In the summer of 2007, my 41 year-old sister, Arielle Hart Cohen, and my father, Sylvan Hart, were diagnosed with lung cancer.  The diagnosis came as a shock to all of us as neither of them had ever smoked.
 
My sister has a loving husband, three young children ages ten, nine and seven, and an extended family that loves her deeply.  She has a full life ahead of her.  My father also has a loving family and desperately wants to see his grandchildren grow up.  I was determined to do something to try to help them battle this disease but the question was what?
 
I made the decision to raise money to support lung cancer research.  So that is what I will be doing this April when I run the 2008 Boston Marathon.

The money I raise will go directly into a research foundation that has been set up in my sister's name at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX.  The goal of the foundation is to find a cure for the types of lung cancer that my sister and father have.  (Arielle was diagnosed with adenocarcinoma and my father was diagnosed with a rare type of lung lymphoma.)

The research will focus on identifying bio-marker targets.  “Silver bullet” chemo-therapies will then be developed against these targets with the goal of destroying the cancer.  M.D. Anderson is already doing cutting-edge research on all types of cancers and was ranked #1 in cancer care by U.S. News & World Report in the January 24, 2008 issue.  We are extremely hopeful that they will succeed in this quest.


A Few Facts about Lung Cancer
 
• Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the world (30%), yet research to combat the disease is the most under-funded of all major cancer research.  For example, for every breast cancer death, $32,000 is spent on breast cancer research.  For every lung cancer death, only $1,800 is spent on lung cancer research.

• Lung cancer is the leading cancer killer among Caucasians, African-Americans, Asians and Hispanic males.

• About 50% of people with lung cancer never smoked or have long since stopped smoking.

• Over 50% of new lung cancer cases will be diagnosed at a very late stage—Stage IIIb or IV.

• This year, lung cancer will kill:  

     -  Three times as many men as prostate cancer

     -  Twice as many women as breast cancer

     -  More people than:
               -  breast cancer
               -  prostate cancer
               -  colon cancer
               -  liver cancer
               -  kidney cancer and
               -  melanoma...combined


Please give generously if you can.

Donations are fully tax deductible.  Donating through this website is simple, fast and totally secure.  Please e-mail me if you have any questions. 
 
Also, please feel free to forward this page on to anyone whom you think may be interested in helping advance lung cancer research and fight this deadly disease.

If you would prefer to donate by check, please make it out to: "M.D. Anderson  Cancer Center"  and mail to me at:  Ira Hart, 8 Devon Road, Newton, MA  02459
If you would like a letter receipt from M.D. Anderson, please include this form: http://www.mdanderson.org/pdf/donation_form.pdf  

To donate by telephone, call (800) 525-5841.  Please mention the "Arielle Hart Fund". 

Donating by check or telephone will allow 100% of your contribution to go directly to the research foundation.

Thank you for your support.

And....Thank you to our "off" line donors!: