Encore

Last February we introduced you to licensed clinical [oncology] social worker Becky Cammy in an article titled ,Frontline Warrior that explained the breadth of her role helping cancer patients at Jefferson Health’s Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center (SKCC), how her collaboration with Legacy of Hope led to the establishment of its Emergency Patient Support Network, and that she was a sponsored runner for the Love Run Half Marathon. We’re happy to report that she’s back for an encore as a sponsored Legacy of Hope athlete. On March 26th, she’ll run the Love Run Half Marathon.

Cammy had planned to do the Love Run Half Marathon last year, but she ended up running the 7.6k option, because she was on the rebound from a “very first world problem—having injured my hip while running on a beach in Aruba a couple months prior.” In some ways the 2022 Love Run 7.6k was the springboard for Cammy’s recovery. She credits ,Philly Runs Free with pushing her to complete the race at a point when she wasn’t sure she could even race that day. “I was hesitant because I’d been injured for a few months and was just starting to feel better. Philly Runs Free helped me stay accountable to doing the race; and I’m glad I did cause I think it gave me the confidence to feel like I could build from there.” And build she did. Cammy kept at it, picked up the miles, and was feeling really good by the summer. So it’s not surprising that she PR’d in the Philly half marathon in November, averaging a speedy 7:26 per mile for an impressive 1:37 finish. “I didn’t expect it to be a PR year…but I did it smart—physical therapy and regular body work for three months after last year’s injury. I feel great now, coming off a pretty good Fall. Now I’m back in training for the (2023) Love Run Half Marathon.”

Cammy experienced “probably the most significant loss” of her adulthood, when her dear friend, who’d been treated at [SKCC] for stage IV colon cancer for four and a half years, died in May at the age of 36.” As an oncology social worker, Cammy found the intersection of the personal and the professional to be a weighty collision. “It made trying to stay present and maintain hope with my friend very tough, knowing ultimately how it would probably end. It was really, really hard. And the heaviness of it struck me after she died.”

The tragic loss of her friend to cancer hit Cammy hard, as she reflects “She was able to get engaged, get married and buy a house—kind of live through a few things that she really wanted to do. Her fertility was impacted by her diagnosis at age 32; and she’d gone through fertility preservation but ultimately wasn’t able to carry. So it was rough. Colon cancer is usually very treatable but it was stage four by the time she was diagnosed. She’d seen a doctor for some GI symptoms and it turns out that the cancer had already metastasized to her liver and lungs. I think the five year survival for stage four is like under 15%. She survived four and a half years. She was strong in the beginning—the first round of chemo, you know, she honestly didn’t look that sick for the first two years other than her hair loss. Her cancer recurred; and she went through a lot of surgeries. She went through quite a lot.”

“Looking forward to those life events helped her hold on for that last year and a half. She got married in a small, intimate wedding—tears everywhere as you can imagine, because it was so much more than just a wedding. We went on an awesome girl’s trip to Jamaica with a bunch of friends last summer. It was really a celebration of her life.”

Cammy’s vantage point as an oncology social worker allows her to easily see how cancer impacts almost everyone, “someone knows someone or has a family member who’s been impacted. I’m empathetic to the stories I hear every day here from patients, but loss really strikes a different nerve when it’s a close friend, or family. It cuts deep.”

Cammy shares that she thinks a lot about her friend a lot on her runs, which provide her time to grieve. “I am reflective and in my own space, I often drift off and think about her. She’d been sick for a long time, but the last year and a half was really downhill—lots of hospitalizations, lots of bad side effects. I think a lot about how she’s not gonna live into her eighties and die a little old lady. There’s so much loss of the future.”

“I would talk with her frequently about Legacy of Hope, and she learned a lot about social work and the diversity of people who are impacted by cancer. She never imagined she’d get cancer. She had a great support network, lots of friends and family. It really struck her when she realized that some people do this all by themselves—without anyone. Throughout her years being in treatment she would say to me ‘How do people do this by themselves!?’ She definitely went through challenges, but she wasn’t worried about putting food on the table, unlike many of the patients we refer to Legacy of Hope. I think learning that was quite profound to her. It’s the kind of thing you don’t really want to think about until you have to. And then by then it’s just so overwhelming. It’s tricky—a really hard balance. You knew in your gut this was gonna be inevitable. You didn’t know when, or how, but it was important to make preparations, and have the tools to navigate. We live in this death-defying society where we don’t talk about it; people can be weird about it because of that.

Apart from the painful loss of her good friend, 2022 was also a significant year for Cammy because it was the year her team referred Tyrone Mack (featured in ,Broad Shoulders) to Legacy of Hope. “Tyrone’s story is so powerful and surreal—fighting stage IV colon cancer, his son being recently diagnosed with leukemia, and his daughter with a severe congenital heart defect. Being a social worker feels different because of my experience with Tyrone’s case. Cases like this amaze me with the resilience of the human spirit. Despite accumulating stressors and challenges to his family, Tyrone’s spirit is so vibrant. Everyone here at SKCC kind of knows about him.”

Cammy’s spirit is cut from the same cloth as Tyrone’s; and she exhibits the same resilience she admires in Tyrone and her other clients, which is no small feat, considering the volume of difficult and often tragic stories she deals with on a daily basis. Philly’s cancer patients are blessed to have her in their corner. You can support Cammy’s half marathon effort this March by donating to her fundraiser. Go one better and register to run the Love Run Half Marathon with Becky. Philly Runs Free.

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Elliott Sina

Elliott is a medical student at Thomas Jefferson University’s Sidney Kimmel Medical College, driven by a commitment to advancing care for cancer patients through clinical insight and research. He leads Legacy of Hope’s research initiative, evaluating the impact of the Emergency Patient Support Network on patients’ quality of life. Through his efforts, Elliott aims to amplify Legacy of Hope’s mission, combining patient-centered care with meaningful, data-driven advocacy.

Mike 2

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Dr. Claudia Capparelli, PhD

Affiliations: Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center

Education: PhD, University of Calabria, Cosenza, Italy – 2011

Focus & Impact:  Focus on the role of the SOX10 transcription factor with regard to tumor cell heterogeneity and plasticity across multiple genotypes in melanoma. Investigating how SOX10 plasticity/heterogeneity affects the response to MEKi and anti-ErbB3 combinations in WT BRAF melanoma patients. 

Publications: Publications Link

Honors & Awards:

  • Legacy of Hope Merit Award

  • Outrun the Sun Melanoma Research Scholar Award

  • Unical Fellowship Visiting Scholar

  • International Pigment Cell Conference Travel Award

  • Best Poster Presentation, Ninth Annual Jefferson Post-doctoral Research

  • INPDAP Fellowship for Student Merit 

  • University of Calabria Fellowships for Student Merit 

Dr. Qing Chen, M.D., Ph.D.

Affiliations: The Wistar Institute, The Chen Laboratory, University of Maryland

Education: PhD,Immunology, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, State University of New York at Buffalo (Dean’s Award for outstanding dissertation) – 2006

Focus & Impact:  Focus is on the molecular mechanisms of brain metastasis originating from primary tumors like breast cancer, and the interplay between cancer cells and the stromal cells that populate the brain microenvironment. 

Publications: Publications Link

Honors & Awards​:

  • Legacy of Hope Merit Award

  • Jayne Koskinas Ted Giovanis Foundation for Health and Policy Award

  • Susan G. Komen, CCR Basic/Translational and Clinical application

  • The V Foundation for Cancer Research Award

  • Dissertation Research Award, Susan Komen Breast Cancer Foundation 

Nia Andrews

Bio Coming Soon

Rebecca Blinn

Bio Coming Soon

Carol Sollenberger

Bio Coming Soon

Maree Lavo

Bio Coming Soon

Bryan Lathrop

Bio Coming Soon

Kimberly S. Reed

An award winning international speaker, author, corporate trainer and diversity, equality and inclusion executive, nationally recognized thought leader, expert, strategist and advisor to some of the world’s most influential organizations in global professional services, health care, financial services, consumer products and pharmaceutical industries.

Kimberly is a seasoned leader in transforming organizations into high-performing enterprises and challenging leaders to live without limits, with more than 20 years of HR, talent acquisition, and diversity & inclusion experience; successfully turning around troubled diversity practices by designing, building, leading, and shaping high-performing cultures at global organizations with robust strategies, global employee development programs and enterprise-wide initiatives that have increased revenue growth and organizational brand eminence.

Michele Redrow

Michele is a Director on the Legacy of Hope board and also serves on the Executive Committee.

mary chicorelli

Professional:  Mary is a certified city planner for Philadelphia, a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association as well as the Philadelphia Bar Association, and the Pro Bono Honor Roll First Judicial District of Philadelphia.

Bio: Mary’s insight into the legal world is invaluable to Legacy of Hope, both in keeping our daily operations moving fluidly as well as making connections for our patients and their families when needed.

“Michael reached out to me about 2 years ago through mutual friends. We worked together to help a woman with stage 4 cancer get her electricity turned back on after it was shut off during the winter. I’ve been 100% supportive of Mike’s vision since then.”

joseph ruggieri, jr

Education: Bachelor’s of Science from West Chester University in Management and Finance

Bio: As a member of Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.’s upper management team, Joseph brings a wealth of knowledge regarding finances, management, team-building and planning to the Legacy of Hope board. Joseph linked up with Michael, our President, and Wells Fargo began supporting Legacy of Hope annually.

“My father passed away from what started as Colon Cancer in 2015. Cancer is horrible and if there is something I can do to help others impacted I would want to be a part of it.”

David April

David is the founder of the Fishtown Beer Runners, an organization with chapters all over the world based here in Philadelphia.

dr. kevin kelly

Dr. Kevin Kelly leads Legacy of Hope’s Scientific Review Board to seek out and support the most promising cancer research in Philadelphia using a merit-based system.  He is Jefferson’s Director of Solid Tumor Oncology.

greg garber

Greg Garber is the director of Oncology Support Services at the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center.

Gina Mancuso

Gina’s experience as the very successful co-owner of CoreFitness, LLC coupled with her expertise in planning special events makes her the perfect Vice President for Legacy of Hope. With energy, passion, and drive that makes her seem superhuman, Gina’s connection to our mission is a personal one.

“Both my father and my dear childhood friend were diagnosed with cancer within 3 months of one another. They were surrounded and supported by friends and family throughout their battle and until their passing. No one should suffer through a diagnosis alone and, without Legacy of Hope, some people would do just that.”

Michael Rowe

Awards:

Volatile Media Management’s Mover, Shaker, Changemaker Award – February 2017

Miles Mack Community Services & Leadership Honorable Mention – 2016 TJUH Emergency Department Technician of the Year, Physicians Choice Award – 2015

TJUH Emergency Department Technician of the Year, Physicians Choice Award – 2014

Bio:

With his free time so limited, Michael manages to fuse his work with his other passion: running. Whether it is with the Fishtown Beer Runners, our own Team Relentless Hope, or his closest friends, Michael can often be spotted on the streets of Philadelphia keeping himself fit and active.