SANTA CLARA — They travelled from Florida, Connecticut, Palo Alto and other far-away places to share stories of battling cancer — their own or of a loved one.
More than 300 of them filled Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara on Aug. 5 for 10th anniversary gala of the Danville-based Lazarex Cancer Foundation. The theme was “The Power of Ten: A Decade of Being There,” and the goal was to help improve access to clinical trials for advance-stage patients.
Since it was founded in 2006 by Dana Dornsife, Lazarex has supported more than 2,600 patients with navigation and financial assistance for FDA clinical trial participation.
It turns out that 10 wasn’t the only significant number for Lazarex because those patients lived another 413,250 days (or 1,133 years) as a result of the clinical trials, after being told that nothing else could be done for them.
Dornsife, the foundation’s president, and her husband, David, who serves on the organization’s advisory committee, were on hand to greet guests, along with her two sisters.
Dornsife’s inspiration for Lazarex was her 42-year-old brother-in- law Mike Miller who had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer when the youngest of his three children was just 4 years old.
Through Dornsife’s research into a clinical trial, Miller was able to live long enough to help his sons prepare for their future, and for his daughter to remember him.
The Lazarex Cancer Foundation supports cancer patients of all ages, with all forms of the disease, presenting clinical trials as an alternative to hospice care for those who want to remain engaged in their fight against the disease.
Because Lazarex believes that the size of a patient’s checkbook should not stand between them and the choices they make, or the treatments they need, the organization has an active fundraising approach to meet its goals.
An annual gala or fundraising event has been held every year since 2007. This year’s event yielded more than $200,000 through ticket sales, a live auction, and Fund a Need. An impressive entertainment line-up was also on the agenda.
The Master of Ceremonies was double cancer survivor Tarek El Moussa of HGTV’s “Flip or Flop.”
In addition to dinner, drinks, and a donut bar, attendees were treated to a spirited performance by Caly Bevier, the former semi-finalist on “America’s Got Talent” who was diagnosed with a rare form of ovarian cancer at the age of 15 and today is in remission.
Bevier sang Rachel Platten’s “Fight Song,” an anthem for many young people waging personal battles, and was later the surprise recipient of the Lazarex Invictus Award which goes to a cancer survivor who inspires hope and fights for all cancer patients.
Also on stage was the talented multi-cultural Oakland Youth Chorus, the longest running youth chorus in the East
Bay, and 2015 Red Bull Thre3Style USA Champion DJ J. Espinosa, one of the most influential DJ’s in the Bay Area.
Lazarex patients were also on hand to share their stories, including Anthony Lay and his wife Lissette, who
traveled from Orlando, Florida.
Crystalyn Trevillion of Palo Alto led a sparkling entourage that also included her mother Lynette Trevillion and godmother Tamala Williams. Trevillion delivered a spoken word entitled “Sanity” about her 18-month journey with Lazarex as she battles leukemia.
Also in the crowd were 15th District U.S Congressman Eric Swalwell and sisters Taelor and Sydni Scott of Farmington, Connecticut, daughters of the late ESPN sportscaster Stuart Scott, who passed away from cancer in 2015 at age 49.
The sisters accepted the Lazarex Impact Award on behalf of the Stuart Scott Foundation and its work to promote equity in cancer treatment and research for minority populations.
Kudos
The inaugural golf tournament hosted by Toll Brothers Northern California to benefit Hope Hospice at Castlewood
Country Club far exceeded its original fundraising goal of $30,000. On May 11, more than 180 golfers teed up to raise
$97,747 for the organization, which provides quality care, comfort and compassion to patients and their families at
life’s end.
