However we come to learn about esophageal cancer, the unifying bond is that we want to take action; we want to make a difference; we want to do something. Volunteering allows us to do just that.

This holiday week of Passover and Easter, we here at ECAA thank you for taking the time to understand our mission. Everything we do is volunteer driven. Our board, the leadership, the activists and community organizers are all volunteers. We cannot function without concerned, proactive people like you all.

In that vein, we appeal to you to take action. April is esophageal cancer awareness month. All month long, volunteers across the US and the world are taking action to help raise awareness of the disease. And now we ask you: Write to us. Join us. Fight with us.

We are here for you this month, and every month thereafter. Let’s make a difference.

Thank you.

The ECAA Volunteer team

Across the EC Community for the past few years, April has been recognized as Esophageal Cancer awareness month.

EC is a terrible and devastating disease, and ECAA’s goal is to help those in that fight — past, present and future. To that end, we are calling out to our community to encourage activism in raising awareness. We cannot do it alone. Our entire organization, from the board down, is volunteer driven. Needless to say, but it’s people like you who make our organization possible!

Click here to join Our Call for Volunteers this April!

Thanks for all your support & looking forward to a great month ahead,

The ECAA Leadership Team
(aka Volunteers just like you)

There are organizations out there trying to help EC.
There are places were people impacted by EC get together.

The ECAA website, through help of several admins and organizations has updated links to help you find EC Organizations, EC discussion boards, and support groups.
(We are volunteers but will do what we can to keep the listing updated and growing.)

Disclaimer: ECAA is not responsible for content on reference links. See the site owner/administrator for questions on each resource and their policy. ECAA is not a medical institution, consult your physician and/or center for any medical questions or direction.

As always if you have any questions, feel free to contact us at info@ecaware.org.

Thanks,
Your ECAA team

2013 is going to be an even brighter year for ECAA is raising awareness of esophageal cancer.  ECAA has an established, large network of suvivors and caregivers across the country which helps support people newly introduced to the disease.  Next year the goal is to further mobilize that community into an army against esophageal cancer.  Your donations and volunteerism make that possible — thank you.

Please remember, ECAA is fully volunteer driven.  That means, your donations go completely toward the cause.  Again, this cannot exist without your help; thank you.

Happy Holidays,
The ECAA Board of Directors ]]> http://www.ecaware.org/2012/11/27/giving-tuesday-follows-cyber-monday/feed/ 0 http://www.ecaware.org/2012/11/22/happy-thanksgiving/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=happy-thanksgiving http://www.ecaware.org/2012/11/22/happy-thanksgiving/#comments Thu, 22 Nov 2012 20:04:14 +0000 Brian http://www.ecaware.org/?p=2820

Gobble Gobble!

Happy Thanksgiving!

While we understand that we all face challenges each year (inside and outside the EC Community), there is much to be grateful for.  In that thinking and spirit, we want to express our gratitude for your being part of the Esophageal Cancer Awareness Association (ECAA).

In this next year, you’ll notice that we are taking steps to be even more active in raising awareness of esophageal cancer. Contact us if you want to get involved in those initiatives across the country and around the world.

For now, we ask that you Please forward this message a friend who may not yet know about ECAA or your interest in supporting the cause.

Please Be Sure to NOT Overeat -

Know the Risk Factors of Esophageal Cancer!

You can find a preview of his new show here (Sorry, no ability to embed his show).

If you haven’t seen his previous show, play the video below:

Again, no ability from his site to embed. Thus the low quality from YouTube.

We arrived to find the town buzzing with activity. Runners of all ages and abilities had gathered to help honor Patrick who had succumbed to esophageal cancer in 2007. At the center of everything was the smiling face of his sister Shannon, the race organizer.

Before he passed, Shannon had promised her brother that she would help to raise awareness of esophageal cancer. As a runner herself, and a member of the Wicked running club, organizing a road race in Patrick’s name seemed to be a natural fit.

The first Patrick Downey 5k road race took place in 2011. Shannon signed up 136 runners and several local sponsors. This years event was even bigger. 217 runners registered to run the race and once more there were several local sponsors. However, a very big win for Shannon was when the Converse shoe company heard about the run and about Patrick. Patrick wore his Converse Chuck Taylor’s all the time and Shannon had suggested that some of the runners wear their own Chucks for the race. This caught the eye of the Converse company who generously donated $5000 to help sponsor the event. They also donated 100 pairs of Chucks for the race participants.

The first Patrick Downey 5k road race raised over $3000 for the ECAA. The second has resulted in an outstanding donation of $8000.

Kathy and I were honored to be there and take a small part in the proceedings. We handed out ECAA t-shirts, wristbands, car magnets, and, most importantly, cancer awareness cards to many of the participants and even some passers-by. Many thanks are due to everyone that took part; runners, volunteers, sponsors, and donors. Extra special thanks are due to Shannon, without whom the event would never have taken place. Esophageal cancer awareness got a big lift that day.

Photos and information are available at http://www.patrickdowney5k.com/About_Patrick_Downey_5K.html

 
Many man-hours went into the planning, aggregation and development of this site. Congratulations to the team for accomplishing this task. Certainly the updated site will better guide those learning about EC and those wanting to fight back to be more effective.

There are literally HUNDREDS of pages with new, dynamic features that automatically connect to all of our websites, including FACEBOOK & TWITTER.

Do you Follow Us? Tweet with us? Trend with Us? Get Started Now!

Check back in the upcoming days as we detail some of the great new features of the new website!

Be well, Do good.

EC Blogger

The majority of our sessions are open to the general public and our members are welcome to join us. The event locations are TBA, but the meetings will be in or near East Falmouth, MA.

If you plan to attend, please contact us so we may better coordinate event space/meals/lectures.

Stay tuned for more info!
EC Blogger

We were recently informed about a generous bequest to the ECAA from a lady who recently passed away at the age of 62 from this terrible disease. She contributed many hours in both her personal life and working life to helping others. Her career was spent providing technical information services to major corporations, but her passion in life was her volunteer work at the Gibbs Farm Museum where she helped visitors to appreciate the history of life in rural America. When she composed her final thoughts on life she said, “I did not do wondrous or monumental things. But I do believe I touched many lives in small ways and that my life has been worthwhile.“

Her generosity to the ECAA will touch many more lives and help us to continue our work to educate, inform, and support those suffering from this disease or knowing someone affected by it.

Thank you so very much Crystal – we wish we had gotten the opportunity to have known you.

Kathy Tunsley
Treasurer, ECAA

If you wish to make a donation either in memory of someone you have lost to esophageal cancer, or to make a bequest through a will, we have put some information together for you on our website – http://www.ecaware.org/planned-giving-information/