PMP Pals Celebrates 25 Years of Support and Hope

PMP Pals Foiunder Gabriella Graham on the phone

In April 1997, PMP Pals was born. Our founder Gabriella Graham and a handful of fellow patients and caregivers set out to provide peer support for those affected by appendix cancer/PMP worldwide. Together, Gabriella and the others quickly established Pals as a respected peer network to help patients at all stages of the disease, especially assisting others in finding specialists.

After helping thousands of patients around the world for 17 years, Gabriella passed away from complications of PMP/appendix cancer. A year later, Pals was reborn in 2015 as an official nonprofit, under the leadership of Board of Directors that included Chris Piekarski, Adele Jasion, Libby McMahon, and Mark McMahon, along with Charmaine Skillman as an early volunteer.

This spring we celebrate 25 years of serving the appendix cancer/PMP community. Our peer network works each day to educate, support, and bring hope. Throughout this anniversary year, we will highlight some favorite memories. If you have a story to share, please let us hear from you at Tara@pmppals.net.

The strength of this organization is YOU -- the countless individuals who reach out to fellow patients an caregivers at tough times, simply because you care. Whether you are a card-writer, a donor, a HOPE ZOOM host, or a mentor, you show up and make a difference. We thank you for your participation in our programs, your financial donations that make our work possible, and your caring interactions with those you meet here. With your help, PMP Pals will keep going strong for another 25 years!

Honor GG’s Legacy & Pals’ Silver Anniversary - Donate Here

Ask the Expert 11aET/8aPT TOMORROW

Don’t let those nagging questions fester one more day!

Join us TOMORROW - Saturday, April 1, 2023 at 11aET/8aPT - for an Ask the Expert session with Shannon Alpeter, PA, and member of Dr. M. Haroon Choudry’s team at UPMC (University of Pittsburgh Medical Center)

Physician Presentations are open to anyone with an interest in this rare disease. We will record this 1.5-hour talk and post it to our website and YouTube Page, and send it out in the May enewsletter.

Shannon Alpeter is a certified physician assistant (P.A.) in the UPMC Division of Surgical Oncology. She earned both her undergraduate degree, B.S., and master’s degree in Physician Assistant studies at DeSales University in 2011. Currently, she is obtaining her doctoral degree at the University of Lynchburg.

Shannon is a senior PA in the outpatient setting with Dr. Choudry and first assists in the operating room. Shannon has spent the majority of her career in surgical oncology with past experience in trauma surgery. Within her current department, Shannon has

developed the educational resources available to patients undergoing CRS/HIPEC,
conducts chart reviews of new patients for peritoneal surface malignancy tumor board,
and collaborates with UPMC’s patient liaison team to publish patient survival stories.

She has been a preceptor to many students and residents since 2012, and has been awarded Preceptor of the Year award. In 2019, Shannon expanded her educational role by becoming an assistant professor at Chatham University as a PBL (problem-based learning) instructor. Shannon has held various certifications including BLS/ ACLS, ATLS, FCCS, DaVinci Robotics, and UPMC surgery coach.

I have a last-minute question I just gotta ask

I need to register for that special Zoom link

Chag Pesach Sameach!

The Power of Presence: SSO-Advanced Cancer Therapies Symposium

female patient with her female doctor standingin front of the patient files wall

In February, Adele Jasion and Charmaine Skillman represented PMP Pals at the 2023 meeting of the Society of Surgical Oncology – Advanced Cancer Therapies Committee (SSO-ACT). The annual meetings focus on “regional therapies” -- a term used for treatments directly administered to specific parts of the body using perfusions or infusions, such as HIPEC for carcinomatosis. These meetings provide a great opportunity to learn from the leading specialists treating peritoneal surface malignancies and to share information about Pals’ programs.

Another reason these meetings are important to Pals is that SSO-ACT announces the recipient of an award honoring the legacy of our founder, Gabriella Graham. After her death in 2014, SSO-ACT established the Gabriella Graham Patient Advocacy Award to recognize the contributions of an individual or an organization to patient support and advocacy.

Dr. Laura Lambert, University of Utah Health

In announcing this year’s recipient, Dr. Laura Lambert, the 2023 Chair of SSO-ACT, gave a moving speech that focused on the power of hope, as exemplified by one of her patients who survived many years beyond his initial prognosis because of the hope he gained from his medical team. She spoke of the impact that surgeons can make, not only through what they DO with their surgical skills, but also through their PRESENCE – the thoughtful manner of acknowledging patient concerns and emotions that can foster hope for many positive outcomes, even when no curative treatment is possible. At the Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah, where she is a Professor of Surgery and the Director of the Peritoneal Malignancy Program, Dr. Lambert promotes training for physicians to integrate this powerful concept of being present into patient care.

Dr. Lambert then shared her personal remembrances of Gabriella, referring to her as a “force of nature” who used Pals to bring hope to everyone she connected with.

Finally, Dr. Lambert announced the 2023 award winner, ACPMP Research Foundation’s former Chief Operating Officer Karolyn Lewendowski. ACPMP has been a strong force in promoting research and education for appendix cancer/PMP. We congratulate Karolyn and the Research Foundation on this recognition.

We’ll take a moment to remind our members that in 2022, the GG award was given to our past President Chris Piekarski for his work in establishing HOPE ZOOM as the centerpiece of Pals’ support work. And, in 2018, our current President Adele Jasion received the award for her years of one-on-one mentoring of patients and caregivers.

We are grateful to SSO-ACT for creating the award honoring Gabriella and to Dr. Lambert for her kind words about the work of both Pals and ACPMP Research Foundation. Dr. Lambert’s message to the surgeons to use their presence to inspire hope was endorsed by the audience through a standing ovation. We were glad to be present for this special moment.

Happy Easter!

Pals in the Kitchen Cookbook Holiday Edition 2022

HOPE Zoom on Spring Break April 5 & 8

HOPE Zoom takes its Spring Break April 5 and 8 next week. Mark your calendars!

Find yourself in need of a Pal while we’re on Break? Email us so we can connect you with a mentor or fellow caregiver or patient.

Phase I Clinical Trial: Supportive Cancer Treatment Intravenous Mistletoe

During HOPE Zoom meetings, people often ask about alternative treatments, palliative care, and post-surgery eating approaches. Just as every patient is different, so is the efficacy of nonstandardized treatment. That doesn’t necessarily mean it doesn’t work; it may mean that it hasn’t been formally tested, backed by data, included control groups, or tackled by modern science yet.

In reality, other-than-mainstream approaches may work for you. Or they might not.

That said, doctors of Europe’s Baltic Region often prescribe mistletoe to people with cancer as a supportive modality.

A team from the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at John Hopkins Medical (Maryland, USA) conducted its early research trial evaluating intravenous mistletoe extract (Helixor-M, the kind from apple trees) in a small study group of 21 cancer patients.

In this study group, those with ovarian and goblet cell carcinoid tumors showed the greatest tumor size reduction. Yup, both of them. "Stable disease was also seen in neuroendocrine, salivary and colon cancer patients...Patients taking Helixor-M also reported improved quality of life via questionnaire. Side effects of Helixor-M included fatigue, nausea and chills, all of which were described as manageable."

While still not widely available in the US, progress is being made in bringing this supplemental alternative to a cancer patient's treatment option plate.

The Power of Us Sponsor

Foundations, small businesses, and corporations give generously each year to keep our Programs & Services in play.

Fuel the Power of Us <> Sponsor Pals this year