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DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20150115T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20150115T170000
DTSTAMP:20260407T041751
CREATED:20150122T135622Z
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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:20260407T041751
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/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20150125T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20150125T170000
DTSTAMP:20260407T041751
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:20260407T041751
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/
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20150201T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20150201T170000
DTSTAMP:20260407T041751
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:20260407T041751
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/
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