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Dr. Kvale is board certified in Family Practice and Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Her clinical interests include the supportive care of cancer patients, survivorship, and the care of palliative patients in intensive settings. She is the Director of the Supportive Care and Survivorship outpatient clinic at UAB. Her research interests include Health Services Research focused on cancer survivor ship, symptom assessment and management, and implementation research. Her research is currently supported by the American Cancer Society, the NIH, and the Veterans Administration. Respond and Donate

Good Day Alabama - Fox 6

Veteran NFL Linebacker , NFL ambassador and lung health advocate Chris Draft  is in town today as part of his nationwide tour of leading lung cancer research and treatment centers. Chris’s 38 year old wife, Keasha Rutledge Draft died of lung cancer. Through the Chris Draft Family Foundation, he is carrying on their work of raising lung cancer awareness via the “Team Draft” Initiative – an alliance with the NFL Players Association School of Legends.

Chris will meet with researchers at UAB’s Comprehensive Cancer Center  – and will be meeting with  lung cancer research and treatment faculty to get a close up look at the many promising UAB programs that are fighting the disease. Team Draft is dedicated to raising awareness, accelerating research for a cure, and leading improvements in the patient treatment experience by improving cancer treatment facilities and creating a better environment in which those battling the disease can fight. Chris is a veteran NFL linebacker; he played in the league for 13 years and maintains strong ties with the NFL teams he played for: Atlanta Falcons, Washington Redskins, San Francisco Forty Niners, Chicago Bears, Carolina Panthers, St. Louis Rams and the Buffalo Bills. Chris played college football for Stanford University, earning a degree in Economics during his college career.

Click here to watch the video at Fox 6′s Good Day Alabama page.

Dr. Robert James Cerfolio has been in the medical profession for more than 20 years. He is a board certified General Thoracic Surgeon. Dr. Cerfolio is known by his colleagues as one of the busiest and best thoracic surgeons in the world. In 1999 alone he performed more than 800 operations for disorders of the esophagus, lungs, mediastinum, and trachea. He has held this record yearly ever since. In addition to his position as Thoracic Surgeon at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Dr. Cerfolio is also Chief and Director of Thoracic Surgery for Birmingham Veterans Administration Hospital and on the Medical Leadership Committee. Respond and Donate

Dr. Cerfolio’s clinical interests are lung cancer, esophageal surgery, tracheal surgery, repair of bronchopleural fistula, Video Assisted Thoroscopy (VAT), chest wall resection and reconstruction, and meidastinal masses. Dr. Cerfolio is a collaborator in research to develop gene therapies for esophageal cancer

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) – On April 5th, 2012 former NFL linebacker Chris Draft toured UAB’s Comprehensive Cancer Center, which is currently under construction.

Seeing one of the nation’s leading cancer research and treatment centers in transition is just what someone like Draft would want to see.

Chris and his wife Lakeasha Rutledge Draft created “Team Draft” less than one year ago, during Keasha’s battle with lung cancer. The organization was started in hopes that her fight to live would give hope atnd comfort others around the world. They came up with the idea during their wedding, in which she was in a wheelchair and had to use oxygen.

Keasha passed away on December 27th, 2011, just one month after the couple married. She was 38 and a non-smoker.

With an ipad in hand, Chris Draft walked the halls of the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center with its director Edward Partridge, removing the pink cover from the ipad each time the group stopped to take a photo reveiling a picture of his vibrant wife.

With his wife still by his side, Draft continues to fight. He has been touring cancer centers around the world to help encourage patients, doctors and researchers to continue the fight.

Respond and DONATE at TeamDraft.org.

April 4, 2012 (Atlanta, GA) – Former NFL Linebacker Chris Draft and Founder of the Chris Draft Family Foundation will be honored tonight at the 33^rd Annual Drum Major for Justice Awards Dinner in downtown Atlanta on in recognition of the Foundation’s health awareness efforts.

The awards ceremony, the signature event of the SCLC/W.O.M.E.N. Inc., is held annually on the anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s assassination to mark the passing of one of the world’s great leaders, and to inspire others to carry on Dr. King’s spirit and legacy through service and leadership.  The awards ceremony recognizes individuals and organizations who are accomplished barrier-breaking servant leaders – present day “Drum Majors” – who embody and perpetuate Dr. King’s legacy and spirit.  This year’s honorees include Samuel L. Jackson, Sean Penn, and Al Sharpton.

I lost my Dad, Philip Lefebvre, to Small Cell Lung Cancer(SCLC) on 8/14/11. He was diagnosed 2/14/11. Loosing my Dad to this terrible disease has rocked me to the very core. I now spend my days devoted to bringing more awareness to Lung Cancer, trying to honor his memory.I was Dad’s sole caregiver. The chemo, the radiation, blood transfusions, surgeries, endless stays in the hospital. 800 mile drive home to say goodbye to his 85 yr. old Mom. We never gave up hope, even till the very end. Dad & I were a team, a cancer fighting, tear wiping, joke telling, turtle loving team. Now, now I’m a team of one, continuing to fight in his honor.on Dad’s 1st day of radiation as they wheeled him down the hall, he looked up at me and said “We’re off ….like a herd of turtles!” The turtle became our symbol of hope, strength & courage throughout this journey. It still does to this day. Whenever I need abit, I grab one of Dad’s turtles and give it a hug …then I continue on this journey!

Kris Giovannoni