Angel Care Breast Cancer Foundation

Welcome New Volunteers

Life is more accurately measured by the lives you touch than by the things
you acquire. Please welcome our new volunteers:

Therese Billings - Seattle
Lisa Files - Sammamish
Joyce Gannon - Monroe
Jill Holen - Fall City/North Bend
Margaret Murphy - Issaquah
Jane Silberberg - Seattle

Our volunteers are providing the wonderful services of Angel Care and without
their dedication to our mission, we wouldn’t be able to continue. We truly
appreciate their commitment to our program of services. They are a unique
bunch of people as each one knows what it’s like to receive the message “you have
cancer,” go thru surgery and treatments. Now as survivors they are assisting
those just starting the process and there to provide hope and encouragement.
Yes, each of us had the fears and concerns and now we are healthy and
enjoying our lives like never before.

If any of our readers are interested in becoming a volunteer, please phone or
email: Angel Care at 425-861-5655 or angelcare@angelcarefoundation.org

We do require all volunteers be out of treatment for at least one year, have
positive people skills and dependable transportation. You must attend
on-going training sessions, offered twice a year. We ask for a minimum one year
commitment.

New Resources Available on Our Web Site

We continuously try to assist with helpful information for breast cancer
patients and survivors. Recently we added a link with Thomson CenterWatch.
This site can assist with information and resources for clinical trials -
updated daily. The site also contains a summary listing of oncology focused
clinical trials conducted by the various National Institutes of Health at the
Warren Grant Magnuson Clinical Research Center in Bethesda, MD. There is a link
for patients to allow them to be notified via email when new trial listings are
available in their specific area of interest.

Listing of drugs approved by the FDA are updated bi-weekly. News articles
and reports covering recent advances in clinical research are updated weekly.

Just go to the Angel Care web site: www.angelcarefoundation.org - click on
“Resources” and click on “Clinical Trials Resource Center - then
CenterWatch.com We are sure you’ll find this information to be of help as you search for
information on breast cancer issues.

Colleen McNelley Memorial Award

Once again we are recognizing one of our outstanding volunteers. For the
fourth year in a row, we have selected a volunteer, based on her dedication and
commitment to our mission. This year The Colleen McNelley Memorial Award was
presented to Judy Carpenter at our fall training session.

Colleen lost her battle with inflammatory breast cancer in June, 2002. Her
wish was to have donations in her memory go to a local foundation that assists
newly diagnosed breast cancer people. Her husband, Paul, selected Angel Care.
Colleen’s spirit lives on through Angel Care. While she has left us, her
wishes are being carried out and others are being assisted as they go through
treatments.

Judy Carpenter, our recipient for 2005, has been a volunteer with Angel Care
since 2002. She has assisted a number of referrals, is part of the Angel Care
Ambassador Program, assisted Angel Care with presentations at hospitals,
helped with recruiting guest speakers for training sessions and has also spoken
during training. Judy also is featured on our Public Service Announcement.

Thank you, Judy, for your dedication to Angel Care, for your caring style in
assisting new patients and your dependability. It’s volunteers like Judy that
make our foundation a positive resource for the community.

Sumner Merchants Walk the Extra Mile for Breast Cancer

Life is full of wonderful surprises and when we were informed by merchants in
Downtown Sumner that Angel Care was to be the recipient of funds they were
raising thru a walk and luncheon, we were totally overjoyed.

Several of our volunteers drove to Sumner to take part in this event - some
even joined in the walk. It was a dry fall day and spirits were high as
approximately 100 walkers took to the streets, later gathering for the luncheon,
which included a silent auction.

If anyone thinks they can’t make a difference - think again. This was spear
headed by two ladies: Louann Spencer and LuAnn Iselin, as their first attempt
in putting on this event. What a success the day was with an enthusiastic
group of people in attendance. Much to our surprise, only a very few were breast
cancer survivors - most were there to support the cause. After a silent
auction during the luncheon, Angel Care was presented with a check for $5,000 -
and it didn’t stop there. They announced plans for another walk in 2006 and the
decision was made to again honor Angel Care-Breast Cancer Foundation. Now,
how do we say thank you to all that? We do live in a wonderful country with
lots of very caring and supportive people. Thank you Sumner residents for your
support of our foundation and what we do!

Vaccines for Cancer Being Developed

At our fall training session we had guest speakers from the University of
Washington Tumor Vaccine Group. News was just released that this group is
studying how the body’s immune system fights cancer. They are developing tests to
help measure immune response in order to create vaccines and immune therapies
for cancer. This is done by studying white blood cells that they collect
during leukapheresis.

They are needing volunteers. Leukapheresis is a 3-4 hour procedure in which
your blood passes through a machine and a portion (3/4 - 1 cup) of white blood
cells are collected.

You need to be a cancer survivor, not undergoing chemotherapy, have normal
blood counts and be 18 years or older.

If you participate you will receive $150 for your travel and expenses. If
interested you may contact Doreen Higgins, RN, in Seattle at 206-616-9538 -
www.tumorvaccinegroup.org

Investigational Vaccine Study for Stage IV Breast or Ovarian Cancer

Also at our fall training session we learned from the U of W Tumor Vaccine
Group of their efforts in evaluating the effects of an investigational vaccine
in people with Stage IV HER2+ breast or ovarian cancer who are taking
Herceptin. Subjects who are eligible will receive vaccines targeting the HER2 protein,
and their immune response will be measured over time. Participating will
require monthly vaccines for six months given at the U of W General Clinical
Research Center, and several blood draws. This research will aid in developing
vaccines to prevent relapse of breast and ovarian cancer.

You must be female or male, at least 187 years or older, Stage IV breast or
ovarian cancer, HER2+ cancer, stable disease, on Herceptin, HLA A2+ Exclusion
criteria is: progressive disease, history of autoimmune disease, current
chemotherapy (except Herceptin).

To learn more, contact Patty Fintak at the University of Washington in
Seattle 206-543-6620. The Tumor Vaccine Group website is: www.tumorvaccinegroup.org