Hello from ASCO, Chicago

Hi everyone! I didnt have the pleasure to attend the show, but from eveything I heard from my mom and Marion it is has been a great success. The location of the booth alone certainly gives our cancer some pressence. My mom commented that when some Italian Drs approached her at the booth and she asked in Italian “conosce questi malatia?”(do you know this cancer?”) and they responded somberly “por troppo, si”(yes, unfortunaterly we do) She realized that this cancer is all over the worId and many Drs when they see it, just dont know wha to do to treat it.
didnt find this site until a year and a half after my father was dignosed because his Onc didnt even use the term Calangiocarcinoma, she just called it Bile Duct Cancer. She told me once she only saw this cancer a few times in her career. This orphan cancer needs all the exposure it can get,and people like Marion(wonder women) are doing so much to make that happen.
I had the pleasure to have dinner with several of the board members of our site Saturday night(Stacie, Sara, Seth, Rick, Dawn) and as I told them the other night, I am internally grateful to all of them for this site. It saved me when my dad was going through the final stages of this awful disease. It was my lifeline.

Hello Everyone,
I just returned from ASCO and it was such an exciting conference. Being in such a prime location was such a high. I remember being at ASCO 2 or 3 years ago and being in the back of the exhibit hall, wishing we could be in the front “corral”. Well, we have made it to that prime spot. So much traffic and many conversations with physicians, researchers, oncology nurses and other advocates – I was so proud to be representing The Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation. I also had the pleasure of meeting Stella – she is so wonderful, her daughter Barbara, and Patty. It was also great to see Marion, Percy, Stacie, Sara, Seth, Rick, and Dawn again. I came home recharged, I want to do so much more to help raise awareness – I will do whatever I can anytime they need me and when I retire I will do even more.
I am going to start organizing a 5k walk for Cholangiocarcinoma – hopefully in Boston in the fall – I hope there is not too much “red tape” to get through. If any of you out there are in the Boston area and want to help me with this, or have any contacts or ideas- please contact me. Let’s raise some money – raise awareness – get together – and make a difference.
My sincere thanks to The Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation for being such an important part of my getting through life since losing my amazing Jacques three and a half years ago. Being involved with this is extremely rewarding to me.
Love from NH,
Barbara