THE WINTER OF OUR DISCONTENT

Last week I had the pleasure of hosting a young woman named Winter Vinecki in my laboratory. I met Winter for the first time in Washington, DC several weeks ago at the Celebration of Science sponsored by the Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF). 

Winter has been a fundraiser for PCF ever since she lost her father Michael Vinecki to prostate cancer when he was 40 - one year older than me. Since the time her father was diagnosed, Winter has been driven to help find solutions to the problem of prostate cancer.

Despite the fact that she is only 13 years old, Winter has raised nearly $400,000 for prostate cancer research, and I have been a direct recipient of her fundraising. Therefore, when a local TV reporter Tim Becker asked me whether I would be interested in hosting her and her mom in the lab, I leaped at the chance. 

I showed Winter how we grow prostate cancer cells in the laboratory and what these cells looks like under the microscope. I introduced her to the folks in the lab and tried to give her a sense of how much progress we as a prostate cancer community have made - five new prostate cancer drug approvals in the past two years compared with only one drug approval prior to that time - but also how far we still have to go.

I explained that very soon we will be initiating a $10 million project with 5 other centers on the West Coast to perform the equivalent of the human genome project in 300 tumors from men with prostate cancer.  While the original human genome project cost $3 billion dollars and took 13 years to complete, we can now sequence a tumor for around $1000 dollars in 2 days. Progress continues to accelerate, but for many patients and their families, progress cannot come fast enough. I feel their urgency every week in clinic, and that is what motivates me more than anything.

There are few heroes in this world who force us to question ourselves, our own commitment, and our own desire. Winter Vinecki is one of those people.  She plans to run 7 marathons on 7 different continents, she and has already completed her first in Eugene, Oregon. Kenya, her second, is next week.

http://www.koinlocal6.com/mediacenter/local.aspx?videoid=3761413

I told Winter that my son Nicholas often asks me, "Dad, why do you have to go to work at the lab every day ?" I told Winter what I tell Nicholas when he asks me that -  one death from prostate cancer is one death too many.
How can one give anything less than one's all?  How can one be satisfied with the treatment progress we have made in recent years? How can one rest when prostate cancer takes one Michael Vinecki from us every 16 minutes in the United States?

The answer is we cannot, and we will not.  For Winter now inspires me, too. 

Julian Castro, the keynote speaker at the Democratic Convention last month in Charlotte, said that the American Dream is not a sprint. It is not a marathon. It is a relay. We are all linked. We are all in this together. The cure for cancer is no different.

I am honored to be a member of Team Winter, and I will do my best to follow her example... and to keep up with her tireless efforts and endless accomplishments so that one day our discontent with prostate cancer outcomes may turn into content.

CELEBRATION OR SEQUESTRATION

Last weekend I was in DC for "A Celebration of Science." This event was organized by Michael Milken, who founded the Prostate Cancer Foundation that funds some of my research.

The weekend's festivities were designed to shed light on the importance of science. Specifically, this event was designed to remind stakeholders - lawmakers, scientists, voters - that science is the best investment a country can make. This is because science funding creates jobs; science funding promotes the careers of young investigators and encourages even younger investigators to enter into scientific fields; science funding leads to new discoveries that launch new companies and drug development; finally, science funding leads to new treatments and cures that reduce health care costs, improve patient survival and productivity, and increase national competitiveness.  The arguments were straightforward, but they were sprinkled with passion and a few tears.

When I began medical training in the mid 90s, HIV was a death sentence. However, patients with HIV are now living long and living well because of combination anti-retroviral treatment. We met the Berliner patient. This man was HIV positive. Then, he developed leukemia that required a bone marrow transplant from another individual after high dose of chemotherapy. Not only was his leukemia cured, but so was his HIV. He is the first and only person to be cured of HIV. Let's hope he is not the last.

We met Winter Vinecki, an amazing 13 year-old whose dad died of prostate cancer at an age close to mine- 40.  After his diagnosis, Winter decided that she had to do something. Therefore, she began running races to raise money for prostate cancer research. In the last three years, she has raised over $300,000 for prostate cancer research. Her goal is to run a marathon on every single continent, and she is already on her way. 
What a hero!

At nearly every event, Democratic and Republican lawmakers were in attendance.  They spoke of the importance of science and progress. The Democrats talked about how funding must be expanded and not just kept at its current level. Eric Cantor, the House Majority Leader, however, demurred and did not offer any specifics. Surprise. Surprise.

If a budget agreement is not reached before the end of the year, the budget will go through a process called sequestration. This means that defense spending will be cut, and all non-defense spending will be cut by 8% per year. This includes science funding to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Because of Washington's dysfunction, sequestration seems imminent.

However, despite the reality of a shrinking budget and the failure of Washington to lead and invest in science, I am more motivated than ever to find new treatments and an eventual cure for cancer.  People like Winter, the other researchers, private foundations, the leaders of the NIH, and receptive congressmen give me hope. They all understand that life only improves through scientific investments.

We saw living proof of what science funding can do this weekend, and it is time for us all to decide what our health is worth. Write your Congressman and Senator! Take an active role in this decision! It is not only your health that is at stake but the health of our entire nation and the world.

PRIDE

Most days, I am very proud to be a Democrat. This is not a difficult task in liberal Portland. However, tonight Democrats in every part of this land had reason to be proud after witnessing some of the speeches at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, NC.

First, Julian Castro, the young mayor of San Antonio, delivered an absolutely inspiring speech about his story. It was a story about hope, opportunity, and hard work.  It was an American story - an American dream. The best lines of the speech reminded viewers that we are all connected and not just in it for ourselves. He said, "My mother fought hard for civil rights so that instead of a mop, I could hold this microphone" and "the American dream is not a sprint, or even a marathon, but a relay." Wow!

Next, First Lady Michelle Obama took the stage. She reminded voters of where she and President Obama came from. She also reminded voters about how their family's struggles made them who they are and how these experiences give them an appreciation for what people are going through.  She said that the fights President Obama has picked are not political but personal and based upon his unwavering desire to help others rather than himself.  No one could have made that case more clear or compelling than Mrs, Obama, and I hope America was listening.

Both of these speeches reminded me that my story is no less remarkable.  My parents moved half way around the world to Canada for educational and economic opportunities that still do not exist in India. Then, they left comfortable lives and took one more step forward - this time to the U.S. - the land of ultimate opportunity. They did not do this for themselves but rather for their kids.  We, kids, learned first hand about sacrifice, hard work, and desire. These experiences made me who I am and still inspire me to this day.

My children like Mitt Romney, will probably never know economic hardship or have a sense of being on the outside looking in because of our station in life and where they will grow up - tolerant, liberal Portland. However, I am already trying to teach them that to whom much is given, much is expected. We do not measure success by our bank balance. Rather, we measure it be the ways we help other people or the ways we make this world better.

Privilege can be poisonous (see Romney, Willard Mitt). However, privilege can also serve as a tool to remind one how lucky one is how important it is to help those that have less than one's self.

Those are the values with which I was raised. Those are the values that we heard about tonight. Those are the values that are worth fighting for - even dying for.  I hope Nicholas and Cate were listening tonight. I hope they were watching their mom and dad tonight, who were moved beyond words to be a part of this Democratic Party.

PORTLAND, WE'VE GOT A READING PROBLEM!

They call Portland "the city that reads." To any of you that think this is hyperbole, Portland is the home to Powell's Books, the world's largest independent bookseller, and Portland has the largest number of people per capita with library cards.  I offer one other piece of evidence below that demonstrates how well-utilized our public library system is and how competitive our public library system users are. 

Today, approximately two hours ago on this Labor Day holiday, the New York Times writer Nate Silver announced his new book release.  Immediately, I went to the Multnomah County Library website to place this book in my queue.  What did I find?  Twelve other people had already beaten me to the punch.  Twelve people on a holiday within two hours!

I never thought I would rage against reading well or being well-read, but Portland, we've got a problem!