BUFFALO, NY – Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center will host “Sarcoma Awareness Gone Wild” on Sunday, July 26, 10 am – 5 pm at the Buffalo Zoo. The event is part of the worldwide Team Sarcoma Initiative designed to raise awareness about sarcoma, a rare cancer of the connective tissues.
More than 350 sarcoma patients, families, friends and caregivers touched by the disease will join Roswell Park physicians, nurses and other members of the health care team for this annual event. Festivities include free admission to the zoo, a catered lunch, animal demonstrations and a free “Sarcoma Knows No Borders” bracelet and souvenir T-shirt.
“We are delighted to celebrate survivorship and offer this day of fun-filled activities to patients, their families and the entire cancer care team,” said John M. Kane III, MD, Department of Surgical Oncology at Roswell Park. “Roswell Park is committed to raising awareness about sarcoma and other rare soft-tissue tumors.”
The event is part of Team Sarcoma Initiative, an effort of 84 medical centers, advocacy groups, and patient and family groups to host events in 14 countries, 27 states and the District of Columbia. The initiative is designed to educate the public about sarcoma and raise funds to support sarcoma research, clinical trials and patient and family services. Sarcoma is a cancer of the connective tissues, such as nerves, muscles and bone. Approximately 13,230 Americans will be diagnosed with sarcoma and 5,290 will die from this disease in 2009.
The mission of Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center is to understand, prevent and cure cancer. Roswell Park, founded in 1898, was one of the first cancer centers in the country to be named a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center and remains the only facility with this designation in Upstate New York. The Institute is a member of the prestigious National Comprehensive Cancer Network, an alliance of the nation’s leading cancer centers; maintains affiliate sites; and is a partner in national and international collaborative programs. For more information, visit Roswell Park’s website at http://www.roswellpark.org, call 1-800-ROSWELL (1-800-767-9355) or email AskRoswell@Roswellpark.org.
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Annie Deck-Miller, Senior Media Relations Manager
716-845-8593; annie.deck-miller@roswellpark.org