Our family is proof of the adage, “Food is love.” We are so thankful to the many friends
and neighbors who cooked for our family and nourished us while our son underwent the
difficult treatment for a rare bone cancer called Ewing’s Sarcoma. Those meals,
prepared with affection (love) and care, helped our family know we were surrounded by
a community of people who loved us and had our backs. And we learned that there are
some amazing home cooks in Georgetown!
Along our cancer journey, we were very fortunate to meet Dr. Jeffrey Toretsky, a
leading researcher working in Georgetown at the Lombardi Cancer Center. Dr. Toretsky
serves as chief of MedStar Georgetown University Hospital’s Division of Pediatric
Hematology/Oncology and is an internationally recognized expert in sarcomas in
children, adolescents, and young adults. He is the principal investigator and director of
the NIH-funded Molecular Oncology Program at MedStar Georgetown University
Hospital’s Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center and co-leads a regional
multidisciplinary sarcoma clinic. Dr. Toretsky’s lab is pursuing a new and targeted
therapy for Ewing’s Sarcoma including a ground-breaking medication to treat the
cancer, which will eliminate the need for heavy doses of chemotherapy and radiation,
currently the standard treatment. Two patients are now in remission while participating
in Dr. Toretsky’s Phase 1 clinical trial.
We hope that Dr. Toretsky’s ground-breaking research will change the path forward for
other families who receive the heart-breaking diagnosis of Ewing’s Sarcoma. In our
dreams, they’ll receive a drug that is targeted to the key protein that drives Ewing’s
Sarcoma, which will block the interaction between that protein and other proteins that
lead to tumor growth – instead, the drug will cause the tumor to regress.
Any proceeds we receive will be donated to Dr. Toretsky to fund his important research.
Our suggested donation is $58, which is tax-deductible, and then any multiples of
that. We are thankful to all of you for your support and for funding research that we
hope will help the next generation of children and families like ours.
Warmly,
Elizabeth Miller and Dan Sallick
