Fighting Chance 5th Anniversary

MEDIA ALERT

WHO:     Fighting Chance, Cancer Counseling and Resource Center
WHAT:   Book of Hope
WHEN:   July 2007
WHERE:  112 Hampton Street, Sag Harbor, NY 11963
(631) 725-4646 www.fightingchance.org

FIGHTING CHANCE PUBLISHES BOOK OF HOPE
Voices of Cancer Patients and Caregivers Shared to Inspire Others

(Sag Harbor, NY . . .   July 2007)  Fighting Chance (P.O. Box 1358,
Sag Harbor, NY 11963 [631] 725-4646 or www.fightingchance.org), the
first free-of-charge cancer counseling and resource center of its
kind on the East End of Long Island, New York, celebrates its fifth
anniversary in 2007, announces a new publication, the Book of Hope.

The free publication, in which cancer patients and their caregivers
share what hope means to them, aims to serve as a source of
inspiration to others.  It is available by calling Fighting Chance at
(631) 725 4646 or visiting the charity's website,
www.fightingchance.org.

Eighty statements were captured from around 300 attendees at what has
become an annual event, the Day of Hope, a day-long dialogue with
acclaimed oncologists and other specialists sponsored by Fighting
Chance and Southampton Hospital. The third Day of Hope will take
place November 10 at the Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor, New York.
The keynote speaker is Mark Kris, MD and Chief of Thoracic Oncology
Service at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Medical Center in New York.

 "Hope is about helping others with the benefit being that you are
helping yourself as well," says one caregiver to a daughter.

According to one cancer survivor, "Hope is being able to enjoy
tomorrow after a good day today."

A lung cancer patient undergoing treatment says, "Hope is everything."
An oncology nurse explains, "Hope means more effective treatment for
cancer as well as support for quality of life."

Fighting Chance welcomes learning from other cancer patients and
their carers how they define hope.  One may write to Fighting Chance,
P.O. Box 1358, Sag Harbor, NY 11963 or info@fightingchance.org.

In just five years, Fighting Chance has counseled around 2,000 cancer
patients and caregivers, distributed 10,000 guides and receives 5,000
visitors per month to its website (www.fightingchance.org).  It was
founded in 2002 with the aim of being a clearinghouse of cancer care
resources on the East End.  Today, the 501(c)(3) not-for-profit
organization is a model for cancer care delivery in rural
communities.  Fighting Chance helps cancer patients and caregivers
take informed action.  Free access to hard-to-find resources and
professional counseling is available from diagnosis through treatment
to survivorship.

For public inquiries, contact Fighting Chance at (631) 725-4646.  For
press inquiries, contact Suzee Foster at WordHampton Public Relations
at (631) 329-0050.

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MEDIA ALERT

WHO:   Fighting Chance
WHAT: Fifth Anniversary Annual Report
WHEN: April 15, 2007
WHERE: P.O. Box 1358, Sag Harbor, NY 11963
(631) 725-4646 www.fightingchance.org

FIGHTING CHANCE MARKS 5th ANNIVERSARY ON EAST END OF LONG ISLAND, NY
Cancer Counseling and Resource Center Helps Thousands Since 2002

(Sag Harbor, NY . . . April 2007)  Fighting Chance (P.O. Box 1358,
Sag Harbor, NY 11963 [631] 725-4646 or www.fightingchance.org), the
first free-of-charge cancer counseling and resource center of its
kind, marks its fifth anniversary in 2007.  Fighting Chance gives
patients and their caregivers on the East End of Long Island, New
York, a better chance – a fighting chance - to beat their cancer
through informed action.

In its 2006 Annual Report, published April 15, 2007, founder and
chairman Duncan Darrow reinforces the core belief permeating all
Fighting Chance does when he writes,  “Everyone who battles cancer
deserves a fighting chance.”

THOUSANDS HELPED SINCE 2002
In just five years, Fighting Chance has counseled around 2,000 cancer
patients and caregivers, distributed 10,000 guides and receives 5,000
visitors per month to its website (www.fightingchance.org).  It was
founded in 2002 with the aim of being a clearinghouse of cancer care
resources on the East End.  Today, the 501(c)(3) not-for-profit
organization is a model for cancer care delivery in rural
communities.  Fighting Chance helps cancer patients and caregivers
take informed action.  Free access to hard-to-find resources and
professional counseling is available from diagnosis through treatment
to survivorship.

“We may be best known for publishing Coping with Cancer on the East
End, a free guide updated each year with 75-pages of hard-to-find
local cancer care resources.  It’s a unique directory that closes the
information gaps we identified from personal experience. The greatest
demand we see now is for professional counseling.  So we have
developed our own programs to meet that need,” says Darrow.

 “For example, we are fortunate to have hired one of the nation’s
most experienced oncological social workers - Karrie Robinson, who
was with Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center for 16 years - giving
one-on-one counseling in person and leading regular support groups.
We also have a patient navigator - Heather Matthews, who was trained
at the National Cancer Institute - guiding patients through Internet
research, informing them about side effects of therapies like chemo,
finding the most promising clinical trials and resolving health
insurance issues. We do as much as we can and for free.”

FOUNDED TO HELP OTHERS FIGHT CANCER
Darrow founded Fighting Chance in 2002 as a result of his mother’s
battle with lung cancer and his role as caregiver.  The demands of
daily living required managing not only physical and emotional
burdens but intellectual ones too.  Navigating the health care system
and negotiating the logistics of treatment - especially in a rural
setting - were daunting.  Out of the Darrow family’s experience has
come a way to help others who are fighting cancer.  Seventeen board
members, ranging from healthcare professionals to caring citizens who
have been touched by cancer, take an active role in Fighting Chance.
The not-for-profit organization is independent.  It is not based in
any of the four hospitals used by East End patients though its
services are available to all of those patients.  Funding is solely
from charitable contributions.

2007 CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS
In 2007, the fifth anniversary is marked by a full calendar of
events.  Highlights include a June 16 ribbon-cutting ceremony to
formally open Fighting Chance’s new office in Sag Harbor.  The 112
Hampton Street location will accommodate one-on-one counseling
sessions, support group meetings, a patient navigation service, a
lending library and growing number of staff.  In addition to an
August 25 gala, there is the May publication of the annual resource
guide, Coping with Cancer on the East End, and The Book of Hope in
July.  The latter is a new, 25-page publication quoting what hope
means to East End cancer patients who have received counseling from
Fighting Chance.  On November 10, the third annual Day of Hope at The
Bay Street Theater will be held.  The symposium provides a forum for
the community to hear first-hand from luminaries about the latest
cancer treatments.  The 2007 keynote speaker, Dr. Mark Kris, is a
lung cancer specialist from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

For public inquiries, contact Fighting Chance at (631) 725-4646.  For
press inquiries, contact Suzee Foster at WordHampton Public Relations
at (631) 329-0050.