Posted by Christi
on 12/13/2010, 7:15 pm
74.101.187.236
Hi there,
My name is Christi Turnage. I am a 4-year triple negative breast cancer survivor (metastatic since April 08), wife, mother of 4 and former nurse.
I am writing you for help – to raise awareness about and to fight a looming FDA decision that will affect thousands of metastatic breast cancer survivors. Can you please share the information below across any cancer support group/email distribution list you have access? We all need to band together. Everyone responds differently to medicines, but everyone should have the right to choose and make an informed decision - regardless for breast cancer or any other disease! Komen even issued a statement about this: http://ww5.komen.org/KomenNewsArticle.aspx?id=6442452367. The FDA decision is THIS FRIDAY and many people might not even know about it.
The drug that I (and many metastatic breast cancer patients) am on to fight my cancer from coming back is called Avastin. It is an anti-angiogenesis drug that fights colon, lung, brain and some breast cancers quite effectively with less side-effects than typical chemo. In July an FDA panel recommended 12-1 to stop its use in BC and the FDA may rule on this between now and Dec 17th. It will probably lose its FDA approval for metastatic breast cancer.
The study results were not as good as hoped for but many of my friends & I know are doing very well on it. There is NO other drug that I am eligible to take if this one is taken away. I would just have to wait for the cancer to resurface and go back on hard core chemo again and hope & pray it works again. I have no shortage of faith but would rather not go down that road again so soon if it can be avoided.
If you’d like to hear more about this, my 19-year-old son made a video to tell our story. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkSZ__SvxGQ
You can do four things for us.
1. Please pray for my friends and I as this is quite stressful.
2. Pray this doesn't happen
3. Please sign the petition on this link and have family friends etc do the same. I started this petition and have a goal of 10,000 signatures. We’re ALMOST THERE - currently at ~9,200. http://www.thepetitionsite.com/3/stop-the-fda-from-disproving-avastin-to-treat-metastatic-breast-cancer
4. Write a letter/e-mail to the senior leaders at the FDA (Margaret Hamburg, margaret.hamburg@fda.hhs.gov; Patricia Keegan, patricia.keegan@fda.hhs.gov; Richard Pazdur, richard.pazdur@fda.hhs.gov; Janet Woodcock, janet.woodcock@fda.hhs.gov) and also send a copy of that letter to your congressman and senator. The mailing address for the FDA is 10903 New Hampshire Ave, Silver Spring, MD 20993-0002.
We need more choices in treatment not less.
Please help any way you can. Thanks!!!!
Christi Turnage
Madison, Mississippi
jessica;portland;maine
Message Thread
« Back to index