By Neena Strichart, Publisher
There are so many worthwhile charity fundraising events in the greater Long Beach area. One very special to me–and to my family and friends–is Denim & Diamonds, a benefit for the Vanguard Cancer Foundation. The evening will recognize the important work of Dr. Robert Nagourney, my mother’s oncologist. Our staff writer Heather Posey penned a great news piece about the affair–and I will share it with you now:
Guests will be adding some sparkle to their spurs next Saturday as the Vanguard Cancer Foundation hosts its 12th annual foundation benefit, entitled Denim & Diamonds. The event will take place Saturday, Nov. 10 at the Renaissance Long Beach Hotel, located at 111 East Ocean Boulevard in Long Beach.
Denim & Diamonds is expected to be a star-studded event, including dinner and dancing, along with both a silent and a live auction. The evening will hold true to its cowboy-cocktail theme with music and two-step dancing with the Neil Morrow Band. Hosted by Vanguard founder Loretta Phillips Stamos and her son, actor John Stamos, the event will honor the works of noted oncologist Robert A. Nagourney, a leader in assay-directed therapy who holds a special place in Loretta Stamos’s heart. Dr. Nagourney’s therapy helped her brother’s battle with lung cancer just 13 years ago.
“He understood that every patient and, by extension, the cancer that the patient battles, is unique,” states Stamos on the Vanguard Web site. “Dr. Nagourney was the first person to approach my brother as an individual, not just another cancer.”
The Vanguard Cancer Foundation was then founded by Stamos in 1994 as a nonprofit, volunteer organization advocating for more personalized and intelligent cancer care to help provide hope in conquering it.
Assay-directed cancer therapy is a rational approach to cancer treatment that is guided by an individual’s tumor response to various chemotherapeutics.
“Maybe one day we will live in a world in which assay-directed therapy is considered a first line of [cancer] treatment, saving valuable time, health and money in the process,” she said. “Until then, the Vanguard Cancer Foundation will be here, empowering patients to take the fight against cancer into their own hands.”
The red carpet event, Saturday, Nov 10, will begin with cocktails and a silent auction at 5:30 p.m. and welcome speeches followed by dinner at 7 p.m. Tickets are $150 each and can be purchased online at http://vanguardcancer foundation.org or by calling Shari at (562) 989-6455.
