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FROM ABC2 BALTIMORE – Chris Draft, a 12-year-veteran of the National Football League, got a special tour of the Kimmel Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins today.

Draft says he was happy to bring awareness to the work being done at Johns Hopkins, especially for the fight against Lung Cancer.

He lost his wife Keasha Rutledge to the disease last December.

Rutledge was diagnosed with stage four Lung Cancer just 11 months before the couple married.

Draft says she had never smoked, and lived a very healthy lifestyle.

Although there is still a huge amount of work to be done, Draft says he has already seen tremendous progress.

“Yes, when you look at some of the numbers see a five-year mortality rate, it might not be that different than say 30-years-ago.  But there’s a lot of things that are changing and there is hope for people.”

In addition to bringing attention to the important work being done at Johns Hopkins, he is also an Ed Block Courage Award Winner.

Read more: http://www.abc2news.com//dpp/news/health/nfl-veteran-in-town-raising-awareness-for-lung-cancer-after-losing-his-wife#ixzz1r8Q7LEFJ

From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

For years, organizations such as Lung Cancer Alliance and the National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health have dedicated countless hours and millions of dollars to educate the public about lung cancer and new developments in detection and treatment. Yet as well-known as these entities are, their message often is overshadowed by other cancers, especially ones with higher survival rates such as breast cancer.

Advocates say they need all the help they can get — from those who survive and the families of those who do not — to continue to raise awareness.

“The way I look at it, there is no over-awareness right now, only under-awareness,” said Laurie Fenton Ambrose, president and chief executive of the Washington, D.C.-based Lung Cancer Alliance. “We need to combine forces and strategize about how we build a more compassionate and comprehensive approach.”

Enter Chris and Keasha Draft and their Team Draft initiative, “Changing the Face of Lung Cancer.” The couple started the effort together, with the official launch at their wedding, Nov. 27. The goal of the campaign is to raise funds to aid lung cancer research and education. But the task fell solely to Chris Draft after his 38-year-old wife died Dec. 27 on their one-month anniversary.

Keasha Rutledge Draft never smoked and was an athletic woman. An electrical engineer by trade, she danced professionally for the Charlotte Hornet Honeybees, worked out regularly and paid attention to her overall health, her husband said. “She was doing some ballroom dancing, Latin dancing and she was getting ready to do a competition,” said Chris Draft, a former Atlanta Falcon. “But right at the beginning of December 2010, she said she had a little shortness of breath and she went and got checked out.”

The visit to her doctor lead to a diagnosis of a late-stage lung cancer called adenocarcinoma, which begins in the cells that form the lining of the lungs. The condition accounts for just over 30 percent of lung cancer diagnoses, according to statistics from the Lung Cancer Alliance. The finding naturally led to speculation from outsiders about Keasha Draft’s health habits, her husband said.

“That’s the stigma of lung cancer,” Chris Draft said. “Everybody wanted to know if she smoked. They’re trying to figure out how she got it. But she didn’t smoke.”

The presumption that lung cancer is associated with smokers or exposure to second-hand smoke is a dangerous one, said Dr. Scott Kono, an assistant professor of medical oncology at Emory University’s medical school, who treated Keasha Draft.

“Most people are not thought to be victims of cancer, but that they have cancer because of something they did,” he said. “Not all lung cancer patients smoke like the Marlboro Man.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, lung cancer kills more people in the U.S. than any other type of cancer and is the second-leading cause of death behind heart disease. More than 20 percent of lung cancer cases are diagnosed in people who have never smoked, Ambrose said. “Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in every ethnic group,” she said. “And lung cancer has been the leading cause of death among women and surpassed breast cancer in the late 1980s.”

The five-year survival rate for women with lung cancer was just under 19 percent in 2006, the latest data available from the National Cancer Institute. Other cancer’s survival rates were significantly higher. “We don’t have a big survivorship and that is why the onus is placed on the families of those who don’t survive,” Kono said. “And that is very hard for families. But what Chris is doing is raising awareness and saying, ‘This is not just a smoker’s disease.’ That is really important.”

While Draft appreciates the acknowledgment, he’s focused on saving lives and changing the face of the disease. He knows what happened to his wife could happen to anyone, whether they have a history of smoking or not.

“She knew it, too,” he said. “That’s why at the wedding she didn’t want gifts. She wanted people to donate to Team Draft.”

Team Draft and Emory University on 11Alive NBC Atlanta from TEAM DRAFT on Vimeo.

Chris Draft played linebacker in the NFL for 13 years, five of them in Atlanta from 2000 to 2005.  He has overcome a lot of obstacles in his life, and he’s zeroing in on what may be his toughest one yet.  Mr. Draft’s wife, Keasha Rutledge Draft passed away nearly a year ago after a tough fight with lung cancer.  Mr. Draft, who graduated from Stanford University with a degree in economics, is carrying on Keasha’s battle through his “Changing the Face of Lung Cancer Campaign,” aimed at creating awareness and raising funds for lung cancer research.

He brings intensity and energy to this project that is evident after just a minute in his presence.  On Feb. 28, Mr. Draft spoke to 150 first and second-year medical students from the Emory University School of Medicine.  He talked with them about how important it will be to see their patients as people first, and how honest and open communication makes a great difference in treatment.  The students related to Mr. Draft and his message, and the talk went well beyond the time-limit thanks to many questions and an enthusiastic dialogue. See the Team Draft of one of the Emory students via video on our Vimeo channel.

Scott Kono, MD, assistant professor of hematology and medical oncology at Winship Cancer Institute, served as Keasha’s doctor throughout her battle, and helped to arrange the talk to the students.  He is helping Mr. Draft in his work to generate awareness and help eliminate the stigma that lung cancer is a smoker’s disease.  Mrs. Draft,  who earned a degree in engineering from Clemson, was active, athletic and never smoked.

Dr. Scott Kono, Winship Cancer Institute at Emory University from TEAM DRAFT on Vimeo.

In working to get the word out, Mr. Draft is talking with various news media around the country.  Here in Atlanta, the Atlanta Journal Constitution recently featured Dr. Kono and Mr. Draft in an article on hiseducational initiative.  Here is the link: http://bit.ly/draftfoundation

In addition to the AJC, Mr. Draft recently sat down with Randy Waters from 11 Alive News to talk about his plans for making a difference.  Watch 11 Alive’s special presentation here: http://on.11alive.com/chrisdraft

For more information on this important campaign, log on to www.teamdraft.org to learn how you can help beat lung cancer.

On February 16, 2011, Keasha Danced!  Today marks the anniversary of Keasha’s first chemotherapy treatment, and we remember a woman who courageously faced lung cancer, showing us all with every breath that we all need to hold onto life and love with both hands for as long as we can.

Keasha’s Dance after her 1st Chemo from TEAM DRAFT on Vimeo.

Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
‘Cause I walk like I’ve got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.

Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I’ll rise.

Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops.
Weakened by my soulful cries.

Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don’t you take it awful hard
‘Cause I laugh like I’ve got gold mines
Diggin’ in my own back yard.

You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I’ll rise.

Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I’ve got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?
-Maya Angelou

Chris Draft visits Fox Charlotte’s studio to wrap up his weekend trip to the Carolinas.

Chris Draft on Fox Charolette from TEAM DRAFT on Vimeo.

In December 2010, Keasha Rutledge Draft was diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer when she went to her doctor after feeling a slight shortness of breath a few days earlier.  As a former Charlotte Hornets Honeybee dancer and member of Clemson University’s Rally Cat dance squad, Keasha was an energetic, vibrant young woman who never smoked and was the picture of health at the time of her diagnosis.  Despite the diagnosis and knowing the long odds they faced, Keasha and her husband, former NFL linebacker, Chris Draft decided to fight back.  On November 27, 2011, standing side-by-side, they launched Team Draft together at their wedding.  One month later, Keasha lost her courageous fight.

Team Draft is dedicated to raising lung cancer awareness and increasing badly needed research funding by shattering the misconception that lung cancer is a “smoker’s disease.”  The fact is, anybody can get lung cancer.  Between 20,000 and 30,000 people who have never smoked—including Keasha—are diagnosed with lung cancer in the United States each year.  Yet, despite the fact that lung cancer is the number one cancer kill for women and kills more people than breast, prostate, colon, liver, kidney, and melanoma cancer combined, these cancers receive proportionality more research funding than does lung cancer, largely because of the stigma associated with the disease.  Team Draft is out to change all that, and during Super Bowl Week in Indianapolis, Team Draft kicked off a  national campaign to change the face of lung cancer.

The week began with Chris Draft hitting “radio row” to raise lung cancer awareness by telling Keasha’s inspiring story and challenging people to respond on national and local radio shows across the country.  Chris carried that message to the Super Bowl of Gospel, where he gave a powerful testimonial about Keasha’s indomitable spirit and grace in the face of this life-threatening disease.

Later in the week, Chris toured Indianapolis’ newly-expanded St. Francis Cancer Center where he had the opportunity to talk with doctors, hospital administrators and staff, and  to visit with patients.  The 90,000 square foot facility includes a salon where patients can be fitted with wigs in a private, comfortable environment, a retail center, a patient resource center, and a magnificent two-story glass lobby adjacent to a private outdoor courtyard, providing natural light and pleasant outdoor surroundings accessible to patients and their families.  These amenities highlight St. Francis’ commitment to treating the entire patient, and not just the disease. 

Team Draft is dedicated to 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.  The St. Francis Cancer Center is just the first stop on a national tour of state-of-the-art cancer centers Team Draft will be going on to identify best practices in patient care and cancer treatment.

The campaign kick-off concluded on Super Bowl Sunday when, as part of a special edition of Sunday NFL Countdown, ESPN premiered Jeremy Schaap’s touching profile of Chris and Keasha, and their commitment to dance, smile, and live as they fought lung cancer together.

Team Draft is committed to carrying on that fight by promoting awareness, research, and scholarship through its national campaign to change the face of lung cancer, but it takes a team to tackle cancer, and we need your help.  You can follow the campaign on this blog and respond and donate at www.teamdraft.org

Sunday NFL Countdown – Keasha & Chris Draft from TEAM DRAFT on Vimeo.
5 Facts About Lung Cancer
1. Anyone can get lung cancer
2. Nearly 50-60% of lung cancers are diagnosed in either never-smokers or former smokers.
3. Lung cancer surpassed Breast cancer as the number #1 cancer killer of women in 1987
4. A 5 year survival rate is only 15% — the same as it was 40 years ago. Although survivals for early stage lung cancers have improved in recent years, there is no cure for stage 4 lung cancer, which is by far the most common stage at the time of diagnosis.
5. Lung Cancer kills more people than breast, prostate, colon, liver, kidney and melanoma cancer…Combined