Brenda
Fischler 1st Annual Kidney Cancer Fundraiser
May 15, 2007
TO:
RE: Donation Request for the Kidney Cancer Fundraiser
Brenda Fischler was diagnosed with Kidney Cancer, which is
also known as Renal Cell Cancer in January of 2006. Brenda has been married to
Scott for 10 years and they have two children Ashley 19 and Emily 7. The tumor
that was found was quite large and the only treatment option at that time was to
have the tumor and her left kidney removed. At that point they noticed that some
of her lymph nodes looked suspicious, so they ordered a full chest scan. They
found out the cancer had spread to her lungs. There are numerous nodules in both
of Brenda’s lungs, which make it inoperable.
There are not many treatment options for Renal Cell Cancer.
One of the few is High Dose Interleukin II treatment. This is where they try to
bolster the immune system to fight off the cancer. The treatment is extremely
toxic and requires hospital stays of more than a week at least two times. Brenda
was extremely tough during these treatments and took on the maximum doses to
fight the cancer. Even though this treatment is one of the most effective in
treating Renal Cell Cancer it only has a success rate of less than 15%. At a
follow up scan, about a month after her second treatment, Brenda found out the
cancer had grown and that the treatment was not working.
Brenda is now on a drug called Sutent which is a good drug
for stabilizing the disease. It will not make the tumors go away, but it does
stop the growth. It also has very bad side effects. This is a good drug for
Brenda because it will buy her time. The more time she can hold the cancer at
bay the better chance they will come out with new treatment options. Right now
there are several drugs in trail stage, but not many others that are approved
for treatment. The bad news about Sutent is it may only work for about 1 year or
less.
There is not a cure
for RCC. We need your help!
Brenda is an unbelievable person. Her personality and humor
are like a magnet to people and make her unforgettable. She is a wonderful
mother and wife and loves life! Brenda is also a fighter and has been through
some really tough times over the past year and a half. She has continued to keep
a positive attitude and wants to continue her fight with your help. Please help
Brenda and her family fight Kidney Cancer at her fundraiser.
We are asking you to attend or contribute to the event on
June 2nd at the Lakeville VFW from 4P-10P, send in a donation or
contribute merchandise for her silent auction. All proceeds from the fundraiser
will be donated to the Minnesota Medical Foundation at the
University
of
Minnesota
. Brenda and her family thank you in advance for your contribution. If you have
questions please feel free to contact Scott at 612-229-0133 or Lynn Erickson at
612-636-2444.