International Sarcoma Awareness Week

From July 17-July 25, 2010 the Liddy Shriver Sarcoma Initiative works hard to raise awareness for Sarcoma cancers through International Sarcoma Awareness Week. Different "Team Sarcoma" events are held internationally throughout this week to not only raise awareness of this rare cancer, but to raise money towards research and patient assistance.

According to Team-Sarcoma.net, 1% of all adult cancers are sarcomas, and 15-20% of all childhood cancers are sarcomas. The phrase that the Liddy Shriver Sarcoma Initiative coins, "Sarcoma Knows No Borders", refers to the sarcoma cancers themselves that can form anywhere in the body, making them frequently hard to diagnose and treat.

My late husband passed from an Angiosarcoma tumor in 2008, and locally in Lancaster, Pennsylvania I have begun the first KIK Sarcoma: Team Sarcoma event. It will be a bike/walk/run in East Petersburg, Pennsylvania to be held on Saturday July 17^th 2010 at 10:00 a.m.

Angiosarcomas account for only 1-2% of all sarcoma cancers (sarcomahelp.org). Our goal, like many other Team Sarcoma events, is to raise awareness to our area and the public about sarcoma cancers and to raise money so that more treatment options may become available to patients.

Last year, nearly 17,000 people worldwide (team-sarcoma.net) joined together to raise awareness about Sarcoma cancers. This is an incredible feat considering the foundation's formation in 2003 with only 7 participants in a Team Sarcoma event. As a family member of a lost Sarcoma patient, it becomes even more important to make people aware of a cancer that gets little attention due to its rarity.

Throughout the world, events are being held such as cycling, runs, golf outings and even sand castle making competitions. Each Team works hard with their community to raise funds from local businesses to pay for the event expenses, and the hope is that participants will also raise funds that will go the Liddy Shriver Sarcoma Initiative. Information on the Team Sarcoma events can be found at http://www.team-sarcoma.net/.