Fighting Chance (organization)

Fighting Chance is a United States patient advocate organization[1] that provides counseling for cancer patients and caregivers. Independent from any hospital and funded solely by charitable contributions,[2] Fighting Chance, a 501(c)(3) non-profit,[3] provides free access to hard-to-find resources and professional counseling[4] from the time of diagnosis through treatment to survivorship.[5] Headquartered in Sag Harbor, New York, the organization operates on the East End of Long Island and also offers e-counseling outside the area.[6]

Fighting Chance
Founded2002 (2002)
Location
Area served
East End of Long Island, New York
ProductFree-of-Charge counseling and resource center for cancer patients
Websitehttp://www.fightingchance.org

Organization

A 16-member board of directors, composed primarily of cancer survivors and caregivers, meet quarterly to guide the overall direction of the organization and plan annual events. The board is led by chairman Duncan Darrow who is also the founder of Fighting Chance.[7] The board is responsible for organizing the Fighting Chance Annual Summer Gala each year.[8]

Day-to-day operations are handled by Karrie Zampini Robinson, LCSW an oncology social worker with over 20 years of experience; Laraine Gordon, LCSW, an oncology social worker with over 10 years of experience; and William Di Scipio, Ph. D, a clinical psychologist and retired member of the faculty at the Einstein School of Medicine.

A Medical Advisory Committee of oncologists, some of whom also serve as board members, contributes to day-to-day operations. They include: Martin Karpeh, Jr., MD, Head of Surgery, Beth Israel Medical Center, New York City;[9] Peter Bach, MD,[10] Pulmonologist and Biostatistician at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City;[11] and Philip Schulman, MD, head of the Long Island satellite branch (based in Commack, New York) of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.[12]

History

In April 2001, Charlotte Darrow was diagnosed with metastatic lung cancer and survived only 100 days after diagnosis. The lack of support groups and professional counseling in this small town, located about 100 miles east of New York City, led Charlotte’s son to start an organization that would provide tools to help future cancer patients in the area to navigate the healthcare system.[13] The charity was created in Charlotte’s honor, as Duncan Darrow used to pray, not for a miracle, but that his mother simply be given a "fighting chance."[14] The term Fighting Chance was registered as a service marked by the United States Patent and Trademark Office in 2004.

Leadership
  • Duncan Darrow – Founder and Chairman, 2002  – Present
  • Willam J. DiScipio, Ph.D.-Executive Director, 2008– Present
  • Karrie Zampini Robinson, LCSW — Director of Clinical Programs, 2005–Present
  • Nancy Greenberg, Oncology Patient Navigator & Office Admin
  • Martin Karpeh, Jr., MD – Medical Advisory Committee, 2005 – Present
  • Peter Bach, MD — Medical Advisory Committee, 2005 – Present
  • Philip Schulman, MD — Medical Advisory Committee, 2005 – Present

Resource guide

Since 2004, Fighting Chance has updated and published an annual resource guide with a regional focus titled Coping with Cancer on the East End – a Practical Resource Guide. Topics covered in the free downloadable 93-page booklet include contact information for area doctors, hospitals, pharmacies and assisted living facilities; sources of complementary or alternative medicine; guidance on obtaining a second opinion, the scope of coverage under health insurance policies and protocols for clinical trials; and a list of useful websites.[15]

Sister organizations

In 2008, Duncan Darrow established a sister non-profit organization called cancersimplified.org. The organization’s website, launched in 2009, explains cancer in layman’s terms through a 44-page flip chart presentation.[16]

References
  1. "Fighting Chance". PAMarch07. American Association of Clinical Oncology. Retrieved 2009-04-21.
  2. Peterson, Oliver (August 23, 2007). "Benefit Celebration for 'Fighting Chance'". Southampton Press. Southampton, NY: Press News Group.
  3. Carissa, Katz (June 14, 2007). "Giving a Fighting Chance". East Hampton Star. East Hampton, NY.
  4. Mitchell, Ellen (June 30, 2007). "Career Moves in the Hamptons". Newsday. Melville, NY.
  5. Russell, Hank (June 11, 2008). "Prostate Cancer Survivors Get Help". Suffolk Life. Riverhead, NY.
  6. "Fighting Chance". Support and Advocacy Groups. American Association for Cancer Research. Retrieved 2009-04-15.
  7. "Governance". Fighting Chance Website. Fighting Chance. Archived from the original on 2008-10-06. Retrieved 2009-04-15.
  8. "Fighting Chance Benefit". Hamptons Cottages and Gardens. Westport, CT: Cottages and Gardens Publications. August 15, 2008.
  9. "Nationally-Renowned Surgeon Appointed Director of Stony Brook University Cancer Center". Stony Brook University. Retrieved 2009-05-13.
  10. Grady, Denise (October 21, 2006). "When It Comes to Lung Cancer, She Doesn't Believe in Waiting". the New York Times. New York, NY.
  11. "Peter Bach, MD, MAPP — Associate Attending Physician". Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Retrieved 2009-05-13.
  12. "Physician Biography Philip Schulman". Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Archived from the original on 2009-07-03. Retrieved 2009-05-13.
  13. "Duncan Darrow '71: Helping Out the Next Guy". Columbia College Today. Columbia College. Retrieved 2009-04-21.
  14. "Who We Are". Fighting Chance Website. Fighting Chance. Archived from the original on 2009-10-07. Retrieved 2009-04-15.
  15. "Coping with Cancer on the East End". A Practical Resource Guide. Fighting Chance Website. Archived from the original on 2009-12-06. Retrieved 2009-04-15.
  16. "Basic Training in 44 Flip Charts" (PDF). Cancer Simplified. CancerSimplified.org. Retrieved 2009-04-15.

Other references
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