Stand up to cancer..

2 nights ago i was watching Astro and this programme was shown. It was shown in AXN at 8pm. For me, first time that channel did not have any commercial break. Show was for one hour.

Its where almost all of the top holiwood actors, sportsperson, news people, business people came together on this occassion. Some are cancer survivors (Lance Armstrong, Fran (star from 'The Nanny') and few others).

A lot of things can be said about the American people..but when they come together for a common goal, they really come together. Almost everyone sure got love ones loss the battle to cancer.

This stand up to cancer is a way to fight back, everyone just donate some money for R and D on cancer. Bring all the top scientist together to share their info and hopefully, there is a chance for the future generation.

I lost an uncle to lung cancer and a friend's wife to cancer too. Although this is an American initiative but am sure when the time comes, they will share their findings to the rest of the world.

Got this from Wikipedia.

Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) is a charitable program of the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF) established by media, entertainment and philanthropic leaders who have been affected by cancer. SU2C aims to raise significant funds for translational cancer research through online and televised efforts. Central to the program is a telethon that aired on three major broadcast networks (ABC, NBC, CBS) on September 5, 2008.

The SU2C leadership team includes news anchor Katie Couric; the Entertainment Industry Foundation, represented by Board of Directors Chairperson Sherry Lansing and CEO Lisa Paulsen; Laura Ziskin; the Noreen Fraser Foundation and its executives Noreen Fraser, Woody Fraser, Rusty Robertson and Sue Schwartz; and nonprofit executive Ellen Ziffren.

The Stand Up To Cancer initiative aims to raise awareness and bring about an understanding that everyone is connected by cancer. The stat used most often by SU2C is from the American Cancer Society: one out of every two men and one out of every three women will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime[1], meaning everyone is affected in some way, or will be. Another part of the campaign is motivating the public through various forms of media to become involved in the cause of curing cancer.

One doctor involved in Stand Up To Cancer, Dennis Slamon, MD, has compared treating cancer with treating hypertension:

"If we turn cancer into a chronic disease that's manageable, have we cured it? No, not any more than you 'cure' hypertension. You treat hypertension, and if you successfully treat hypertension the patient may die, but they're going to die of something other than hypertension or the diseases related to hypertension. Does that constitute a cure? It constitutes an appropriate control of the disease so that it isn't what's life-ending."[2].

The initiative has been framed only as a national project, isolated to America.

SU2C's ultimate goal is to cut down on the amount of time promising research takes in progressing from discovery through clinical trials and out onto the market. The initiative's funding model is offered as an alternative to the traditional grant proposal and funding process used by institutions like the National Cancer Institute, wherein a reported two in ten grants are funded[3].

With the exception of a 10% endowment for possible future investments, the funds raised by SU2C will go as immediately as possible toward research. 100% of publicly donated funds go to research, none to overhead costs. 70% of funds will go to scientific “dream teams” established by experts, including the American Association for Cancer Research.[4] Teams picked will be subject to mandated collaboration in hopes of accelerating research. The remaining 20% of funds will go to innovative young investigators who might not otherwise gain funding. [5]

SU2C “dream teams” will be composed of scientific experts, patient advocates, and experts in pre-clinical trial data. SU2C distinguishes itself from federal funding agencies like the National Institutes of Health by stressing that funding needs to go to applicable research now, when we finally possess promising knowledge about cancer and how it works at the molecular level. [6]

The Stand Up To Cancer manifesto has been published on the organization's website. No author is credited.

SU2C Manifesto[7]:

This is where the end of cancer begins.
When together we become a force unmistakable.
A movement undeniable.
A light that cannot dim.
When we take our wild impossible dreams
And make them possible
Make them true
When together we rise as one
When we stand up
When we Stand Up To Cancer.

standup2cancer.org (or su2c.org) launched on May 28th, 2008, the same day as the press release announcing the initiative. The website is the public face of Stand Up To Cancer in the run-up to the show and allows users to donate online. The website contains information about the initiative, video channels under the heading SUTV, and an online cancer magazine called SU2C Mag. Content includes videos and articles featuring performers and writers like Larry David and Jerome Groopman, M.D. Other promotional material with TV and film celebrities is also prominent.

The website has two social networking applications, or apps: The Stand is a Facebook application that allows Facebook users impacted by cancer to connect with one another via trading cards, leveraging Facebook's back-end networking capacity.

The Constellation, a tool through which anyone can launch a star in honor of someone they know who has been diagnosed with cancer. Honorees' stars cluster or align in close proximity within a telescope-like map of a virtual night sky. Stars can be launched for minimum $1 donation.

The three major American television networks, NBC, ABC, CBS, as well as E! aired Stand Up To Cancer's one-hour special event without commercials[8] on September 5th at 8pm ET/PT.[9] It was simulcast on three Canadian networks, Citytv, CTV, and Global.[10]

The networks also helped publicize the initiative by plugging it on their morning shows on May 28, 2008. Katie Couric made her first appearance on the Today Show since moving to an anchor position on the CBS Evening News as part of the promotional effort.[11] Brian Williams and Charles Gibson also took part.

The special included the campaign's theme song "Just Stand Up", produced by Antonio "L.A." Reid, featuring some of the top female artists in pop/rock music, including Mariah Carey, Beyoncé, Carrie Underwood, Leona Lewis, Miley Cyrus, Fergie, Rihanna and Ciara. The song was performed live during the telethon, and was released as a single via iTunes.

Actress Christina Applegate, who in the months prior to the show underwent a successful double mastectomy, appeared on the special, as did Patrick Swayze, making his first network television appearance since being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.[12]

The heavy attention paid to the use of celebrities has led critics to claim that Stand Up To Cancer sacrifices substance for glamour.

Health care advocates have criticized the movement for focusing on translational research instead of public health concerns including carcinogens in our food, water, and everyday household materials. They have also criticized the project's emphasis on cures as over-emphasizing research without attention to prevention and health care access.

Listed as partners, known SU2C corporate and private donors include:

AARP
AOL
Lee
Major League Baseball
Revlon
Saks Fifth Avenue
Philips
Steve Tisch
Stonyfield Farm

SU2C makes heavy use of cancer-related statistics in its outreach to the public. Frequently utilized statistics include:

Ending cancer would be worth $50 trillion to the US economy.[13]
One out of two men, and one out of three women, will be diagnosed with cancer.[14]
1,500 Americans die from cancer every day.[15]
One American dies of cancer every minute.[16]
There are nearly 11 million cancer survivors in America right now.[17]


https://www.standup2cancer.org/donate_splash.asp