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Put on your boxing gloves, get
in the ring, and stand and fight, to KNOCK OUT
SARCOMA! Sally Moeller Kingsbury lost her battle
with sarcoma on December 16, 2005, but she never
took off the boxing gloves, and being a fighter,
always believed she could beat the disease. It
was her hope that the search for a cure for
sarcoma would continue beyond her life.
By founding the Sally M.
Kingsbury Sarcoma Research Foundation, Inc. in
2007, her friends and family are able to
continue the fight to “Knock Out sarcoma” two
years after her death. The foundation’s annual
fundraiser, Knock Out Cancer With Knock Out
Roses, will take place April 19th and 20th in
Gruene, Texas, during Gruene Market Days.
Like most sarcomas, Sally’s
first appeared in her right thigh. About 60
percent of sarcomas occur in the arms and legs.
Sarcomas are a large group of malignant tumors
that can be found almost anywhere in the body.
Soft tissue sarcomas, the kind Sally fought, can
develop in every type of soft tissue in the body
including fat, muscle, nerves and blood vessels.
Sarcomas can develop in almost any organ of the
body including the lungs, heart, liver and
kidneys. Only about half of all sarcomas are
detected in the early stages before they have
spread (metastasized) to other parts of the
body. Hoping to get rid of the deadly disease,
Sally Kingsbury underwent chemotherapy,
radiation and surgery to remove her tumor
followed by a second round of chemotherapy.
Eight short months after she completed her
treatment, doctors informed the Kingsburys that
Sally’s cancer had metastasized to her right
lung.
Sally got back in the ring,
getting more chemotherapy and surgery to remove
her lung, believing every moment that she could
beat the disease. Unfortunately, she lost her
fight with sarcoma on December 16, 2005. Less
then 1 percent of adult tumors are sarcomas;
therefore, this disease does not receive the
same attention as other more “well-known”
cancers such as breast and lung. In 2007, around
9,000 people will be diagnosed with soft tissue
sarcomas. Close to 3,500 Americans died of the
disease last year.
Last year, the Sally M.
Kingsbury Foundation began selling the Knock Out
Rose bush, a low maintenance, disease- resistant
bush that provides a continuous cycle of color,
bloom and growth from spring to late fall. This
year they are featuring a deep pink, double
blossom variety. The Knock Out Rose is the
perfect living memorial to Sally M. Kingsbury
and will contribute to much needed ongoing
research. In their inaugural year, The Sally M.
Kingsbury Sarcoma Research Foundation, raised
more than $20,000 dollars for The Sarcoma
Research Center at M.D. Anderson in Houston. For
more information on the Sarcoma Research Center,
visit www.mdanderson.org. Eliminating cancer is
always the goal of early detection, but
restoring or maintaining physical mobility is
just as important for patients diagnosed with
sarcoma. Current research is concentrating on
obtaining more information about the causes of
sarcomas as well as prevention and the spread of
the disease. Scientists are studying new
diagnostic, tumor biology and therapeutic
approaches for the more than 30 types of
malignant sarcomas.
The Foundation’s goal is to not
only raise research funds but also awareness of
sarcoma. Hit cancer with your best shot this
February which is “Screening and Early
Detection” Awareness Month. The best approach to
early detection of sarcoma is to call your
healthcare professional if you notice any
unexplained lumps or growths or other symptoms
that may be caused by a soft tissue sarcoma.
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