My name is Bill and I've been following this community with great interest for quite some time. Perhaps, I can be helpful to those of you who are living with kidney cancer. I was diagnosed about 20 years ago, and I had the good fortune to respond well to sugery alone.
In 1990, I joined the nascent Kidney Cancer Association (KCA). At the time, this was the world's only charity dedicated to the eradication of renal cancers. I worked as a volunteeer and joined the KCA board of directors several years later. When the organization's founder, Eugene P. Schonfeld, Ph.D., died from kidney cancer, I succeeded him as chairman.
In 2002, I took on the KCA as one of the clients served by my consulting business, and I also serve as its CEO. There are only three full-time employees working in the charity's offices, located in suburban Chicago.
Since the organization's founding at Dr. Schonfeld's kitchen table in 1989, it has grown to serve more than 50,000 people in more than 100 countries. Each year, the KCA holds more than 75 support and educational meetings for patients and their caregivers. Its medical board includes more than 45 of the world's leading kidney cancer researchers--including members from the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Russia, and other countries, in addition to those located in the United States.
The KCA sponsors large professional education meetings each year, with one in Europe in the spring, followed by anolther in the United States in the fall. The European Kidney Cancer Symposium rotates through various cities (in May, 2010, it will be held in London), while the US meeting is always held in Chicago. Videos of these medical lectures are available on the KCA website:
There is information and assistance for patients, survivors, and caregivers on this website. Your participate is welcome. There is no charge for membership.
You will also find several videos about the KCA on its YouTube website:
http://youtube.com/kidneycancer
I look forward to making new friends on the MacMillan site and hope to chat with you soon!
