments that are giving lung cancer survivors more days weeks \, months and even years to treasure with their loved ones\,” Chris Draft. Lung cancer survivors across the United States joined the Super Bowl Challenge by raising funds in support of Team Draft’s National Campaign to Change the Face of Lung Cancer—which is dedicated to raising public awareness about the true nature of the disease and shattering misconceptions about lung cancer which is often mischaracterized as a “smoker’s disease”. Challenge participants were part of a friendly competition\, with the top fundraisers awarded trips to the Super Bowl\, the NFL Pro-Bowl and the Taste of the NFL. View Photos  \nThe winner of the Super Bowl Challenge\, Paul Kalanithi and his wife Lucy will attend the Taste of the NFL on January 31\, 2015 and Super Bowl XLIX (49) on February 1\, 2015 at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale\, Arizona. View Photos  \n“We were thrilled to raise funds for Team Draft! My husband Paul was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer as a 36-year-old\, and Team Draft has really helped boost our family’s spirits during this challenging time\,” said Lucy Kalanithi. “Team Draft raises awareness of lung cancer and empowers survivors in such a positive way. We’ve also had tremendous support from our friends and family\, who really stepped up to contribute to the Super Bowl Challenge. Paul is a huge football fan\, and we can’t wait to join Team Draft at Super Bowl XLIX!” View Photos  \nPaul Kalanithi was a Resident in Neurosurgery at Stanford University when he was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer in June 2013. A graduate of Stanford University\, he had also attended Cambridge and graduated from medical school at Yale before returning to Stanford to complete his residency and neurosurgical training. Dr. Kalanithi chronicled his lung cancer journey in an op-ed piece in the New York Times in January\, 2014. In addition to continuing his medical practice\, Dr. Kalanithi has become a tireless advocate for lung cancer awareness and research. View Photos 
URL:https://www.teamdraft.org/event/2015-super-bowl-49/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20150201T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20150201T170000
DTSTAMP:20260407T162414
CREATED:20150203T163530Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20150203T163632Z
UID:4142-1422777600-1422810000@www.teamdraft.org
SUMMARY:The Inaugural Super Bowl Challenge
DESCRIPTION:Phoenix\, AZ. The winners of the inaugural Super Bowl Challenge will enjoy trips to the Super Bowl\, the NFL Pro-Bowl and the Taste of the NFL this month as part of Team Draft’s National Campaign to Change the Face of Lung Cancer . The winners are all lung cancer survivors with powerful stories to share about their often misunderstood disease. Team Draft was founded by NFL veteran Linebacker Chris Draft and his late wife Keasha\, an engineer and Clemson graduate who died of lung cancer at the age of 38. \n“We are proud to honor these outstanding advocates who are truly changing the face of lung cancer by supporting promising research and treatments that are giving lung cancer survivors more days weeks \, months and even years to treasure with their loved ones\,” Chris Draft. Lung cancer survivors across the United States joined the Super Bowl Challenge by raising funds in support of Team Draft’s National Campaign to Change the Face of Lung Cancer—which is dedicated to raising public awareness about the true nature of the disease and shattering misconceptions about lung cancer which is often mischaracterized as a “smoker’s disease”. Challenge participants were part of a friendly competition\, with the top fundraisers awarded trips to the Super Bowl\, the NFL Pro-Bowl and the Taste of the NFL. \nThe winner of the Super Bowl Challenge\, Paul Kalanithi and his wife Lucy will attend the Taste of the NFL on January 31\, 2015 and Super Bowl XLIX (49) on February 1\, 2015 at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale\, Arizona. \n“We were thrilled to raise funds for Team Draft! My husband Paul was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer as a 36-year-old\, and Team Draft has really helped boost our family’s spirits during this challenging time\,” said Lucy Kalanithi. “Team Draft raises awareness of lung cancer and empowers survivors in such a positive way. We’ve also had tremendous support from our friends and family\, who really stepped up to contribute to the Super Bowl Challenge. Paul is a huge football fan\, and we can’t wait to join Team Draft at Super Bowl XLIX!” \nPaul Kalanithi was a Resident in Neurosurgery at Stanford University when he was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer in June 2013. A graduate of Stanford University\, he had also attended Cambridge and graduated from medical school at Yale before returning to Stanford to complete his residency and neurosurgical training. Dr. Kalanithi chronicled his lung cancer journey in an op-ed piece in the New York Times in January\, 2014. In addition to continuing his medical practice\, Dr. Kalanithi has become a tireless advocate for lung cancer awareness and research. \nLung Cancer Survivor and Super Bowl Challenge Runner-up Dan Powell of Greenville\, South Carolina attended the NFL Pro Bowl on Sunday\, January 25\, 2015. “Going to the Pro Bowl was a dream come true. This time last year I was fighting for my life with the stage IV lung cancer diagnosis. We have incredible support from my friends\, family\, my church\, support groups\, and cutting-edge treatment from St. Francis Cancer Center. I’ve learned through my cancer experience and support from Team Draft ‘anything is possible and to never give up!”\, said Powell. \nDan Powell was 35 when he was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. A non-smoker\, Powell is well aware of the role air quality plays in lung health- he has served as Director of Air Quality for Greenville County\, South Carolina. Powell won the trip to the Pro Bowl in Team Draft’s Super Bowl Challenge–a friendly competition between lung cancer survivors to raise funds and awareness for lung cancer research and treatment. Dan’s guest at the Pro Bowl was his friend Rick Owens who was diagnosed with lung cancer in October of last year. Rick shares another bond with the Team Draft lung cancer awareness project unfolding in Arizona–he works for Clemson University\, the alma mater of both Keasha Draft and Levon Kirkland. \nKirkland\, an All-Pro linebacker who spent ten seasons in the NFL playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers\, Seattle Seahawks\, and Philadelphia Eagles\, joined Chris Draft and Team Draft in hosting lung cancer survivors Dan Powell and Rick Owens at the Pro Bowl. \nDraft and Kirkland have much more than their NFL careers in common. They both married dynamic\, outgoing women named Keasha who lost their lives to lung cancer at an early age. Neither Keasha Draft nor Keisha Kirkland smoked\, and like thousands of other lung cancer survivors\, they were stunned by their diagnoses. Before they passed away\, both women dedicated themselves to changing the face of lung cancer and educating people about the true nature of the disease–a disease that is too often mischaracterized as a “smoker’s disease”. Their legacies live\, with their husbands continuing their fight. \nSuper Bowl Challenge second Runner-Up and lung cancer survivor Samantha Mixon of St. Simons Island\, Georgia is heading to the Taste of the NFL\, a gala event taking place in the Super Bowl city the night before the big game. “We are super excited to be able to go to the Taste of NFL thanks to Team Draft and all of our amazing friends\, family\, and even strangers that supported us. God is so good\, we are beyond blessed!” said Samantha. Guests at the Taste of the NFL will enjoy dishes prepared by some of the best chefs in the country on the night before the Super Bowl\, and they’ll meet legendary players from all 32 NFL teams. The event raises money for food banks around the country. For Samantha Mixon\, it also offers an opportunity to share the story of her journey with lung cancer\, and plans to share details and photos of the occasion on her blog. \nSamantha Mixon was 33 when she was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer two years ago. The mother of a young daughter\, she pressed her doctor for a prognosis\, and was given one year\, perhaps eighteen months to live. Looking back\, she says she regrets asking for that time line\, and since getting the diagnosis\, she has profoundly changed her way of approaching each and every day. “After almost a year I quit asking “why me?” and became grateful that I know. I know I may not have much time left on this earth. Knowing that is a gift in itself. You see\, I could get into an accident tomorrow and not survive. But that didn’t happen. I was given a warning\, not the ticket.” Samantha grew up in Jonesboro\, Georgia and though she now resides on St. Simons Island\, she frequently visits her mother in Atlanta and in addition to lung cancer advocacy work she does with her blog she has worked with the Free to Breathe Atlanta Lung Cancer Run. \n“Super Bowl week is a fitting time to spotlight the crusade to change the face of lung cancer. The level of commitment\, drive and passion required to make it this far parallels the efforts required to get lung cancer research to the next level\,” said Chris Draft who co-founded Team Draft with his late wife Keasha to change the face of lung cancer. \nKeasha and Chris Draft had attended the Super Bowl the year of her diagnosis\, fulfilling one of her lifelong dreams. The memory of that Super Bowl trip served as part of the inspiration for The Super Bowl Challenge. “It takes a team to tackle lung cancer\, and the Super Bowl Challenge has expanded this amazing team. Keasha’s legacy of hope lives on through the Super Bowl Challenge team and we are grateful to all who have contributed and continue to contribute to lung cancer awareness\, research\, treatment and patient advocacy efforts\, and “said Draft. “We are excited to have the opportunity to take the Super Bowl Challenge winners and their stories to the Super Bowl the Pro-Bowl and the Taste of the NFL.” \nThe Chris Draft Family Foundation would like to thank the pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and Company and their Lilly Oncology team for sponsoring the Team Draft initiative to change the face of lung cancer. \nAbout Team Draft \nTeam Draft\, an initiative of the Chris Draft Family Foundation\, is dedicated to raising lung cancer awareness and increasing badly needed research funding by shattering the misconception that lung cancer is a “smoker’s disease.” Despite the fact that between 20\,000 and 30\,000 people who have never smoked are diagnosed with lung cancer in the United States each year\, the smoking stigma negatively impacts lung cancer research funding\, which pales in comparison to funding for other major cancers and diseases. Team Draft is committed to educating people about the true nature of lung cancer\, raising funds for research and improving the lives of those affected by lung cancer. To learn more about Team Draft\, share your story\, or make a donation\, please visit https://www.teamdraft.org. \nAbout Lilly Oncology \nFor more than five decades\, Lilly Oncology\, a division of Eli Lilly and Company\, has been dedicated to delivering innovative solutions that improve the care of people living with cancer. Because no two cancer patients are alike\, Lilly Oncology is committed to developing novel treatment approaches. To learn more about Lilly’s commitment to cancer\, please visit www.LillyOncology.com .
URL:https://www.teamdraft.org/event/team-draft-sends-super-bowl-challenge-winners/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20150331T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20150331T170000
DTSTAMP:20260407T162414
CREATED:20150331T033524Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20150331T033524Z
UID:4258-1427788800-1427821200@www.teamdraft.org
SUMMARY:Rest in Peace Paul Kalanithi
DESCRIPTION:Before I go \nTime warps for a young surgeon with metastatic lung cancer \nBy Paul Kalanithi \nIn residency\, there’s a saying: The days are long\, but the years are short. In neurosurgical training\, the day usually began a little before 6 a.m.\, and lasted until the operating was done\, which depended\, in part\, on how quick you were in the OR. \nA resident’s surgical skill is judged by his technique and his speed. You can’t be sloppy and you can’t be slow. From your first wound closure onward\, spend too much time being precise and the scrub tech will announce\, “Looks like we’ve got a plastic surgeon on our hands!” Or say: “I get your strategy — by the time you finish sewing the top half of the wound\, the bottom will have healed on its own. Half the work — smart!” A chief resident will advise a junior: “Learn to be fast now — you can learn to be good later.” Everyone’s eyes are always on the clock. For the patient’s sake: How long has the patient been under anesthesia? During long procedures\, nerves can get damaged\, muscles can break down\, even causing kidney failure. For everyone else’s sake: What time are we getting out of here tonight? \nThere are two strategies to cutting the time short\, like the tortoise and the hare. The hare moves as fast as possible\, hands a blur\, instruments clattering\, falling to the floor; the skin slips open like a curtain\, the skull flap is on the tray before the bone dust settles. But the opening might need to be expanded a centimeter here or there because it’s not optimally placed. The tortoise proceeds deliberately\, with no wasted movements\, measuring twice\, cutting once. No step of the operation needs revisiting; everything proceeds in orderly fashion. If the hare makes too many minor missteps and has to keep adjusting\, the tortoise wins. If the tortoise spends too much time planning each step\, the hare wins. \nThe funny thing about time in the OR\, whether you frenetically race or steadily proceed\, is that you have no sense of it passing. If boredom is\, as Heidegger argued\, the awareness of time passing\, this is the opposite: The intense focus makes the arms of the clock seem arbitrarily placed. Two hours can feel like a minute. Once the final stitch is placed and the wound is dressed\, normal time suddenly restarts. You can almost hear an audible whoosh. Then you start wondering: How long till the patient wakes up? How long till the next case gets started? How many patients do I need to see before then? What time will I get home tonight? \nIt’s not until the last case finishes that you feel the length of the day\, the drag in your step. Those last few administrative tasks before leaving the hospital\, however far post-meridian you stood\, felt like anvils. Could they wait till tomorrow? No. A sigh\, and Earth continued to rotate back toward the sun. \nBut the years did\, as promised\, fly by. Six years passed in a flash\, but then\, heading into chief residency\, I developed a classic constellation of symptoms — weight loss\, fevers\, night sweats\, unremitting back pain\, cough — indicating a diagnosis quickly confirmed: metastatic lung cancer. The gears of time ground down. While able to limp through the end of residency on treatment\, I relapsed\, underwent chemo and endured a prolonged hospitalization. \nI emerged from the hospital weakened\, with thin limbs and thinned hair. Now unable to work\, I was left at home to convalesce. Getting up from a chair or lifting a glass of water took concentration and effort. If time dilates when one moves at high speeds\, does it contract when one moves barely at all? It must: The day shortened considerably. A full day’s activity might be a medical appointment\, or a visit from a friend. The rest of the time was rest. \nWith little to distinguish one day from the next\, time began to feel static. In English\, we use the word time in different ways\, “the time is 2:45” versus “I’m going through a tough time.” Time began to feel less like the ticking clock\, and more like the state of being. Languor settled in. Focused in the OR\, the position of the clock’s hands might seem arbitrary\, but never meaningless. Now the time of day meant nothing\, the day of the week scarcely more so. \nYet there is dynamism in our house. Our daughter was born days after I was released from the hospital. Week to week\, she blossoms: a first grasp\, a first smile\, a first laugh. Her pediatrician regularly records her growth on charts\, tick marks of her progress over time.   \nVerb conjugation became muddled. Which was correct? “I am a neurosurgeon\,” “I was a neurosurgeon\,” “I had been a neurosurgeon before and will be again”? Graham Greene felt life was lived in the first 20 years and the remainder was just reflection. What tense was I living in? Had I proceeded\, like a burned-out Greene character\, beyond the present tense and into the past perfect? The future tense seemed vacant and\, on others’ lips\, jarring. I recently celebrated my 15th college reunion; it seemed rude to respond to parting promises from old friends\, “We’ll see you at the 25th!” with “Probably not!” \nYet there is dynamism in our house. Our daughter was born days after I was released from the hospital. Week to week\, she blossoms: a first grasp\, a first smile\, a first laugh. Her pediatrician regularly records her growth on charts\, tick marks of her progress over time. A brightening newness surrounds her. As she sits in my lap smiling\, enthralled by my tuneless singing\, an incandescence lights the room. \nTime for me is double-edged: Every day brings me further from the low of my last cancer relapse\, but every day also brings me closer to the next cancer recurrence — and eventually\, death. Perhaps later than I think\, but certainly sooner than I desire. There are\, I imagine\, two responses to that realization. The most obvious might be an impulse to frantic activity: to “live life to its fullest\,” to travel\, to dine\, to achieve a host of neglected ambitions. Part of the cruelty of cancer\, though\, is not only that it limits your time\, it also limits your energy\, vastly reducing the amount you can squeeze into a day. It is a tired hare who now races. But even if I had the energy\, I prefer a more tortoiselike approach. I plod\, I ponder\, some days I simply persist. \nEveryone succumbs to finitude. I suspect I am not the only one who reaches this pluperfect state. Most ambitions are either achieved or abandoned; either way\, they belong to the past. The future\, instead of the ladder toward the goals of life\, flattens out into a perpetual present. Money\, status\, all the vanities the preacher of Ecclesiastes described\, hold so little interest: a chasing after wind\, indeed. \nYet one thing cannot be robbed of her futurity: my daughter\, Cady. I hope I’ll live long enough that she has some memory of me. Words have a longevity I do not. I had thought I could leave her a series of letters — but what would they really say? I don’t know what this girl will be like when she is 15; I don’t even know if she’ll take to the nickname we’ve given her. There is perhaps only one thing to say to this infant\, who is all future\, overlapping briefly with me\, whose life\, barring the improbable\, is all but past. \nThat message is simple: When you come to one of the many moments in life when you must give an account of yourself\, provide a ledger of what you have been\, and done\, and meant to the world\, do not\, I pray\, discount that you filled a dying man’s days with a sated joy\, a joy unknown to me in all my prior years\, a joy that does not hunger for more and more\, but rests\, satisfied. In this time\, right now\, that is an enormous thing.
URL:https://www.teamdraft.org/event/rest-in-peace-paul-kalanithi/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20150501T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20150503T170000
DTSTAMP:20260407T162414
CREATED:20150416T201207Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20150416T201633Z
UID:4267-1430467200-1430672400@www.teamdraft.org
SUMMARY:Team Draft at LUNGevity's HOPE Summit
DESCRIPTION:Congratulations to lung cancer survivors Kiersten Dickson\, Kelly Kakuk\, and Edwina Edgeworth who were awarded a travel grant by former NFL linebacker Chris Draft of Team Draft to attend LUNGevity’s 5th Annual National HOPE Summit in Washington DC May 1-3\, 2015. \nHOPE Summit is a one-of-a-kind survivorship conference for anyone who has ever been diagnosed with lung cancer.  It is held the first weekend of May\, (Lung Cancer Hope Month) every year in Washington DC and each year boasts the largest national gathering of lung cancer survivors. \nThe goal of the weekend is to provide a summit for survivors with educational sessions covering topics like research\, immunotherapy\, ask the oncologist\, thoracic surgery\, communicating with your caregivers\, managing your medical team\, living with lung cancer\, nutrition\, writing and blogging\, becoming an empowered advocate\, and sharing lung cancer survivor stories. \nThere are also activities and events during the weekend that provide the opportunity for survivors from across the nation to meet others that have similar diagnosis\, network with experts and build lasting friendships and support systems. \nChris Draft will be attending this year’s HOPE Summit and will speak about the importance of raising awareness\, his personal story and experience as a lung cancer caregiver and advocate\, and share how he and his late wife Keasha began their foundation. Team Draft is an initiative of the Chris Draft Family Foundation created by Chris and his late wife Keasha during her year-long struggle with Stage IV Lung Cancer.  \n“When Chris and Keasha launched Team Draft\, they made a commitment to tackle cancer. Team Draft is honoring that commitment by using the unique platform available to Chris as a former NFL player and nationally recognized community leader and health advocate to lead a national campaign to change the face of lung cancer.”* \nYou can read more about Chris\, Keasha and Team Draft at the Team Draft website. \nLUNGevity is honored to welcome Chis Draft and his guest-survivors at this years event! \nCourtesy of LUNGevity\nBy:Katie Brown
URL:https://www.teamdraft.org/event/team-draft-at-lungevitys-hope-summit/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20150616T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20150616T170000
DTSTAMP:20260407T162414
CREATED:20150616T164400Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20150828T194412Z
UID:4275-1434441600-1434474000@www.teamdraft.org
SUMMARY:TACKLING CANCER: A Celebration of Survivors and Caregivers
DESCRIPTION:Earth City\, MO – On Thursday\, June 18th former St. Louis Rams linebacker and Team Draft co-founder\, Chris Draft\, will return to the Rams training facility\, but this time he won’t be preparing to take on divisional rivals like the San Francisco 49ers or the Seattle Seahawks. This time\, he will be leading Team Draft’s 2nd annual Tackling Cancer camp. \nIn December 2010\, Draft’s then girlfriend\, Keasha\, a vibrant young woman who had never smoked\, was diagnosed with Stage IV Lung Cancer. Despite the diagnosis and knowing the long odds they faced\, Chris and Keasha decided to fight back\, and on November\, 27\, 2011\, standing hand-in-hand\, they launched Team Draft at their wedding. A month later\, Keasha lost her courageous battle and died at the age of 38. From the beginning\, Team Draft has been on a mission to tackle cancer. “Our hope is not only to positively impact research funding\, but to improve the quality of life for those affected by cancer\,” says Draft. “We aren’t fighting against cancer\, we’re fighting for people.” This week Team Draft will bring that fight to Rams Park for a unique “tackling cancer” football skills camp. \nOn Thursday\, June 18th more than 100 cancer survivors of all ages and cancer types and their caregivers representing Siteman Cancer Center\, Mercy Health Cancer Center\, Saint Louis University Cancer Center\, American Cancer Society\, Friends of Kids with Cancer and Lung Cancer Connections\, Inc.\, a Missouri-based community outreach group\, will join Draft and other Team Draft representatives\, Rams players\, cheerleaders\, and personnel who have themselves been touched by cancer\, on the Rams’ indoor practice field where they will participate in several football drills. After the clinic\, representatives from Team Draft and LiveSTRONG will facilitate survivor and caregiver discussion groups focusing on various topics related to survivorship. \nHaving played in the NFL for more than 10 years\, Draft knows something about going head to head with difficult competition\, but he says “nothing can prepare you for the anger\, frustration and fear you feel when you or somebody you care about is diagnosed with cancer.” Draft goes on to explain that “through our Tackling Cancer events\, we want to give people who are battling the disease every day the opportunity to take out some of those emotions in a unique and positive way. We want them to hit those bags like they’d hit cancer!” \nFor the last four years\, Team Draft has been leading a National Campaign to Change the Face of Lung Cancer—a campaign that has taken the organization to more than 100 of the top cancer treatment and research facilities in the country. And while Team Draft’s primary focus has been lung cancer\, as Draft explains\, “we recognize that all cancer survivors and caregivers are on a similar journey\, fighting a similar battle.” “In short\,” he says\, “we’re all on the same team.” Draft adds that “our Tackling Cancer events give Team Draft an opportunity to appreciate that shared journey by creating a unique experience for participating survivors and caregivers\, sparking discussion and the sharing of information between those battling different types of cancer and raising awareness on a local and national level about the importance of having a solid cancer care team.” \nThe event\, organized by Team Draft and is sponsored in part by pharmaceuticals manufacturer Eli Lilly Company\, will take place at Rams Park\, 1 Rams Way\, Earth City\, Missouri\, on the evening of June 18. \nAbout the Chris Draft Family Foundation and Team Draft \nThe Chris Draft Family Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation dedicated to strengthening communities by empowering families to live healthy lifestyles. The Foundation focuses on several primary initiatives with overarching themes that stress the importance of education\, healthy lifestyles\, character development\, personal responsibility\, self-discipline and physical fitness. To learn more about the Foundation\, please visit www.chrisdraftfamilyfoundation.org. \nThrough its Team Draft initiative\, the Foundation is carrying on Keasha’s fight to tackle cancer by promoting cancer awareness\, research and scholarship. Team Draft is dedicated to empowering people to live longer and live stronger by changing the face of lung cancer. To learn more about Team Draft\, please visit www.teamdraft.org. \nFor more information\, please contact: \nRandall M. Hawkins\nDirector of Communications & Strategic Partnerships\nThe Chris Draft Family Foundation\, Inc.\nTel: 678-485-7458\nEmail: rhawkins@chrisdraft.org
URL:https://www.teamdraft.org/event/tackling-cancer-a-celebration-of-survivors-and-caregivers/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20150828T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20150828T170000
DTSTAMP:20260407T162414
CREATED:20150828T194002Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160418T175216Z
UID:4287-1440748800-1440781200@www.teamdraft.org
SUMMARY:A Survivor at Every NFL Stadium: Carolina Panthers
DESCRIPTION:Charlotte\, NC. Greenville\, SC natives and lung cancer survivors Dan Powell and Rick Owens\, will join former Carolina Panther Chris Draft and other Panthers’ alums Friday night at Bank of America. Dan and Rick will be accompanied by their sons\, and spend the evening sharing their lung cancer journeys with Carolina Panthers Alumni. \nView Photos \nThis game will serve as the kickoff for Team Draft’s 2015 A Survivor at Every Stadium series. In 2012\, Team Draft marked the occasion by launching our inaugural Survivor at Every Stadium initiative on CNN during a nationally-televised prime time special focusing on lung cancer and our National Campaign to Change the Face of Lung Cancer. \nLeveraging our connections with the NFL\, its teams and players and our relationships with many of the top cancer centers in the country\, As part of our National Campaign\, this celebration of survivorship raises lung cancer awareness\, gives hope to those battling the disease\, and shines a light on the important work being done at cancer research and treatment centers around the country. \nTeam Draft’s goals are to create a unique experience for participating survivors and to raise awareness on a local\, national\, and international level by using each game and each survivor’s story to weave a broader narrative about the state of cancer and the hope that now exists for those battling the disease. \nSpecial thanks to the Carolina Panthers\, St. Francis Bon Secours Cancer Center\, Charlotte Presbyterian Cancer Center and our Team Draft supporters for helping make this experience possible. \nDonate now to Support the National Campaign to Change the Face of Lung Cancer! 
URL:https://www.teamdraft.org/event/a-survivor-at-every-nfl-stadium-carolina-panthers/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20150903T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20150903T170000
DTSTAMP:20260407T162414
CREATED:20150908T212011Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160210T164720Z
UID:4294-1441267200-1441299600@www.teamdraft.org
SUMMARY:A Survivor at Every College Stadium: University of South Carolina Gamecocks vs. University of North Carolina Tarheels
DESCRIPTION:Charlotte\, NC. 3 Survivors. 2 Teams. 1 Game. #BorderBattle #BelkKickoff #USCvUNC \nMUSC Hollings Cancer Center lung cancer survivor Johns Sanders\, UNC Lineberger Cancer Center lung cancer Tomma Hargraves and Presbyterian Novant Health Cancer Center lung cancer survivor Dan Powell represented Team Draft on Thursday Night at Bank of America Stadium. The survivors shared with each other and watched the University of South Carolina Gamecocks defeated the University of North Carolina Tarheels as a part of Team Draft’s A Survivor at Every College Stadium. \nView Photos \nIn 2012\, Team Draft launched our inaugural Survivor at Every Stadium initiative on CNN during a nationally-televised prime time special focusing on lung cancer and our National Campaign to Change the Face of Lung Cancer. \nLeveraging our connections with the NFL\, its teams and players and our relationships with many of the top cancer centers in the country\, As part of our National Campaign\, this celebration of survivorship raises lung cancer awareness\, gives hope to those battling the disease\, and shines a light on the important work being done at cancer research and treatment centers around the country. \nTeam Draft’s goals are to create a unique experience for participating survivors and to raise awareness on a local\, national\, and international level by using each game and each survivor’s story to weave a broader narrative about the state of cancer and the hope that now exists for those battling the disease. \nSpecial thanks to the Carolina Panthers\, St. Francis Bon Secours Cancer Center\, UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center\, MUSC Hollings Cancer Center \nDonate now to Support the National Campaign to Change the Face of Lung Cancer!
URL:https://www.teamdraft.org/event/a-survivor-at-every-college-stadium-university-of-south-carolina-gamecocks-vs-university-of-north-carolina-tarheels/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20150912T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20150912T170000
DTSTAMP:20260407T162414
CREATED:20150913T081601Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160210T163832Z
UID:4297-1442044800-1442077200@www.teamdraft.org
SUMMARY:A Survivor at Every College Stadium: CU Buffaloes
DESCRIPTION:Boulder\, CO. Lung cancer survivors Michael Moore\, Kim Ringen\, and Jonathan Wilmot will represent Team Draft on Saturday at Folsom Field. The University of Colorado Cancer Center survivors will watch their CU Buffaloes take on the UMass Minutemen. #tacklinglungcancer #RunRalphieRun #CUvsUMass \nView Photos \nIn 2012\, Team Draft marked the occasion by launching our inaugural Survivor at Every Stadium initiative on CNN during a nationally-televised prime time special focusing on lung cancer and our National Campaign to Change the Face of Lung Cancer. \nLeveraging our connections with the NFL\, its teams and players and our relationships with many of the top cancer centers in the country\, As part of our National Campaign\, this celebration of survivorship raises lung cancer awareness\, gives hope to those battling the disease\, and shines a light on the important work being done at cancer research and treatment centers around the country. \nTeam Draft’s goals are to create a unique experience for participating survivors and to raise awareness on a local\, national\, and international level by using each game and each survivor’s story to weave a broader narrative about the state of cancer and the hope that now exists for those battling the disease. \nSpecial thanks to the CU Football team\, University of Colorado Cancer Center and our Team Draft supporters for helping make this experience possible. \nDonate now to Support the National Campaign to Change the Face of Lung Cancer!
URL:https://www.teamdraft.org/event/a-survivor-at-every-college-stadium-cu-buffaloes/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20150914T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20150914T170000
DTSTAMP:20260407T162414
CREATED:20150918T163133Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160210T163418Z
UID:4324-1442217600-1442250000@www.teamdraft.org
SUMMARY:A Survivor at Every Stadium: Atlanta Falcons
DESCRIPTION:Atlanta\, GA. Lung cancer survivor Kristen Carlton will represent Team Draft at the Georgia Dome. Kristen\, and her family will watch the Atlanta Falcons take on the visiting Philadelphia Eagles on ESPN Monday Night Football. Prior to the start of the game Kristen will join Chris Draft and other Falcons Legends on the field\, as Falcons celebrate their 50th season. #RiseUp #Tacklinglungcancer #MNF #ESPN \nView Photos \n“I was diagnosed with Stage 1 Lung Cancer in July 2013. I had no symptoms\, but my tumor showed up on a CT done for kidney stones. On Aug 14\, 2013\, I had my tumor and left lower lobe removed. Fortunately\, my cancer was caught early and had not spread to my lymph nodes. In November 2014\, I ran my third half-marathon and I finished. I am also determined to help raise awareness for this horrible disease.” ~ Kristen Carlton \nIn 2012\, Team Draft marked the occasion by launching our inaugural Survivor at Every Stadium initiative on CNN during a nationally-televised prime time special focusing on lung cancer and our National Campaign to Change the Face of Lung Cancer. \nLeveraging our connections with the NFL\, its teams and players and our relationships with many of the top cancer centers in the country\, As part of our National Campaign\, this celebration of survivorship raises lung cancer awareness\, gives hope to those battling the disease\, and shines a light on the important work being done at cancer research and treatment centers around the country. \nTeam Draft’s goals are to create a unique experience for participating survivors and to raise awareness on a local\, national\, and international level by using each game and each survivor’s story to weave a broader narrative about the state of cancer and the hope that now exists for those battling the disease. \nSpecial thanks to the Atlanta Falcons\, Emory University Winship Cancer Institute and our Team Draft supporters for helping make this experience possible. \nDonate now to Support the National Campaign to Change the Face of Lung Cancer!
URL:https://www.teamdraft.org/event/a-survivor-at-every-stadium-atlanta-falcons-4/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20150919T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20150919T170000
DTSTAMP:20260407T162414
CREATED:20150918T164130Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160418T175328Z
UID:4329-1442649600-1442682000@www.teamdraft.org
SUMMARY:A Survivor at Every College Stadium: Purdue Boilermakers
DESCRIPTION:West Lafayette\, IN. Retired US Marine Colonel and lung cancer survivor Mark Smith will attend the Purdue University game this weekend versus Virginia Tech. Since his diagnosis\, at St. Francis Cancer Center in Indianapolis\, Col. Smith has committed to being a survivor-advocate for cancer survivors. #BoilerUp \nView Photos \n“Every day he is battling cancer with faith\, fitness and fight.”\nhttp://wishtv.com/2014/01/22/marine-talks-lung-cancer-battle/ \nSmith said having cancer has brought blessings into his life. To pass that on\, he has set up at Franciscan St. Francis Health the Colonel Mark A. Smith patient assistance fund to raise money for those fighting cancer.  The fund offers financial assistance for everyday expenses not covered by insurance such as medications\, transportation\, groceries\, rent and utilities. By easing this burden\, patients and their families can focus on  healing. \nUSMC Colonel Mark Smith – https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=44&v=en0HePosesc\nIn 2012\, Team Draft marked the occasion by launching our inaugural Survivor at Every Stadium initiative\, with the NFL\, on CNN during a nationally-televised prime time special focusing on lung cancer and our National Campaign to Change the Face of Lung Cancer. \nLeveraging our connections with the NFL and the NCAA\, its teams and players and our relationships with many of the top cancer centers in the country\,  As part of our National Campaign\, this celebration of survivorship raises lung cancer awareness\, gives hope to those battling the disease\, and shines a light on the important work being done at cancer research and treatment centers around the country. \nTeam Draft’s goals are to create a unique experience for participating survivors and to raise awareness on a local\, national\, and international level by using each game and each survivor’s story to weave a broader narrative about the state of cancer and the hope that now exists for those battling the disease. \nSpecial thanks to the Purdue University football team\, Franciscan St. Francis Health Cancer Center and our Team Draft supporters for helping make this experience possible. \nDonate now to Support the National Campaign to Change the Face of Lung Cancer! www.teamdraft.org
URL:https://www.teamdraft.org/event/a-survivor-at-every-college-stadium-purdue-boilermakers/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20150920T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20150920T170000
DTSTAMP:20260407T162414
CREATED:20150918T164953Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160418T175550Z
UID:4334-1442736000-1442768400@www.teamdraft.org
SUMMARY:A Survivor At Every Stadium: Chicago Bears
DESCRIPTION:Chicago\, IL. Chicago lung cancer survivor Jan Bissell will join former Bear\, and Team Draft co-founder\, Chris Draft\, and other Bears Legends on Sunday at Soldier Field. Jan\, and her family will represent Team Draft and watch the Chicago Bears take on the visiting Arizona Cardinals. #ASurvivorAtEveryStadium #tacklinglungcancer #BearDown \nView Photos \nIn 2012\, we\, Team Draft\,  launched our inaugural Survivor at Every Stadium initiative on CNN during a nationally-televised prime time special focusing on lung cancer and our National Campaign to Change the Face of Lung Cancer. \nLeveraging our connections with the NFL\, its teams and players and our relationships with many of the top cancer centers in the country\,  As part of our National Campaign\, this celebration of survivorship raises lung cancer awareness\, gives hope to those battling the disease\, and shines a light on the important work being done at cancer research and treatment centers around the country. \nTeam Draft’s goals are to create a unique experience for participating survivors and to raise awareness on a local\, national\, and international level by using each game and each survivor’s story to weave a broader narrative about the state of cancer and the hope that now exists for those battling the disease. \nSpecial thanks to the Chicago Bears\, CDH Cancer Center at Warrenville and our Team Draft supporters for helping make this experience possible. \nDonate now to Support the National Campaign to Change the Face of Lung Cancer!\nA Survivor At Every Stadium: Chicago Bears
URL:https://www.teamdraft.org/event/a-survivor-at-every-stadium-chicago-bears-2/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20150926T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20150930T170000
DTSTAMP:20260407T162414
CREATED:20150928T183430Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160210T161600Z
UID:4349-1443254400-1443632400@www.teamdraft.org
SUMMARY:A Survivor At Every College Stadium: Oregon Ducks
DESCRIPTION:Eugene\, OR. OHSU Knight Cancer Institute lung cancer survivor Kim Wieneke and\, her husband\, Spencer will represent Team Draft at Autzen Stadium on Saturday. They will watch the University of Oregon Ducks take on the visiting University of Utah Utes. #PAC12 #WinTheDay #tacklinglungcancer \nView More Photos  \nIn 2012\, we\, Team Draft\,  launched our inaugural Survivor at Every Stadium initiative on CNN during a nationally-televised prime time special focusing on lung cancer and our National Campaign to Change the Face of Lung Cancer. \nLeveraging our connections with the NFL and the NCAA\, its teams and players and our relationships with many of the top cancer centers in the country\,  As part of our National Campaign\, this celebration of survivorship raises lung cancer awareness\, gives hope to those battling the disease\, and shines a light on the important work being done at cancer research and treatment centers around the country. \n>P>Team Draft’s goals are to create a unique experience for participating survivors and to raise awareness on a local\, national\, and international level by using each game and each survivor’s story to weave a broader narrative about the state of cancer and the hope that now exists for those battling the disease. \nSpecial thanks to the Oregon Ducks\, Oregon Health Sciences University- Knight Cancer Institute\, Kaiser Portland  and our Team Draft supporters for helping make this experience possible. \nDonate now to Support the National Campaign to Change the Face of Lung Cancer! www.teamdraft.org
URL:https://www.teamdraft.org/event/a-survivor-at-every-college-stadium-oregon-ducks/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20150929T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20150929T170000
DTSTAMP:20260407T162414
CREATED:20150929T123734Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160418T175658Z
UID:4354-1443513600-1443546000@www.teamdraft.org
SUMMARY:Former NFL Player Chris Draft to Join Hundreds of Cancer Advocates in Solemn Ceremony on National Mall
DESCRIPTION:Former NFL Player Chris Draft to Join Hundreds of Cancer Advocates in Solemn Ceremony on National Mall \n  \nMore Than 750 Patients\, Survivors Urging Congress to Make Cancer A Priority \n  \nWASHINGTON\, DC – Former National Football League player Chris Draft will join more than 750 cancer patients\, survivors and their loved ones from all 50 states and nearly every congressional district Sept. 29 in an emotional evening ceremony near the Capitol Reflecting Pool to honor people battling cancer\, remember those who lost their lives to cancer and call on Congress to prioritize the fight against a disease that will kill an estimated 589\,000 people in America this year. \n  \nThe “Lights of HOPE” ceremony\, which is part of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) Leadership Summit and Lobby Day\, will feature more than 20\,000 lights in decorated bags circling the reflecting pool and spelling the words “HOPE” and “CURE” on nearby steps\, with the U.S. Capitol as a stunning backdrop. The bags will include handwritten messages to family members and friends who have battled cancer. \n  \nDraft was an NFL linebacker for 13 seasons\, playing for the Chicago Bears\, San Francisco 49ers\, Atlanta Falcons\, Carolina Panthers\, St. Louis Rams and Buffalo Bills. He was also a caregiver to his wife\, Keasha\, who lost her battle to lung cancer just a month after their wedding in 2011. The ceremony is part of the #OneDegree campaign\, which ACS CAN launched with Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) earlier this year to underscore the fact that we all know someone with cancer – a relative\, a friend\, a co-worker – and many of us have faced the disease ourselves. Draft and his late wife founded Team Draft in 2011 to raise lung cancer awareness and to help survivors and caregivers become advocates. \n  \nAdvocates will share thousands of photos and reflections of the ceremony on social media with the hashtag #LightsofHope – a call to action reaching communities nationwide to join the fight to defeat cancer. \n  \nThe ACS CAN Lights of HOPE ceremony is presented by Celgene. \n  \nWHAT: “Lights of HOPE” Ceremony featuring nearly 20\,000 lighted bags honoring cancer survivors and remembering loved ones who lost their cancer battle \n  \nWHO: Former NFL Player Chris Draft \nMore than 750 cancer patients\, survivors\, and caregivers participating in the ACS CAN Leadership Summit & Lobby Day to urge Congress to make the cancer fight a national priority \n  \nWHEN: Tuesday evening\, Sept. 29 – Speaking program begins at 8:00 p.m. \n  \nWHERE: U.S. Capitol Reflecting Pool\, Union Square \n  \nFOR MORE INFO: Contact Steve Weiss (202-607-0911; sweiss@cancer.org) or Alissa Crispino (240-498-7233 or Alissa.crispino@cancer.org) \n  \nACS CAN\, the nonprofit\, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate of the American Cancer Society\, supports evidence-based policy and legislative solutions designed to eliminate cancer as a major health problem.  ACS CAN works to encourage elected officials and candidates to make cancer a top national priority. ACS CAN gives ordinary people extraordinary power to fight cancer with the training and tools they need to make their voices heard. For more information\, visit www.acscan.org.
URL:https://www.teamdraft.org/event/former-nfl-player-chris-draft-to-join-hundreds-of-cancer-advocates-in-solemn-ceremony-on-national-mall/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20151003T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20151004T170000
DTSTAMP:20260407T162414
CREATED:20151004T000759Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160418T175822Z
UID:4357-1443859200-1443978000@www.teamdraft.org
SUMMARY:A Surivor at Every College Stadium: University of South Florida
DESCRIPTION:Tampa\, FL. Ft. Myers lung cancer survivor-advocate Melissa Crouse represented Team Draft at the USF Bulls game last night. Melissa watched the USF Bulls play a tough game against the undefeated Memphis Tigers. #tacklinglungcancer \nView  Photos \n“I may have cancer\, but it doesn’t have me!!!” ~ Melissa Crouse \nEight years ago I was diagnosed with NSCLC (non-small cell lung cancer) and was given between three and five years to live. As a relatively young healthy woman who worked out every day\, I was shocked. I was in good shape and I never\, ever smoked. I’ve survived four recurrences\, dealt with (and continue to deal with) metastases\, countless chemotherapy treatments\, a course of radiation and several treatment related life threatening issues. It is a roller coaster ride\, but it’s my reality. \nI am a stage IV lung cancer patient\, but I continue to work as a teacher and try to live each day to the fullest. I\’ve let go of a lot of emotional baggage and become a lot more tolerant of things that used to bother me because I now realize how silly it is to waste time on negativity. I adore my family and treasure the times we are together. In many ways\, dealing with this monster has made a positive impact on my life. I am very fortunate to have what I consider the best doctors caring for me. Instead of focusing on the numerous pesky side effects from chemo\, I choose to be grateful that I am still here and am able to enjoy life…..particularly the fact that I still feel productive. I am becoming more active as an advocate and feel so blessed that I can offer hope and encouragement to others. \nIn 2012\, we\, Team Draft\, launched our inaugural Survivor at Every Stadium initiative on CNN during a nationally-televised prime time special focusing on lung cancer and our National Campaign to Change the Face of Lung Cancer. \nLeveraging our connections with the NFL and the NCAA\, its teams and players and our relationships with many of the top cancer centers in the country\, As part of our National Campaign\, this celebration of survivorship raises lung cancer awareness\, gives hope to those battling the disease\, and shines a light on the important work being done at cancer research and treatment centers around the country. >P>Team Draft’s goals are to create a unique experience for participating survivors and to raise awareness on a local\, national\, and international level by using each game and each survivor’s story to weave a broader narrative about the state of cancer and the hope that now exists for those battling the disease. \nSpecial thanks to the University of South Florida Bulls\, Mass General\, USF Moffit Cancer Center and our Team Draft supporters for helping make this experience possible. \nDonate now to Support the National Campaign to Change the Face of Lung Cancer! www.teamdraft.org
URL:https://www.teamdraft.org/event/a-surivor-at-every-college-stadium-university-of-south-florida/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20151010T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20151010T170000
DTSTAMP:20260407T162414
CREATED:20151010T142133Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160418T175933Z
UID:4362-1444464000-1444496400@www.teamdraft.org
SUMMARY:A Survivor at Every College Stadium: University of Michigan Wolverines
DESCRIPTION:Ann Arbor\, MI. University of Michigan lung cancer survivor Tori Tomalia\, and her husband\, represented Team Draft at the Big House on Saturday. Tori will watch the University of Michigan Wolverines take on the Northwestern Wildcats. #BigBlue #Tacklinglungcancer \n\n\n\nTori Tomalia is a two-time cancer survivor currently living with stage 4 non-small cell lung cancer since May of 2013. Her first cancer experience was childhood osteogenic sarcoma\, for which she received chemotherapy and curative surgery\, and had been cancer-free for over 20 years prior to the lung cancer diagnosis. Along with cancer\, Tori juggles life as a mom of 3 small children\, a wife\, a theatre artist\, writer and lung cancer awareness advocate.\n\nTori’s blog:http://www.curetoday.com/community/tori-tomalia/2015/05/lung-cancer-hope-summit#sthash.QnO9pFWJ.dpuf\n\n\nPrior to the game\, Tori will attend a tailgate hosted by Sarah Murray. Sarah is the founder of the Vada Murray Cancer Fund that funds research at the University of Michigan Cancer Center.\n \nVada Murray was an athlete all his life. He grew up in Cincinnati\, Ohio playing every sport he could. After graduating From Cincinnati Moeller High School\, he went on to play defensive back under Bo Schembechler for the University of Michigan from 1986-1990 and went to 3 Rose Bowls during this time at Michigan.\n\n \nVada turned down an opportunity to play for the NFL\, choosing instead to dedicate his life to public service by becoming a police officer for the Ann Arbor Police Department. He proudly served the city and the citizens of the Ann Arbor area for 21 years.\n\nVada married his wife Sarah in 2001. Together they had two beautiful and talented daughters. They enjoyed a rigorous health and fitness regimen. \n\n\nLate in 2008\, Vada was unexpectedly diagnosed with advanced lung cancer at the age of 41. Neither Vada nor his parents ever smoked. He endured months of chemotherapy and physical and emotional pain but remained determined to win the battle against this unexpected and unfair opponent. Tragically\, Vada passed away on April 6th\, 2011 at the age of 43\, leaving behind his wife\, Sarah\, son Deric (12)\, and daughters Kendall (8) and Harper (6).\n\nhttp://www.vadamurray.com/2011/07/murrays-story.html\n\nIn 2012\, we\, Team Draft\,  launched our inaugural Survivor at Every Stadium initiative on CNN during a nationally-televised prime time special focusing on lung cancer and our National Campaign to Change the Face of Lung Cancer.\n\nLeveraging our connections with the NFL and the NCAA\, its teams and players and our relationships with many of the top cancer centers in the country\,  As part of our National Campaign\, this celebration of survivorship raises lung cancer awareness\, gives hope to those battling the disease\, and shines a light on the important work being done at cancer research and treatment centers around the country.\n\nTeam Draft’s goals are to create a unique experience for participating survivors and to raise awareness on a local\, national\, and international level by using each game and each survivor’s story to weave a broader narrative about the state of cancer and the hope that now exists for those battling the disease.\n\nSpecial thanks to the University of Michigan\, UM Cancer Center\, Sarah Murray  and our Team Draft supporters for helping make this experience possible.\n\nDonate now to Support the National Campaign to Change the Face of Lung Cancer! www.teamdraft.org\n\nView Photos
URL:https://www.teamdraft.org/event/a-survivor-at-every-college-stadium-university-of-michigan-wolverines/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20151011T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20151011T170000
DTSTAMP:20260407T162414
CREATED:20151011T170242Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20151021T035128Z
UID:4368-1444550400-1444582800@www.teamdraft.org
SUMMARY:A Survivor at Every Stadium: Atlanta Falcons
DESCRIPTION:Atlanta\, GA. Northside Hospital lung cancer survivor Jackie Archer\, and her husband\, will represent Team Draft at the Georgia Dome on Sunday. Jackie will watch the Atlanta Falcons take on the visiting Washington Redskins with Falcons Alumni. #RiseUp #50seasons \nAccording to Jackie\, Tuesday\, August 2\, 2005\, at the age of 40 years and in seemingly excellent health\, an evening commuter came crashing into my SUV. I quickly phoned 911. Within moments there were lights and sirens coming from every direction. \nThe paramedics gently placed me onto a straight board and took me to the local hospital where I underwent a variety of tests to verify the extent of my injuries. By the time the tests were completed the ER room I had been assigned to was filled with my family and our family doctor\, Dr. Ayisha Gani. After a few hours of x-rays and tests the ER doctor told me he had “…good news and bad news”. He went on to say with surprise\, “The good news is that there are no injuries\, no fractures\, nothing whatsoever as a result of the car accident.” Everyone was relieved\, for a moment. “The bad news is there is something in your lower right lobe the size of my fist; we need to do some tests…” Dr. Gani\, my personal physician explained to me that she was admitting me for additional tests which would more than likely involve a biopsy the following day. \nThe next day I had a biopsy performed and remained in the hospital while other family members made their way to Georgia. It was Thursday afternoon that Dr. Gani came to my hospital room with all of my family in the room and told me the news and said\, “The biopsy results are in; there is a tumor growing in the lower right lobe; it has to come out right away\, you have lung cancer.” I was shocked to hear this and asked if this was accurate. I asked her how this could have happened. Me? I never smoked and neither did my parents. How could I get lung cancer? I was then told it was the fastest growing type of cancer cell\, Adenocarcenoma. I had lung cancer. I never smoked and neither did my parents. \nLater that evening my three sons were brought to my hospital room. They were 12\, 14 & 16 years old at the time. I proceeded to remind them of the phrase they had heard throughout their life\, “God works in mysterious ways”. As I reminded them of this phrase I repeated for them the sequenceof events that had played out over the past two days. I wanted to protect them from any unknown fears that the word “cancer” is typically associated with. They understood that surgery would be required and that the accident was one of “God’s mysterious ways” of letting me know there was something wrong inside me.\nIn 2012\, we\, Team Draft\,  launched our inaugural Survivor at Every Stadium initiative on CNN during a nationally-televised prime time special focusing on lung cancer and our National Campaign to Change the Face of Lung Cancer. \nLeveraging our connections with the NFL\, its teams and players and our relationships with many of the top cancer centers in the country\,  As part of our National Campaign\, this celebration of survivorship raises lung cancer awareness\, gives hope to those battling the disease\, and shines a light on the important work being done at cancer research and treatment centers around the country. \nTeam Draft’s goals are to create a unique experience for participating survivors and to raise awareness on a local\, national\, and international level by using each game and each survivor’s story to weave a broader narrative about the state of cancer and the hope that now exists for those battling the disease. \nSpecial thanks to the Northside Hospital Cancer Center\, Atlanta Falcons and our Team Draft supporters for helping make this experience possible. \n\nDonate now to Support the National Campaign to Change the Face of Lung Cancer! www.teamdraft.org
URL:https://www.teamdraft.org/event/a-survivor-at-every-stadium-atlanta-falcons-5/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20151015T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20151016T050000
DTSTAMP:20260407T162414
CREATED:20151019T170447Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20151021T030209Z
UID:4411-1444896000-1444971600@www.teamdraft.org
SUMMARY:A Survivor at Every College Stadium: Stanford University
DESCRIPTION:Stanford\, CA. Bay Area lung cancer survivor Robert Tankersley represented Team Draft on Thursday night at Stanford Stadium. Robert watched the Stanford Cardinal defeat the visiting UCLA Bruins 56-35 with his son in-law Jaime and Team Draft host Kadar Hamilton- CDFF Board member\, and former Stanford Cardinal football player. #tacklinglungcancer #STANvUCLA #ThursdayNightFootball #ESPN  \n\nIn 2012\, we\, Team Draft\, launched our inaugural Survivor at Every Stadium initiative on CNN during a nationally-televised prime time special focusing on lung cancer and our National Campaign to Change the Face of Lung Cancer. \n\nLeveraging our connections with the NFL and the NCAA\, its teams and players and our relationships with many of the top cancer centers in the country\, As part of our National Campaign\, this celebration of survivorship raises lung cancer awareness\, gives hope to those battling the disease\, and shines a light on the important work being done at cancer research and treatment centers around the country. \n\nTeam Draft’s goals are to create a unique experience for participating survivors and to raise awareness on a local\, national\, and international level by using each game and each survivor’s story to weave a broader narrative about the state of cancer and the hope that now exists for those battling the disease. \n\nSpecial thanks to the Stanford University\, El Camino Hospital\, Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation\, and our Team Draft supporters for helping make this experience possible. \n\nDonate now to Support the National Campaign to Change the Face of Lung Cancer! www.teamdraft.org
URL:https://www.teamdraft.org/event/a-survivor-at-every-college-stadium-stanford-university/
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR