The Jennifer Diamond Cancer Foundation 7th Annual Gala Sunday, October 25, 2009

Don’t miss the 7th Annual Jennifer Diamond Cancer Foundation Gala Sunday, October 25, 2009

THE JENNIFER DIAMOND CANCER FOUNDATION 7TH ANNUAL GALA HONORS FREDERICK FRANK, BEVERLYE HYMAN FEAD AND AMGEN
 
On October 25, 2009, the Jennifer Diamond Cancer Foundation will pay tribute to two distinguished people who have positively impacted those who live in a world changed by cancer, and a company whose strides are making a very important difference in cancer research
 
Frederick Frank is arguably one of the most influential people in the biotech and pharmaceutical industries. He is credited as the leading investment banker worldwide for pharmaceutical company mergers, acquisitions and equity fund raising. Currently on the Board of Directors of PDL BioPharma and a consultant to Sinapsis Pharma, Inc., he is simultaneously Vice Chairman of Peter J. Solomon Company, forging some of the most innovative and vital financing, strategic alliances and acquisitions in the pharma and healthcare arenas. His credits are too many to mention, however he is a Chartered Financial Analyst, member of The New York Society of Security Analysts and a past President of the Chemical Processing Industry Analysts. He serves as Director and Chairman of the Board of Epix Pharmaceuticals, Chairman of the Board of the Irvington Institute for Immunological Research and sits on the Advisory Boards of The Harvard School of Public Health, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Center for Biomedical Innovation, to name a few.  With the help of his expertise, there have been dramatic advances in cancer research. The Jennifer Diamond Cancer Foundation is honored to present the Lifetime Achievement Award to Mr. Frank at the Gala.
 
Amgen discovers, develops and delivers innovative human therapeutics. A biotechnology pioneer since 1980, Amgen was one of the first companies to realize the new science’s promise.  Amgen therapeutics have changed the practice of medicine, helping millions of people in the fight against cancer, amongst other serious illnesses with a broad and deep pipeline of potential new medicines. The company’s state-of-the-art complex biotechnology manufacturing and development processes using living organisms help them to realize the potential of their biotechnological medicines and have made them a leader in the field.
 
Their outstanding track record of regulatory compliance, thanks to stringent controls and a superior quality system, allows them to continue to innovate newer and more efficient ways to produce therapies using biotechnology. Most importantly, Amgen has a track record of safely and reliably delivering medicines to patients who need them. For that reason,  Amgen will  receive the “Triumph Award.”
 
As an author and activist, cancer survivor Beverlye Hyman Fead has been an inspiration to tens of thousands of people who have read I Can Do This: Living with Cancer, Tracing a Year of Hope and Nana, What’s Cancer? In 2002 she was given two months to live. A survivor of Stage IV cancer as a result of experimental treatment, she shares her story of hope in many ways. She is an ambassador for the American Cancer Society’s Celebration on the Hill, and participated in the educational DVD Breast Cancer: The Path to Wellness and Healing. She has personally raised in excess of $1 million for cancer research. Beverlye will receive the “Gift of Life Award” from the Jennifer Diamond Foundation.
 
In the same year as Beverlye was diagnosed, Jennifer Diamond was not as fortunate. She succumbed to a rare untreatable form of cancer at only 30 years old. Knowing her fate, she still found it necessary to help others by encouraging her parents to provide needed information that was otherwise unavailable or simply too difficult to find. A few days before Jenn passed away, she signed the papers forming The Jennifer Diamond Foundation. The mission statement reads: “The Jennifer Diamond Foundation is dedicated to helping people win the fight against all forms of cancer. We are focused on empowering people with knowledge, as well as supporting research and healing programs that provide the tools to help treat the mind and body as one.”
 
In the short time since the Foundation was formed, under the passionate guidance of Alice and Harvey, seven Jennifer Diamond Cancer Resource Libraries have been donated to facilities in southern and central California: The Wellness Community Valley/Ventura, weSpark Cancer Support Center, Gilda’s Club Desert Cities, St John’s Hospital in Camarillo, The Wellness Community Santa Monica, the Hearst Cancer Research Center at French Hospital Medical Center in San Luis Obispo and USC/Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, with more planned over the next year and hopes of expanding to other geographical areas in time. In addition to the libraries, the Foundation has funded children’s programs including The Wellness Center’s Kids Circle Program.
 
The Annual Gala is the Jennifer Diamond Foundation’s largest fundraising effort of the year. It takes place this year on October 25 at the Skirball Center in Los Angeles, with Master of Ceremonies Chris Schauble, NBC News anchor.  The evening will be hosted by Lee Marshall, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Disc Jockey.  The honorary committee includes Neil Diamond, Lainie Kazan, Peter Greenberg, Telma Hopkins, Ed Begley,Jr., Mare Winningham, Norm Crosby and Mindy Sterling. The event, featuring the “Walk Like a Man” musical review, is open to the public. Tickets are $250 each.
 
For information: (818) 700-6900 or [email protected].

Master of Ceremonies:  Chris Schauble, “Today in LA” (NBC) co-anchor and Hosted by Lee Marshall, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Disk Jockey.

The honorary committee includes Neil Diamond, Scott Hamilton,  Lainie Kazan, Peter Greenberg, Telma Hopkins, Ed Begley, Jr., Mare Winningham, Norm Crosby and Mindy Sterling.  Honorees are author, cancer activist, motivational speaker Beverly Hyman Fead, renowned biotech giant Frederick Frank and Amgen for its strides in the treatment of cancer.

Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles

Open to public — $250 per person includes dinner, and entertainment by WALK LIKE A MAN

For ticket information, (818) 700-6900 or [email protected].