Local brain cancer research organization funds region's first patient advocacy fellowship program
Today, the Chris Elliot Fund (CEF) for Glioblastoma Brain Cancer Research has announced that -in partnership with the Center for Advanced Brain Tumor Treatment (CABTT) at the Swedish Neuroscience Institute-it will fund the Seattle area’s first patient advocacy fellowship program. CEF, which has raised more than $1 million for brain cancer research, will provide a $300,000 grant ear-marked to fund an in-house integrative care specialist, dedicated to easing the stress put upon patients and their families following a brain cancer diagnosis.
As experts in patient advocacy and support, CEF will also provide onsite support and consultation to patients at CABTT by forming support groups and hosting informational seminars, in addition to funding the full-time integrative care specialist. CEF president and CEO, Dellann Elliott, founded the organization when her husband lost his battle with Glioblastoma, the most aggressive form of brain cancer, after being diagnosed in 2002.
“I never wanted to become an expert in brain cancer care and treatment,” said Elliott. “But when Chris was diagnosed, I didn’t have a choice. I know firsthand how difficult it is to navigate the healthcare system and my hope is that this $300,000 gift will allow patients and their families to lean on someone like me who can show them the way.”
CABTT gives brain-tumor patients and their families access to a unique multidisciplinary team of skilled neurosurgeons, oncologists, radiologists and a specialized nursing staff, to deliver coordinated care and innovative treatments for both benign and malignant brain tumors. CABTT’s unique design places its world-class research facility directly adjacent to the patient clinic, providing instant access to promising new therapies discovered through gene-sequencing technologies. The CEF Integrated Care Specialist will be an integral part of the clinic’s staff helping patients navigate procedures and policies while guiding patients through insurance issues and clinical trials opportunities.
“A diagnosis of brain cancer is overwhelming for patients and it’s important that there is someone available to act as an advocate,” said Dr. Greg Foltz, CABTT co-director and neurosurgeon. “By having a staff member dedicated to helping these patients get the highest quality of care available, CEF has helped reaffirm CABTT’s place among the best in world-class brain tumor treatment locations.”
Each year more than 200,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with a primary or metastatic brain tumor and it continues to be the third leading cause of death in young adults from age 20 to 39.
In 2008 alone, 22,000 Americans were diagnosed with primary brain cancer or Glioblastoma Mutliforme, and 1,500 of those patients were located in the Pacific Northwest. Despite scientific research, brain cancer remains the most malignant form of cancer known to humankind, rapidly progressive and uniformly fatal, despite treatments ranging from surgery to radiation to chemotherapy. In the past 25 years only two new treatments for brain cancer have been FDA approved. This new partnership between CEF, a leading patients advocacy and research fundraising organization and CABTT, the region’s first community-based brain tumor treatment facility, creates hope for these patients and brings the healthcare community that much close to finding a cure.
About the Chris Elliot Fund for Glioblastoma Brain Cancer Research
The Chris Elliott Fund (CEF) for Glioblastoma Brain Cancer Research is a non-profit organization founded in 2002 by Chris and Dellann Elliott to raise awareness for brain cancer and to help fund new research. Today, CEF provides resources, information and support for people living with brain cancer. Specifically, CEF funds groundbreaking research in the Christopher S. Elliott Neuro-oncology Lab for Glioblastoma Brain Research and Applied Cancer Science Center at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Mass. The organization also funds the Integrative Patient Support position at the Center for Advanced Brain Tumor Treatment in Seattle’s Swedish Neuroscience Institute.
About the Center for Advanced Brain Tumor Treatment
Opened in 2008, the Center for Advanced Brain Tumor Treatment gives brain-tumor patients and their families access to a unique multidisciplinary team of skilled neurosurgeons, oncologists, radiologists and a specialized nursing staff to deliver coordinated care and innovative treatments for both benign and malignant brain tumors. CABTT’s unique design places its world-class research facility directly adjacent to the out-patient clinic, providing patient instant access to promising new therapies discovered through gene-sequencing technologies. As part of the Swedish Neuroscience Institute located in Swedish Medical Center’s Cherry Hill Campus, CABTT is the first brain tumor-specific community-based facility of its kind in the Pacific Northwest and is providing new hope for patients with all stages of brain tumors, including brain cancer.