Lance Kawaguchi & His Friends Take Nasdaq By Storm This Morning, But In A Good Way

Reading through my morning online mail, I was overjoyed to see Lance Kawaguchi (above) standing at the podium for the opening bell of Nasdaq. Seeing him on that stage is both inspiring and reassuring. It sums up everything about the man that he has become. 

A few short years but a lifetime ago, he would have been at that podium to tout his perpetually booming investment banking business. But that was then. This is now. 

He was indeed wearing a grin of accomplishment and optimism today, but not about anything to do with his personal wealth. This was about helping others. Namely, people with cancer. 

Kawaguchi is now the CEO of the Cure Brain Cancer Foundation, and a senior Board Member of several other global cancer organizations. He didn't bring the finance folks onto that stage today. He brought new friends, co-workers, cancer patients and others who now inhabit his new life. 

Of course the real stars of this show today were the children, who pretty much took over the proceedings, which is just what Lance expected and wanted. 

He was on that podium to celebrate the courage of cancer patients and to spread the word that he has our back. He is intensely focused on finding new treatments and cures for cancer. He has dedicated his life to this cause. 

As a survivor of stage IV cancer myself, I am a believer in Lance's vision. The image at Nasdaq speaks volumes. Instead of a bunch of stock and investment folks surrounding him, today it was young people with cancer and their families, as well as some brilliant scientific minds who are helping Lance get to the Promised Land, which in cancer parlance means "A Cure". 

Thankfully, Lance still has a lot of that investment banker mentality in terms of going big, cutting to the chase and getting stuff done. But now, it's not about him, it's about the people who happily surround him. Even The Grinch would smile if he saw Lance's beaming face today.

Lance's mother, the beloved school teacher who sadly died of cancer, is the reason why Lance is now working in the not-for-profit sector. He has dedicated this amazing new life to his mom. And I'm sure she is looking down at her son today with great pride. 

Lance's Amazing Journey

Lance Kawaguchi, CEO Magazine's "Not-For-Profit Executive of the Year," Traces His Journey from International Investment Banker to Global Cancer Philanthropist

When CEO Magazine announced last week that Lance Kawaguchi was named "Not-For-Profit Executive of the Year" for 2022, I was pleased, but not surprised. If I were asked to pick someone to run a non-profit organization, Lance would unquestionably be my first choice. 

There are plenty of smart, creative non-for-profit CEO's out there. But there are only a small handful of visionaries. As the leader of the Cure Brain Cancer Foundation, Lance's work in the cancer arena has been a magnificent obsession. 

Lance has demonstrated a genuine and tireless compassion for the people he is working hard to help. He's given an enormous boost to the national and global cancer research communities and of course cancer patients and their families. He has provided new and real hope. 

Lance, who is a man with a sharp, self-deprecating wit, has been all over the world and is a terrific storyteller. But when it's time to work, he hunkers down. No small talk. No BS. No nonsense. His eyes are on the prize.

If you'd met Lance six years ago or before, you would have probably never imagined he would become one of the globe's most respected not-for-profit leaders. His back story is downright Dickensian, with success, pathos, joy and redemption. 

For 25 years, Lance was a global investment banker, traversing the world many times over and making a fortune. He wasn't exactly Ebenezer Scrooge, but he certainly wasn't thinking much about charity. 

But when his mom, Katherine Kawaguchi, a beloved school teacher for more than 40 years, was dying of cancer, she told her son that he needed to become a better person and do something more meaningful with his life and his money. 

With tears in his eyes, Lance absorbed every word. He took the blows. And when she died of cancer in 2016, he honored her wishes in spectacular fashion, and continues to do the same.

The Great Unknown

Lance instinctively knew the not-for-profit world would be demonstrably different than what he was used to. But he has an innate ability to adjust on the fly, shut out the outside noise, and get to work. It's the reason why he was such a successful leader in the high-stakes, high-wire world of investment banking, and it has served him well in his new role. 

"It was an enormous adjustment. But I love challenges," he said in an interview with The Reno Dispatch. "When I was in banking, my office in London was an 800-square-foot space on the 27th floor. When I came to the not-for-profit in Australia, I didn't even have an office. I held all my meetings in a Vietnamese restaurant. We had done a 180, from a massive office to no office. But the food at the restaurant was great and they loved me."

For the first six months, many people were skeptical that Lance could turn things around. 

"I had so many things going against me," he said. "I just kept saying to everyone, 'Just stay with me and trust the process'. Two global recruiters told me that I would not fit at a not-for-profit. They worried that I was going to force too much positive change too quickly."

But leadership is leadership. The tenets of success are virtually the same no matter what industry you're in. Fueled by the memory of his mom, and his own burgeoning compassion, Lance hit the ground running, learning the ropes and identifying the players and the pretenders. 

"Everyone told me not to do it. The organization was a mess. But if you tell me not to do something, I am gonna do it. What better way to show my worth? I had everything going against me," he said.

In Lance's hands, the organization went from a demonstrably dysfunctional workplace to an ideal one where people trust each other and everyone works in unison for the same worthy cause. 

"I love the fact that the community left us, and then they all came back. Everyone told me not to take the job, that it was dysfunctional, that there was too much damage," he said.

Raising Millions Worldwide for Cancer Research

Lance decided early on that brain cancer would be a priority in his new career because it affects so many young people and because it's so difficult to treat. He has already raised millions to fund new cancer research in brain cancer, and other cancers as well. 

His goals are big but simple: Find better, less toxic treatments for cancer, support early detection, and ultimately find cures. 

He has dedicated his life to this mantra.

Lance is not only CEO of the Cure Brain Cancer Foundation (CBCF), he's also now a Board Member of the National Foundation for Cancer Research, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Asian Fund for Cancer Research, and Strategic Advisor to the AIM-HU Accelerator Fund.

In his time as CEO at CBCF, Lance has increased net profitability and pivoted to digital offerings to engage communities in Australia and internationally. He launched the world's largest brain cancer-dedicated Clinical Accelerator program to support early-stage biotech companies to take innovative therapeutics from the lab to clinical trials to the clinic. 

And that in fact may be his most brilliant move: Embracing the biotech industry. There is strength in numbers, and there are many innovative cancer scientists in the biotech world who are just waiting for support. 

This includes executives in the relatively new but booming liquid biopsy sector. Liquid biopsies are simply blood tests that identify biomarkers in the blood. These biomarkers can tell us if a person has cancer and what type of cancer, even in very early stages, which is key for survival. 

These tests are less invasive than traditional screenings. It's just a simple blood draw. 

Lance is dedicated to learning more about biotech companies who are working in the cancer space, and about the newest treatments and clinical trials worldwide. 

For example, CBCF led the critical funding to bring the historic brain cancer GBM Agile to Australia with the Foundation's largest-ever investment of $8 million. 

GBM Agile is a group of more than 130 oncologists, pathologists, neurosurgeons, imagers, advocates and researchers from academia, industry and government that have been working collectively since 2015 to design a new type of randomized trial that will further enhance the way therapies are identified for brain cancer. 

This trial will give Australia's cancer patients access to new, cutting-edge therapies that were previously unavailable in the region. 

Only The Beginning

Lance clearly had a deep reserve of compassion that he kept close to the vest in his former career. His mom knew this would eventually make its way to the surface. And we are all thankful that it did. 

The truth is that just beneath the confident, go-getter personality there is a man who cares deeply about those who are suffering. He gets emotional when he talks about his own family and about young people with cancer. 

"I always had a soft spot for kids with cancer," he says. "My greatest skill now is just being honest and getting stuff done. My title or previous success doesn't matter now."

At a 6-year-old cancer patient's recent birthday celebration, Lance surprised the boy with a Qatar World Cup soccer jersey and Pokemon. 

"We also gave him his very own glow stick party when he was undergoing treatment," Lance said. "The nurses used glow sticks in the hospital so that he wouldn't be scared."

Lance also surprised a woman with cancer at a recent walk and had everyone rally around her to sing happy birthday.

"She only had two more weeks to live, and she was in a motorized wheelchair," Lance said. "Just meeting people like this is a privilege. All the other stuff just doesn't matter. What's important is what you have done to serve others. No matter how tired you are, someone has it worse than you."

Memorable Acceptance Speech

Graciously and poignantly accepting the award for Not-For-Profit Executive of the Year, Lance stated, "I'm deeply honored to be recognized for my work as CEO of Cure Brain Cancer Foundation. I left my lucrative career in investment banking to join the not-for-profit sector after my mother passed away to cancer. I had then made a pledge to her that I would give back to the community and strive to help find a cure."

Lance continued with a vow that he would continue to honor all his commitments to the cancer community by building networks to collaborate globally and navigating the intricacies of the sector.

"I don't believe failure is an option, cancer has no boundaries, and I am here to give it my all to find new opportunities for treatments and innovations that will increase the survival rate and quality of life of those impacted," he said.

Lance concluded the powerful speech by stating, "My journey over the past year has been the most rewarding of my life, and I encourage you all to join the non-for-profit sector and do your part."

The Reno Dispatch Garners Three More Prestigious Awards For Our Global Journalism

The San Diego Press Club continues to shine. One of the largest and most positively productive journalism organizations in the United States, the San Diego Press Club is a bastion of quality journalism and camaraderie. 

The organization, of which I am a proud and longstanding member, has been around for nearly 50 years and is bigger and better than ever. But in my view, journalism has never been more important than it is now. 

Our Club is one of the largest of its kind, with nearly 400 members in the news communications field.

I was honored to have won three major awards this year for this global news site, The Reno Dispatch. 

I also proudly earned three awards for my work with Healthline.

The Reno Dispatch has now garnered more than 45 major journalism and writing awards since we created the news site a decade ago. Thank you to everyone who reads and supports The Reno Dispatch:

SAN DIEGO PRESS CLUB 49th ANNUAL EXCELLENCE IN JOURNALISM 

 

Online and Daily newspapers: General News 

First Place - Jamie Reno, “Nursing Home Staffing Shortages: What to Know Before Putting a Family Member in a Facility” - Healthline 

Online and Daily newspapers: Health & Medicine 

First Place - Jamie Reno, “How New Blood Tests May Be Able to Detect Cancer Earlier and Easier” - Healthline

Online and Daily newspapers: Entertainment Reporting 

Third Place - Jamie Reno, “EXCLUSIVE: Legendary Rock and Roll Troubador Jim Messina Continues to Shine” - The Reno Dispatch

Online and Daily newspapers: Political/Government 

Third Place - Jamie Reno, “Exclusive: San Diego's 9/11 Terror Ring” - The Reno Dispatch 

Online and Daily newspapers: Science/Technology/Biotech 

Second Place - Jamie Reno, “This New Test Can Detect 50 Types of Cancer from a Single Blood Draw" -  Healthline 

Online and Daily newspapers: Breaking News 

Third Place - Jamie Reno, “Breaking News: New Study Shows That Most Blood Cancer Patients Benefit From Third COVID-19 Vaccine” - The Reno Dispatch 

 

Concert Review: Legendary Band The Who Defies Time

There are countless time travel-themed films such as "Back to the Future," "Interstellar" and "The Terminator," and many acclaimed time travel-themed books such as "Slaughterhouse Five," "Kindred" and "A Wrinkle in Time." Traveling through time is clearly a universally popular notion. But I always thought it was a purely fictional enterprise. After seeing The Who on Saturday night, I'm not so sure.

The legendary rock band's lead singer, Roger Daltrey, 78, and lead guitarist and songwriter, Pete Townshend, 77, were in impossibly good form when they performed with a full orchestra at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. I was flabbergasted by how youthful they looked and sounded. It literally felt as if they were visiting us from another time.

 

Roger is singing as powerfully and with as much nuance as he did 40 years ago. Maybe even more so. Pete is singing and playing with the energy and passion of a teenager, and still does those trademark windmills. And that alone is inconceivable. Both of these living legends have tremendous energy on stage. It borders on the supernatural.  

 

The most memorable scream in rock and roll history is of course Roger's joyously blood-curdling wail near the end of "Won't Get Fooled Again." I did not expect him to reach the same emotional, eardrum-shattering level as he did back in the day. But he did. It was bloody brilliant!

It was the same raw, gut-punching, emotional roar that I heard the first time I listened to the song from "Who's Next," which could very well be the greatest rock album of them all. I was ten years old when I first heard that record. It is now written into my DNA.

There are basically three untouchables in the history of rock and roll. Three bands who tower above the rest in terms of, well, greatness. There is no real need to name them, but of course they are The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and The Who. And The Who is the only one of the three that is currently active. 

Yes, original drummer Keith Moon and original bass player John Entwistle are both sadly no longer with us. But Roger and Pete keep the fire burning. 

Townshend's energy belies time and physics. I'd have been happy just to hear these guys sing and play. But what I did not expect was how powerfully and superbly they sang and played, and how much visible, palpable joy they felt as they performed.

With a superb orchestra behind them, the band opened with several songs from "Tommy," the iconic rock opera which of course was made into a wild and wildly acclaimed film of the same name directed by Ken Russell. 

Then the orchestra departed, and the band continued to rock with such favorites as "You Better You Bet," "The Seeker," "Won't Get Fooled Again" (as mentioned above) and "Behind Blue Eyes." 

When the orchestra returned, the band played a few songs from "Quadrophenia," the group's other rock opera and concept album that has been called the "anti-musical," but whose songs are genius. 

They ended the show with two of their epic best: "Love, Reign O'er Me" and "Baba O'Riley," which many refer to as "Teenage Wasteland." 

I guess we all get more sentimental as we grow older. We all begin to sense our own mortality, though I try not to dwell on that. I'm not ashamed to say that I had tears of joy in my eyes for a good portion of the show. 

Music has been a huge part of my life since I can remember. I have an absurdly clear memory of myself at age 5 flipping over plastic buckets and kitchen pans to use as a drum set as I played along with the "I Saw Her Standing There" by The Beatles. And of course I remember vividly when I bought my first guitar at age 14. 

Besides the love of my family and friends, there has been no greater joy in my life than music. And getting an opportunity to see these masters play at such a high level this late in their careers is touching, reassuring and amazing. 

Thank you Roger and Pete for all the music you have given given the world. And thanks, too, for the amazing work you have been doing for teen and young adult cancer patients for the last 30 years with the Teenage Cancer Trust in the UK and for the last 10 years in America with Teen Cancer America. 

The band is giving $2 per ticket to Teen Cancer America on the tour. That’s worth over $400,000 to the charity and makes every fan feel like they are helping young people with cancer.  

The Who rocks, and cares! 

Could Fungi Someday Cure Human Cancer?

Science doesn’t have to be complicated. Even the study of cancer and how it interacts with the human body, while undeniably complex, can and must be explained in ways that resonate even with avowed non-scientists. The relationship between cancers and fungi, for example, may sound pretentious. But it could lead to new treatments and even cures. 

Simply stated, fungi are living things, once thought to be plants, that actually feed on plants, animals, or decaying material. Mushrooms, molds, yeast and toadstools are all members of the fungi family.

The human body, which is home to a diverse microbial ecosystem that plays an essential role in human health and immunity, includes a diversity of fungal species that is collectively referred to as our 'mycobiome' (photo above). 

Yes, we all have one. 

Researchers have recently confirmed that this fungi is even present within human cancers. 

Because of this, scientists naturally want to learn how fungi functions in a cancer-tumor environment compared to bacteria and viruses, and see if and how this knowledge could potentially help people with cancer.

Groundbreaking New Study

A first-of-its-kind international study from the University of California San Diego School of Medicine released today in Cell shows the potential of using fungi as a diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic tool against cancer.

A global team of scientists including co-author Sandip Patel, MD, an oncologist and head of clinical trials at UCSD, has created the first pan-cancer mycobiome atlas. The group looked at 35 types of cancer and associated fungi.

"Logic suggests that there are things in the tumor environment that either facilitate the cancer or keep it in check," Patel told The Reno Dispatch.

“Living organisms are interacting with the immune cells. This study is the initial foray into understanding what things within the tumor may contribute and/or inhibit the cancer’s growth."

Findings Were Both A Surprise and Expected

Rob Knight, PhD, professor of Bioengineering, Pediatrics and Computer Science and Engineering at UC San Diego and co-founder of Micronoma, a San Diego-based liquid biopsy company that is developing microbial biomarkers in blood and tissues to diagnose and treat cancers, was a co-author of the study.

“The existence of fungi in most human cancers is both a surprise and to be expected,” said Knight in a press statement. 

“It is surprising because we don’t know how fungi could get into tumors throughout the body. But it is also expected because it fits the pattern of healthy microbiomes throughout the body, including the gut, mouth and skin, where bacteria and fungi interact as part of a complex community."

A Key Piece of Cancer Biology

Study co-author Gregory Sepich-Poore, PhD, co-founder and chief analytics officer at Micronoma, a San Diego-based liquid biopsy cancer company, said the findings “validate the view that the microbiome in its entirety is a key piece of cancer biology.”

He explained that this could potentially lead to significant new ways of detecting cancer, as well as support other biotech applications related to drug development, cancer evolution, minimal residual disease, relapse and companion diagnostics.

The study characterizes the cancer mycobiome in 17,401 samples of patient tissues, blood and plasma.

Researchers found fungal DNA and cells in low abundances across many major human cancers, with differences in community compositions that differed among cancer types.

“The finding that fungi are commonly present in human tumors should drive us to better explore their potential effects and re-examine almost everything we know about cancer through a ‘microbiome lens,’” said co-corresponding author Ravid Straussman, MD, PhD, a principal investigator at Weizmann Institute of Science, in a press statement.

One species of fungi in the study, for example, was found to be enriched in breast cancer tumors of patients older than 50 years, while another species was notably abundant in lung cancer samples.

The researchers said there were significant correlations between specific fungi and age, tumor subtypes, smoking status, response to immunotherapy and survival measures. 

Whether the fungi are simply correlated or causally associated remains to be determined.

Other Studies On Similar Tracks

Meanwhile, an industry-academic partnership between the University of Oxford and biopharmaceutical company NuCana found that chemotherapy drug NUC-7738, derived from a Himalayan fungus, has 40 times greater potency for killing cancer cells than its parent compound. 

In July, Iliyan D. Iliev, MD, an associate professor of immunology in medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Weill Cornell Medicine, was awarded a five-year, $1.25 million grant from the Cancer Research Institute that enabled his lab to continue research that investigates relationships between certain types of fungi and specific cancers. 

His work stems from his study of patients with ulcerative colitis who later developed colorectal cancer. Iliev and his lab colleagues noticed that some cancer patients share unique microbiome composition where specific fungal strains prevailed.

“We found that some patients carry specific fungal strains that expand and produce a toxin that affected inflammation,” said Iliev, who's also co-director of the Microbiome Core Lab at Weill Cornell Medicine. 

“One of the questions is whether the presence of these and other fungi influence cancer development and outcomes," he said.

In studies in mice last year, scientists from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center found that, when normal bacterial communities in the gut were disrupted, fungi moved in. 

And these fungi, in turn, disrupted the immune response to tumors that may be important for radiation therapy to work most effectively, the team reported in Cancer Cell.

Mycobiome, Microbiome and Micronoma

This new branch of science has evolved quickly. 

Micronoma's CEO, Sandrine Miller-Montgomery, told The Reno Dispatch that microbes in the blood can be used to detect cancer thanks to microbial biomarkers, which are characteristics of the tumor that you can utilize to identify the progress of a condition or disease.

When analyzed properly, she said, these microbial biomarkers can reveal cancer, even at stage I of the disease. This is a new but growing type of liquid biopsy, a surging new sector of science.

“Micronoma has been closely following this amazing work on mycobiome as two of our co-founders are heavily involved in it,” Miller-Montgomery said. 

“It is amazing that we continue to discover so much about the microbiome, and in this specific paper, the mycobiome association with cancer.”

Micronoma has been focused on microbiome-driven liquid biopsy since its inception, Miller-Montgomery said:

“Scientific knowledge continues to accumulate on the essential role of microbiome -- bacteria, virus and fungi -- in oncology, supporting our mission to detect cancer in its earliest stages with the most innovative and groundbreaking research.” 

# # #

Co-authors of this study include: Lian Narunsky-Haziza, Ilana Livyatan, Omer Asraf, Deborah Nejman, Nancy Gavert, Ruthie Ariel, Arnon Meltser and Yitzhak Pilpel, all at Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel; Cameron Martino, Antonio González, Justin P. Shaffer, Sandip Pravin Patel and Austin D. Swafford, all at UC San Diego; Jason E. Stajich, UC Riverside; Guy Amit and Amir Bashan, both at Bar-Ilan University, Israel; Stephen Wandro, Micronoma, San Diego. Also Gili Perry, Weizmann Institute, Sheba Medical Center and Tel-Aviv University; Qiyun Zhu, Arizona State University; Nora Balint-Lahat and Iris Barshack, both at Tel-Aviv University and Sheba Medical Center, Israel; Maya Dadiani, Sheba Medical Center; Einav N. Gal-Yam, Sheba Medical Center and UC San Diego.

 

The Ride Of His Life: When A Young Cancer Drug Company Executive Gets Cancer

As a journalist and three-time cancer survivor, I’ve met many kind, dedicated people in the cancer pharmaceutical industry. The folks I’ve encountered in this arena have demonstrated real empathy and compassion. They do their best to understand what it’s like to have cancer.

But as a patient advocate, I respectfully tell virtually everyone I meet that there is no way to fully understand what it’s like to have cancer until it happens to you. When you hear those chilling words, “You have cancer,” it invariably and immediately changes your perspective on work, health and life. 

In March of last year, Drew Adams, a young executive at Bristol Myers Squibb, the global pharmaceutical company, found an unusual lump in his testicle and was referred for an ultrasound by his primary care physician.

Drew, who was just 31 at the time, was confident that it was nothing serious. But unfortunately it turned out to be testicular cancer. And Drew didn’t have much time to contemplate his situation. He received the cancer diagnosis on a Wednesday. By the following Monday he was in surgery having the testicle removed.

Needless to say, it was an emotional time for Drew, a very bright, intuitive and sensitive young man. After he was diagnosed he just stopped everything to contemplate his situation. “To take inventory,” he says.

The most difficult part of having cancer for Drew was the fact that it happened during the Covid-19 pandemic and he was not allowed to bring his wife, Rosie Adams, to the hospital with him. 

As a young husband, Drew also faced the inevitable discussion of having children. Would that no longer be possible? 

“My wife and I were approaching having kids, and we needed to have that conversation,” Drew told me. “Will we still be able to have children? If the cancer comes back, will she still want to have kids with me? Do I want my wife to raise a child if I'm not around?"

So many questions come to mind when you're told you have cancer. For Drew, it was tough to describe all the complicated things he was feeling. "I would wake up in the middle of the night, crying," he said.

That is an utterly normal response to receiving a cancer diagnosis at any age, but especially for someone whose life was just beginning. Drew leaned on Rosie to help him sort through it all. 

“I would not have been able to do it without her,” said Drew, whose job at BMS was ironically to find the best doctors in the world. 

"I had all the data analytic tools. But it was still terrifying,” he said. “Things like songs just set me off during that time. But I think what stood out to me the most was the fact that my wife could not come to the hospital with me. But she was an emotional rock for me.”

Thanks to advancements in cancer research and surgical techniques, doctors were able to identify and remove the cancerous areas in a single procedure. Drew is now in remission and continues monitoring through periodic blood tests, x-rays and CT scans. 

And yes, he is still able to start that family. 

While cancer may be done with Drew, Drew isn’t done with cancer. He is more determined than ever to help other cancer patients get through it. His cancer experience has given him an even deeper understanding and appreciation of what it’s really like to be a young adult cancer patient. 

And it's inspired him to become a vocal advocate for self-examinations and early cancer detection. He wants people to know how important it is to get checked so that if there is cancer in your body, you can detect it early and get on with your life.

As Drew and I talked the other day, a bond developed between us. I was just three years older than Drew when I was diagnosed with cancer. I know how he must have felt to get that diagnosis.

There is a strong bond among young adult cancer patients. Perhaps because they are old enough to understand the seriousness of the diagnosis, but also because it is the last thing you could imagine happening to you at this age.

The brotherhood/sisterhood among teens and young adults with cancer is something I have not witnessed anywhere else but among those who’ve served in combat.

Drew is deeply grateful that his cancer fight is over. Hopefully forever. More than ever, he appreciates his family, his doctors, his friends and his co-workers. He wants to keep giving back to others who are still in the fight. He especially wants to honor his uncles, one who died from brain cancer and another who died of liver cancer. One of his uncles passed away with his second child still in the womb.

 
Drew is focused on supporting new cancer research. Next week, he will be riding alongside more than 126 of his BMS colleagues on the Coast 2 Coast 4 Cancer (C2C4C) bike ride, a poignant and powerful annual three-week cross-country cycling event to raise funds for the V Foundation.

The V Foundation is of course the acclaimed non-profit organization that honors the life and the courage of Jim Valvano, the legendary North Carolina State basketball coach who after being diagnosed with cancer gave so much back to the community and inspired the world with his fierce optimism.

Valvano happens to be one of my personal heroes. And the V Foundation is a leader in supporting groundbreaking new science. Inspired by his own work mates, and by Valvano’s life story, Drew will be kicking off the event by riding in the first leg, Cannon Beach to Bend, Oregon, where he’ll be covering up to 80 miles per day for three days.

As someone who lives with Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, which affects his shoulders and ability to do activities, Drew has worked hard these the last five months of training to get in shape for this ride.

BMS employees have volunteered their personal time to fundraise and extensively train for five months aspiring to raise $1 million and hopefully more in support of the V Foundation for Cancer Research.

“The ride kicks off September 7, my section ends on September 9. It’s 225 miles in three days,” Drew explained. “I get a beautiful segment in Oregon. Our goal for the ride is raise $1 million for the V Foundation."

Some of the riders in the C2C4Chave been diagnosed with cancer, Drew said, while others are riding in honor of loved ones affected by the disease. 

Nine teams are participating in this year’s ride, which begins Sept. 7 in Cannon Beach, Oregon and concludes on October 3 in Long Branch, New Jersey. Money raised will be matched dollar-for-dollar by BMS up to the $500,000 maximum donation.

Since 2014, the ride has raised more than $9.83 million for cancer research, with more than 760 Bristol Myers Squibb employees taking part in this epic and emotional event.

Shane Jacobson, Chief Executive Officer of the V Foundation for Cancer Research, told me that that the V Foundation partnership with Bristol Myers Squibb has positively developed over the past decade.

“In addition to the significant charitable contributions, riders offer such a wellspring of enthusiasm and drive, which is an energizing experience to be a part of," Jacobson said. "I’m looking forward to the chance to visit riders once again along the route to hear their stories and to draw new inspiration for the work we do. “

Jacobson noted that one in two men and one in three women will face a cancer diagnosis in their lifetime.

“As Drew says, the experience can be hard to fathom if you haven’t experienced it,” Jacobson said. “Along with the cancer patient, there are also caretakers and loved ones who are thrust into the journey. We believe our mission resonates so universally because we’re aiming to achieve victory over cancer for everyone involved. Our goal is to fund game-changing research to deliver new cures and save lives. We won’t stop working until we achieve this goal.”

Jacobson said the V Foundation is committed to awarding grants to the most innovative and promising cancer research projects.

 
“Our Scientific Advisory Committee, comprised of leading cancer experts nationwide, identify novel and cutting-edge ideas that hold great promise for gaining new knowledge about the basic science of cancer, improving treatment options, and preventing recurrences,” he said.

“By directly funding all-star scientists, we are able to invest in multiple discoveries that provide for a better understanding of the disease as a whole and more targeted treatment options.”

Meanwhile, Drew's "new life" has just begun. Now 33, he is still a proud employee at BMS, and he and his wife are excited about having children and living every day with gratitude and love.

As he looks forward to the big bike ride, he knows that the funds raised for the V Foundation will make a difference in the lives of others. He's riding for a future in which more people can celebrate their health and enjoy more time with the people they love.

# # #

This is another in our series of stories about teens and young adults with cancer, supported by Seagen and Teen Cancer America. 

   

Is This The Year That San Diego State Basketball Makes History?

The most heartbreaking sports-fan moment of my life came on March 12, 2020 when the powers that be at the National Collegiate Basketball Association shut down the 2020 NCAA Basketball Tournament just as it was to commence.

“This decision is based on the evolving COVID-19 public health threat, our ability to ensure the events do not contribute to spread of the pandemic and the impracticality of hosting such events at any time during this academic year given ongoing decisions by other entities,” the NCAA said in a statement.

Yes, it was a necessary move. The virus was raging. But it was a bitter pill for me and my fellow fans of San Diego State University, whose Aztecs had their finest team in school history that year and would have gotten a #2 seed. They had a legitimate chance of winning the national championship. The squad was led by complimentary superb guards Malachi Flynn and KJ Feagin. 

Many believe that Flynn was the best SDSU player of them all. You'll never hear me argue against that assertion. Even the great Kawhi Leonard might agree. Kawhi, a proud SDSU alum', has of course become a superstar in the NBA. But Flynn was even more impressive in college. 

SDSU won the first 26 games of the season in 2020 and was the last undefeated team in Division I. The Aztecs finished with a 30-2 record. 

Why bring this up now? Because I believe the 2022-23 San Diego State basketball squad could be nearly as good (not quite) as that legendary 2020 team. The Aztecs are loaded for bear, with superb veteran players in Matt Bradley, Nathan Mensah and more. 

There are also some impressive transfers, including Seattle U point guard Darrion Trammell and Oakland transfer Micah Parrish. This year, the SDSU offense just might have caught up with the team's vaunted D. 

It won't be easy. The Mountain West Conference is arguably the most underrated conference in the nation, and road wins are very hard to come by with all the rough-to-travel spots. 

The experts are finally beginning to recognize the depth and quality of this league. Almost everyone expects big things from the Aztecs, but Wyoming, Boise State and Colorado State are on every smart basketball writer's radar this season, along with some conference sleepers.

Below is what the the alleged experts are saying about San Diego State hoops as we move closer to the beginning of what promises to be an exciting season. And I must also mention SDSU football, which debuts a brand new stadium in Mission Valley in a couple of weeks. No more "home games" in L.A. The football Aztecs are back home. It's good to be an Aztec! 

But back to hoops... 

Bottom line? I believe that if the transfers and the younglings gel and are as good as advertised, and everyone stays healthy, this SDSU basketball team can be a Top 15 squad. Or better. If all goes as planned and expected, I predict that SDSU will tie for the regular season title and then win the Conference Tournament in Las Vegas. 

On paper, SDSU is good enough to go deep into March Madness. And lest we forget, Coach Brian Dutcher has been masterful since taking over for the legendary Steve Fisher, who is now happily retired and attends every game. Dutch has proved, year after year, that he is every bit as skilled as a hoops leader as Fisher. Dutch learned from the best. 

We'll all learn a lot about this team right out of the gate. They will play in the Maui Invitational against a rebooted Ohio State squad on Nov. 21. If the Aztecs win, they would face the winner of the Arizona-Cincinnati first-round game Nov. 22 in a championship semifinal.

Among the other top hoop programs that will be on Maui that week are Creighton, Arkansas and Texas Tech. It's an early and very tall order. This is the best early-season tournament of them all. 

Below are several other preseason hoop fortune tellers' predictions. These alleged gurus are hit and miss. But then who isn't? This isn't science. Some of them get it, but others are completely in over their head. 

The number below in bold is where SDSU is ranked in each respective poll. Check it out, and leave your thoughts at the bottom:

#14 - Sports Illustrated: 

"The Aztecs sported the nation’s second-best defense, per KenPom, in 2021–22, and the return of defensive anchor Nathan Mensah means SDSU will be nearly impossible to score on yet again. What held Brian Dutcher’s team back this past season was an anemic offense, as evidenced by the fact that the Aztecs lost five games where they allowed fewer than 60 points (all five against top-50 KenPom teams). Enter Seattle U transfer point guard Darrion Trammell, a diminutive dynamo who’s proficient operating in ball screens and gets to the free throw line with regularity while fitting into SDSU’s defense-first mindset. Trammell and Oakland transfer Michael Parrish provide a much-needed jolt offensively to a team that didn’t have enough consistent shot-makers to take the next step last season. If San Diego State becomes a top-75 offense this season, it could be special."

# 21 -ESPN: 

"San Diego State has ranked outside the top 30 nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency just twice in the past 12 seasons, and with the return of Nathan Mensah and the addition of Micah Parrish, the Aztecs are likely to be closer to last year's No. 2 national ranking. But what about the offense? Brian Dutcher's team was in the bottom half of the Mountain West in adjusted offensive efficiency in conference play, with a low volume of 3-point attempts and a league-worst 47.2% field goal percentage inside the arc. Matt Bradley is back to shoulder the load, but the Aztecs have now improved his supporting cast. Darrion Trammell, a two-time first-team All-WAC selection, averaged 20.5 points in 2020-21 and 17.3 points last season at Seattle; Parrish was a double-figure scorer at Oakland; and early buzz on Jaedon LeDee, who sat out last season, has been positive."

# 23 - The Athletic:

"The Aztecs got a huge break when Nathan Mensah, the 6-10 center who was the Mountain West’s defensive player of the year, decided to return for a super senior season. Matt Bradley, the 6-4 senior transfer from Cal who led the team in scoring at 16.9 points per game, chose that same option before the season ended. Brian Dutcher has also since added a pair of transfers in 5-10 junior guard Darrion Trammell (Seattle) and 6-6 sophomore forward Micah Parrish (Oakland)."

# 28 - CBS Sports:

Unbelievably, CBS Sports has the Aztecs out of the top 25 at #28. But they have Boise State at 23 and Colorado at 24!

Meanwhile, USA Today has Boise State and Colorado State in the top 25 and not San Diego State. Dumb and dumber. And the Washington Post has SDSU at #33 — and no other MWC team in the top 45. That is just another case of East Coast lunacy.

A Very Good Week For So-Called Sleepy Old Joe

It's been a very good week for Sleepy old Joe, who isn't so sleepy after all. 

First and foremost: today's jobs report, which is off the charts. 

Unemployment is at a 50-year low, at 3.5%, and 528,000 jobs were added this month.For all you arm-chair economists out there, you simply can not have that level of job growth and call this a recession. 

"The economy is not falling into recession," Brian Bethune, an economist at Boston College, told USA Today. "It is actually picking up speed as demand for services accelerates in a post COVID-19 environment."

It was also announced this week that gas prices are down for the seventh straight week and are on track to sink by about 20 percent from June’s $5.02-per-gallon peak to a national average of $4; some states are already below that marker. 

 

Refreshingly, the first gas station in the country to dip below $3 a gallon is in deep-red Oklahoma City. As of Friday morning, Gas Buddy shows that three stations along Mustang Road – two near Southwest 15th Street and another near Reno Avenue – have regular gas for $2.97. 

 

President Biden also ordered a military strike this week that killed Ayman al-Zawahiri, the torturing, monstrous leader of Al-Qaeda and successor of Osama bin Laden. This is of course huge news. Sleepy Old Joe got it done.

Also this week, after literally years of fighting over support for veterans who were sick because of the toxins they endured while on active duty, the PACT Act to expand healthcare coverage for veterans was finally passed.

 

But it came after Republicans cynically tried to dump the legislation. As a result, they were publicly blasted by just about everyone who cares about our veterans, and the GOP Senators, with collective tail between collective legs, changed their mind. 

 

Well, all but 11 Senators, that is. Here are the 11 GOP Senators who refused to help our veterans. For all of my Republican friends, remember these names. If you vote for any of these guys in November, you might as well just stop saying you support our most in-need veterans, because you don't:

 

Pat Toomey (Pa), Rand Paul (Ky), Mike Crapo (Idaho), Thom Tillis (NC), James Lankford (Okla), Mike Lee (Utah), Cynthia Lummis (Wyo), James Risch (Idaho), Mitt Romney (Utah), Richard Shelby (Ala), and Tonny Tuberville (Ala).

Biden got this done. Period. Because he actually cares about our veterans, unlike the other party, which too often pays lip service and uses veterans as political chess pieces. Or, in the case of most of these Republican lawmakers, checkers!

 

Biden is also preparing to pass the Inflation Reduction Act this weekend. This sweeping bill will bring prescription drug costs down, provide free vaccines for seniors, offer generous tax credits for electric vehicles, and much more. 

 

Its primary aim is to create more than 1 million jobs and substantially reduce inflation. The bill will enact historic deficit reduction that will fight inflation, as well as:

 

 • Lower energy costs, increases cleaner production, and reduces carbon emissions by roughly 40 percent by 2030 ;

 

• Allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices and caps out-of-pocket costs to $2,000;

 

• Lower ACA health care premiums for millions of American families;

 

• And make the biggest corporations and ultra-wealthy pay their fair share.

 

It should also be noted that in this bill there are zero new tax burdens on families making $400,000 or less and no new taxes on small businesses.

Also this week, a bipartisan majority of voters from Kansas - yes, KANSAS - voted to defend abortion rights, which Biden vocally supported. 

 

Politico's Playbook called what happened in Kansas “A POLITICAL EARTHQUAKE” and said the victory was “stunning”.

And finally, The House of Representatives passed a ban on semi-automatic firearms — the weapons used in multiple mass shootings during the last three months — on a near party-line vote.

 

Only two Republicans voted for it, and only five Democrats voted against it. 

 

Again, the Republicans are on the wrong side of this issue. Regarding this bill, Rep. Jim Jordan, a Ohio Republican, accused Democrats of “coming for your guns.”

 

But Jordan is lying, again.  

 

Rep. Deborah Ross, a North Carolina Democrat, said that the bill simply "prevents future sales of assault rifles,” and added that the weapons are “not designed for recreation, they’re designed for combat.” 

 

In a statement from the White House, a spokesman said, "40,000 Americans die from gunshot wounds every year and guns have become the top killer of children in the United States. As President Biden has repeatedly called for, we must do more to stop this gun violence and save lives."

You go, sleepy old Joe. Biden is a good man. Period. And is there anything more important than that? Despite relentless attacks, he continues to do the right thing, on multiple fronts. We're ALL getting older and a little sleepier, but that doesn't mean we can't still be very, very effective. You go, Joe!