Los Angeles-area radio and television stations recently spread the word about ThinkCure and the importance of cancer research — and listeners and viewers
responded, contributing more than $163,000.
 Dodgers pitcher Chan Ho Park, right, greets City of Hope’s John Rossi. (Photo by Amber Matsumoto/Los Angeles Dodgers) |
ThinkCure, which is the official charity of the Los Angeles Dodgers, benefits critical cancer research at both City of Hope and Childrens Hospital Los Angeles.
Talk Radio 790 KABC and classic rock station 95.5 KLOS held a radiothon Aug. 15 and 16 to raise funds for ThinkCure, while the Dodgers’ television partner, KCAL 9, supported the effort on television.
The effort began the week of Aug. 11, when CBS 2 and KCAL 9 ran feature stories on City of Hope and Childrens Hospital patients. One segment featured 7-year-old John Cloer, an acute lymphoblastic leukemia survivor, as well as his mother, Gina Cloer, his physician, Lisa Mueller, M.D., of the Department of Pediatrics, and Stephen J. Forman, M.D., chair of the Department of Hematology & Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation. Another segment highlighted Christine Pechera, a non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma patient who had a hematopoietic cell transplant at City of Hope, as well as her physician, Auayporn Nademanee, M.D.
The 36-hour radiothon began early Aug. 15. Dodgers owner Frank McCourt and Dodgers manager and cancer survivor Joe Torre first went on the air on KLOS, and McCourt later spoke on KABC. The radiothon featured City of Hope patients Gus Perez, Patrick Franco and Pechera, as well as various Dodgers players and coaches whose lives have been affected by cancer.
 Childrens Hospital Los Angeles and City of Hope doctors and nurses take the field at Dodger Stadium. (Photo by Jill Weisleder/Los Angeles Dodgers) |
Then, before the Dodgers’ game on Aug. 16, nine pediatric patients and 25 City of Hope and Childrens Hospital faculty and staff were honored on the field at Dodger Stadium. About 70 volunteers from both institutions collected donations at the game.
The radiothon raised about $115,000 in donations by phone, the Web and at the stadium. Organizers also raised more than $48,000 through an online auction on items including a visit with Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully, a trip to the Dodgers’ new spring training facilities in Arizona, and autographed sports and music memorabilia such as jerseys, compact discs and guitars.
City of Hope patients on the field at the Aug. 16 game included Tiana Bezio, Jazmine Ramirez, Andrew Loera and Cloer. Faculty and staff included Forman, Clarke Anderson, M.D., Anne Bourque, R.N., B.S.N., Don Diamond, Ph.D., Robert Figlin, M.D., Richard Jove, Ph.D., Mark Kirschbaum, M.D., Robert Morgan Jr., M.D., Joseph Rosenthal, M.D., John Rossi, Ph.D., Tim Synold, Pharm.D., John Termini, Ph.D., Hua Yu, Ph.D., and John Zaia, M.D.
