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Archive for the ‘Families’ Category

A story of hope: Elizabeth Lambert shares her family story

Posted by Karen Chelcun Schreiber On March - 11 - 2010

Elizabeth Lambert, a teacher and a member of the Board of Directors of No Stomach For Cancer, Inc., is dedicated to raising awareness and educating the public about diffuse stomach cancer.  Like many others, her family has been affected by a hereditary form of stomach cancer. 

Elizabeth’s family was featured in a January 22, 2010 episode of Chronicle about genetics which aired on WCVB Boston Channel 5 on January 22, 2010.  View the Walsh Family Stomach Cancer video on You Tube.

A story of hope: Family has stomachs removed to fight cancer, an article written by Aaron Nicodemus, appeared in the Worcester Telegram and Gazette, Worcester, MA on February 2, 2010.

Families, Genetics, News

Great news about the Chelcun Family Fund For Stomach Cancer Research

Posted by Karen Chelcun Schreiber On September - 28 - 2009

The Chelcun Family Fund for Stomach Cancer Research has accomplished much, in a very short time. Our website is a leading resource (if not the leading resource) for information about HDGC and support for HDGC families worldwide. We are writing to bring you up to date on what’s been happening, and to announce a major step forward.

Our website at www.BeStrongHearted.org took off in a way none of us had anticipated. The statistics are astounding: visitors from 81 countries and every state in the United States; thousands of page views; families across the globe sharing their stories and connecting with others for support and information.

We’ve sparked a research study that will be led by Dr. Gregory Lauwers, a pathologist at Massachusetts General Hospital. Details about the study will be announced soon on our website. Read the rest of this entry »

Education, Families, Front, Fundraising, Get Involved, HDGC, Hereditary Diffuse Gastric Cancer

Know Your Family History: The importance of communication and record-keeping

Posted by Johanna Chelcun On August - 12 - 2009

By Johanna Chelcun, MHS, PA-C

 

As we now know, hereditary diffuse gastric cancer is a rare inherited syndrome that is caused by a genetic mutation in the CDH1 gene. This gene has the possibility of being passed from generation to generation, and the effects of the inheritance can be devastating. Looking beyond HDGC, we notice that the new wave of medicine is focused on genetic mapping, counseling, and testing - searching for patterns of heart disease, autism, dementia, and all types of cancer, to name a few.

 

Often times, primary care physicians simply don’t have the time to ascertain and document a thorough family history during a brief appointment. They are often allotted only 15-minute intervals to discuss your own medical history, review your medication list, talk about any current issues or concerns, perform a physical exam, develop a management plan, prescribe any new medications, and update your medical record (whew!). The time spent on family history is minimal, and sometimes even missed altogether.

 

Read the rest of this entry »

Education, Families, Front, HDGC, Hereditary Diffuse Gastric Cancer

TV New Zealand Close Up: The Kiwis who inspired a Grey’s plot

Posted by Karen Chelcun Schreiber On June - 14 - 2009

View an uplifting and interesting Close Up news broadcast about Hereditary Diffuse Gastric Cancer (HDGC) on TV New Zealand featuring Parry Guilford, the scientist who first identified HDGC and the CDH1 gene mutation that causes HDGC.  His discovery, only eleven years new, has been saving so many lives, including in the Chelcun family and many other families worldwide.  The Close Up includes interviews with the original families in whom HDGC was first identified.  We must find ways to fund the promising research that will ultimately lead to the prevention of this particular cancer as well as other related cancers.

Families, Fundraising, Genetics, HDGC, Hereditary Diffuse Gastric Cancer, News, Research

Hereditary Diffuse Gastric Cancer (HDGC): A Resource for You

Posted by Karen Chelcun Schreiber On June - 13 - 2009

HDGC...Now What?

Be sure to visit HDGC…Now What?

 

You, or someone close to you has been diagnosed with HDGC.  Now what?  The search is on, for information, for support, for encouragement.

  
We are committed to developing this network, a valuable source of credible and useful information.  Join our community of support for all of those touched by HDGC or other types of stomach cancer.  Your participation can be as little or as much as you desire.  You decide. Read the rest of this entry »

Education, Families, Fundraising, Gastrectomy, General, Genetics, Get Involved, HDGC, Hereditary Diffuse Gastric Cancer, Lobular Breast Cancer, Mind, Body, Spirit, News, Nutrition, Pregnancy, Research

Kia Kaha

Posted by Karen Chelcun Schreiber On March - 21 - 2009

By Ryan Gay
Kernersville News, NC
March 2009
lisa-foster-england

The stomach is an organ many people take for granted, not really thinking about how much it helps the body. Except in instances of allergies or diets we don’t really have to concern ourselves with what we eat or when we eat.

There is simply a familiar pang in our abdomen that tells us our body needs to eat.

For one local woman, keeping her body fueled is not that easy.

Due to a genetic mutation that caused two stomach cancers, Lisa Foster England had to have her stomach removed.

Just over a decade ago, a scientist in New Zealand was studying an aboriginal people known as the Maori and discovered a mutation that greatly increases the risk of a deadly stomach cancer that is hard to detect.

The official name of the gene is cadherin 1, type 1, E-cadherin (epithelial), more commonly known as CDH1. Read the rest of this entry »

Families, Genetics, News

Erin’s Gift Family Forum Notice

Posted by Karen Chelcun Schreiber On March - 12 - 2009

Notice from Erin’s Gift regarding a Family Forum in Canada:

Add your name to the list of parties interested in attending a HDGC Family Forum. Plans are tentatively in the works for a forum in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada for families affected by HDGC to be held within the next 3-5 years. The forum will include guest speakers such as Dr. David Huntsman. Please add your name to the contact list if you wish to receive further information as it develops.
March 2009

Families, Get Involved, Notices

No Stomach For Food - Or Cancer

Posted by Karen Chelcun Schreiber On March - 8 - 2009

By David Wahlberg
Wisconsin State Journal
March 2009

Karen and Sons

She never gets hungry. Regular meals make her sick. She can’t eat and drink at the same time.

Karen Chelcun Schreiber has no stomach.

It’s not that her stomach is mostly bypassed like after weight-loss surgery. She has no stomach at all. She had the bean-shaped organ removed last summer.

Read the article in its entirety  . . .  No Stomach For Food - Or Cancer

Families, Genetics, News

Going Under the Knife to Head Off Cancer

Posted by Karen Chelcun Schreiber On March - 2 - 2009

By Radha Chitale
ABC News Medical Unit
March 2009

brian-greg

Prophylactic Surgery One Option for Those at Risk of Cancer

 

Few wouldn’t balk at the idea of prophylactic surgery — the removal a healthy organ or gland that shows no sign of cancer in order to prevent cancer from developing in that organ or gland.

 

Brian Chelcun with his father, Greg, in 2007. Brian had a prophylactic operation to remove his stomach two weeks ago, soon after his father died of stomach cancer on February 8th.

(WCVB)

In other words, prophylactic surgery involves cutting from the body a perfectly fine organ.

Or a ticking time bomb.

Or a perfectly fine organ.

And that is the dilemma facing a segment of the population who, due to family history, genetics or personal medical history, are saddled with a higher risk of cancer than the rest of the population and may have to take drastic steps to prevent a disease that kills over half a million Americans each year.

But Brian Chelcun, 26, never wavered for a moment.

“I was seeing my dad go through the effects of having stage IV stomach cancer,” said Brian, whose father died Feb. 8 of the disease. Chelcun was released from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston last week after a gastrectomy to remove his stomach.

“Here’s a chance to avoid going through something that is so hard, and difficult to cure,” he said. Read the rest of this entry »

Families, Genetics, News

Erin’s Gift

Posted by Karen Chelcun Schreiber On February - 16 - 2009

Erin's Gift, Erin and her Mom“We Have to Stop Burying Our Children”

Saskatchewan, Canada.  The Lawrence Family found out the hard way; they inherited a genetic mutation (CDH1) from their ancestors.  The Sutherland Family has passed down this rare form of stomach cancer.  They have lost two young people to Hereditary Diffuse Gastric Cancer (HDGC).  The youngest member of the Lawrence family had a prophylactic gastrectomy at the age of 18, because he too inherited the CDH1 gene mutation.

They are reaching out to all relatives of the Sutherland Family Tree, trying to inform them of this genetic killer.  By sharing their story Mr. Lawrence hopes to save someone’s life.

Find the full story, which includes a CBC Radio interview series about Erin, Mr. Lawrence’s daughter, this courageous family, and their quest to identify other family members at risk at Erin’s Gift.
February 2009.

Families, Genetics, News

Striking first, surgically

Posted by admin On February - 15 - 2009

By Karen Garloch
The Charlotte Observer
February 15, 2009

At dinner recently, Ken Chelcun swallowed a bigger bite of his taco than he should have and suffered a little digestive distress.

“My food went down into my stomach too fast,” he explained to his family.

“But Dad,” said 8-year-old Dane, “you don’t have a stomach.”

It’s true. Read the rest of this entry »

Families, Genetics, News

SELF Magazine 2009 Health Handbook

Posted by Karen Chelcun Schreiber On February - 1 - 2009

Healthy days ahead!

Easy, effective ways to make the most of your unique DNA.

The February 2009 issue of Self Magazine includes a section titled 2009 Health Handbook which features information about Genetics and your health.  The handbook is divided into numerous articles on the Self Magazine website.  In the insert ”Family Clues To Live By”, Rachel Wick talks about stomach cancer and the CDH1 gene in her family.  February 2009

self-rachel

Families, Genetics, News
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    • Paul Charles Linstead commented on the blog post Update: had a bad couple of days   7 hours, 3 minutes ago

      Hi Harry any time you want more info fire away I will try and help out with the way I got through ,this and continue to do so ,November 3 will be my year of recovery

    • Lorraine Ennis wrote on the wire of the group Lobular Breast Cancer   4 days, 13 hours ago

      Hi Nina……..great to see you here when we live only minutes apart and can’t seem to get together!!

      Just to let everyone know, when Nina said “Thanks Marge” she is referring to my sister who has spend a great deal of time, energy and efforts in educating our family about this gene…….if it wasn’t for her, [...]

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    • Karen Chelcun Schreiber wrote a new blog post: Scientific Advisory Board   1 week, 4 days ago

      Scientific Advisory Board members are highly accomplished professionals with medical and/or research background, who provide expert and comprehensive perspectives as well as guidance to No Stomach For Cancer, Inc. with regard to technical, medical, and research related topics. The Board provides knowledge and support that are critical in furthering our Mission.

       

      Daniel C. Chung, MD
      Clinical Chief, [...]

    • Nina healey wrote on the wire of the group Lobular Breast Cancer   2 weeks, 2 days ago

      I am new to this group. I am actually a cousin of Lorraine Ennis. In March 2007, I was diagnosed with Invasive Lobular Carcinoma in my right breast. I had a mastectomy in March, during which the dr checked the lymph nodes by removing the main node and checked it while I [...]