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ThyCa Invites You To Help Raise Awareness for Thyroid Cancer Awareness Week, September 13-19, 2004
Sponsored by ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association

Thyroid cancer is one of the few cancers that has increased in incidence over the past several years. This is one of many reasons why ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc. sponsors Thyroid Cancer Awareness Week. Beginning September 13, 2004, this week will highlight the year-round activities of ThyCa volunteers to

• increase thyroid cancer education;
• raise awareness of the importance of early detection, treatment, and lifelong monitoring; and
• inform the public about ThyCa’s free information, resources and support. ThyCa also seeks to raise awareness of the need for more thyroid cancer research.

ThyCa’s web site has hundreds of pages of information about all types of thyroid cancer, diagnosis, treatment, research, clinical trials, questions to ask your doctor, local support groups, e-mail support groups, a calendar of coming events, the Rally for Research, and the only annual thyroid cancer conference in the US, to be held this year on October 22-24, 2004, near Chicago, Illinois. Web site visitors can also download ThyCa's free publications, including a Low Iodine Cookbook, fact sheets, and online newsletters.

In addition, ThyCa's web site has a section titled Thyroid Cancer Awareness Week with a downloadable flyer entitled, "Yes, it's real;” a fact sheet titled "About Thyroid Cancer;” and information about other awareness materials. Free awareness brochures featuring actor and thyroid cancer survivor, Catherine Bell, co-star of the hit TV series J.A.G., are also available.

ThyCa invites everyone interested to help with thyroid cancer awareness efforts in their communities. Among the activities already organized:

• In Florida, Frank Bireley, ThyCa Volunteer, and Jan Anderson, MPH, RD, LD/N,, Dietitian/Outreach Education Coordinator for Lee Cancer Care of Lee Memorial Health System, wrote articles for a community newspaper about thyroid cancer types, treatments, and ThyCa’s local thyroid cancer support group.
• In Oklahoma, newspapers will publish awareness articles sent by Cheri Wallace Lindle, founder of ThyCa’s Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer E-mail Support Group.
• In Pennsylvania, Catherine Rile is giving a dozen of the new Thyroid Cancer Awareness Ribbon Pins, available from ThyCa, to her friends and relatives.
• In the Carolinas, Karen Ferguson, ThyCa Co-Founder and greyhound owner as well as pet therapy volunteer, sponsored a quarter-page thyroid cancer awareness message in the membership directory of Greyhound Friends of North Carolina.
• In Colorado, a Charity Fun Run organized by the parents at Antelope Ridge Elementary School will honor thyroid cancer survivor C. J. Hartman, physical education teacher just retired from the school, and will raise funds for ThyCa’s Thyroid Cancer Research Funds.
• In Maryland, Susan and Phil Schmidt are sponsoring the 2nd Annual Schmidt Open Golf Tournament, in celebration of Susan’s successful thyroid cancer treatment, and are distributing information about ThyCa and donating the event's proceeds to ThyCa’s Thyroid Cancer Research Fund.

For information and free materials about thyroid cancer, ThyCa's free support services, and the conference, e-mail to thyca@thyca.org, call toll free 1-877-588-7904, fax to 1-630-604-6078, write to PO Box 1545, New York, NY 10159-1545, or visit the web site.

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