“The Adventure Jar: A Story of Magic for Families Living with Metastatic Breast Cancer” is intended for children ages three to eight. The book follows the story of a family affected by metastatic breast cancer as they discover that even through the challenges of their mom’s diagnosis – involving inevitable change, uncertainty and disappointment – there is magic to be found in time shared together.​

Family life can be upended when a parent has cancer, and it can be difficult for parents to bear witness to the impact it can have on young children – creating a crucial need for resources to help navigate the challenging emotions that follow.

The Adventure Jar, led by Gilead Sciences, was created in collaboration with eight diverse members of the metastatic breast cancer (MBC) community and professionals, including a psychiatrist, to help families impacted by MBC.​

Among these collaborators is Gilead Patient Ambassador Lauren Huffmaster. She was diagnosed with MBC at 37 years old and struggled with the emotional impact cancer had on her husband and three young daughters, who were two, four and six at the time. Nearly a decade since her diagnosis, MBC continues to shape the lives of her daughters, but they’ve made it a habit to redefine their circumstances.

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer and leading cause of cancer death among women aged 20 to 49 years in the US[ Siegel, R. L., Miller, K. D., Wagle, N. S., & Jemal, A. (2023). Cancer statistics, 2023. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, 73(1), 17–48. https://doi.org/10.3322/caac.21763.​

MBC is the most advanced stage of breast cancer that has spread to other areas of the body, most often the bones, lungs, liver or brain.​[ Metastatic Breast Cancer Facts and Statistics. (n.d.). Susan G. Komen®. Retrieved June 14, 2024, from https://www.komen.org/breast-cancer/facts-statistics/what-is-breast-cancer/metastatic-breast-cancer/ It’s a lifelong disease, and treatment is an ongoing reality that doesn’t go away for most people.​ As younger women are being diagnosed with MBC at an alarming rate, this means that families, including many young children, are increasingly impacted.

#adventurejar #cancer #breastcancer

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During National Cancer Survivors Month, people around the country are recognizing the more than 16.9 million cancer survivors in the U.S. who are living with, through, and beyond their disease. www.lls.org

One of the most innovative treatments giving hope to people with blood cancers such as lymphoma, leukemia or myelomas is CAR T-cell therapy.1
• CAR T-cell therapies are made from a patient’s own blood cells and use the immune system to identify and attack cancer cells.2
• These innovative treatments have shown to be potentially life-saving therapies for patients with certain blood cancers, like large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL), which is the most common form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma and can be aggressive.2,3
• However, awareness of CAR T-cell therapy among potentially eligible patients in the U.S. is low – only about 1 out of 5 are aware of the therapy as a treatment option.4

Michael, a small business owner and father of three girls living in New Jersey, was diagnosed with LBCL in October 2018 and was treated with chemotherapy which he described as “pretty aggressive.” His cancer quickly returned – only four months later – and he decided to participate in a clinical trial for CAR T-cell therapy. Today he is 3+ years cancer-free.

Dr. Lori Leslie, a hematologist and oncologist at Hackensack Meridian John Theurer Cancer Center in New Jersey, treats people with blood cancers and has seen firsthand their devastating impact particularly for those whose cancer returns. Dr. Leslie, who treated Michael with CAR T-cell therapy, is available to discuss how recent treatment advances like CAR T-cell therapies offer people like Michael hope.

Michael and Dr. Leslie speak about CAR T-cell therapies for cancers like LBCL and how eligible patients and caregivers can learn more about these innovative treatments.

Interview is courtesy: Kite, a Gilead Company

1Siegel RL, Miller KD, Fuchs HE. Cancer statistics, 2022. CA Cancer J Clin. 2022;70:7-33.
2Zhao L, Cao YK. Engineered T cell therapy for cancer in the clinic. Front Immunol. 2019;10:1-20.
3National Cancer Institute. Cancer stat facts: Non-Hodgkin lymphoma. https://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/nhl.html. Accessed May 10, 2022.
4 Data on File.

#michael #drlorileslie #car #t-cell #therapy #cancer #lbcl #patients #caregivers #innovativetreatments #kitegileadcompany #bloodcells #cancersurvivors #lls #b-cell

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