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Today, Team Draft traveled to Dallas to visit the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center at UT Southwestern (Simmons).  Long recognized as one of the nation’s top research facilities, Simmons is also one of the premier cancer treatment facilities in the country.  And at Simmons, patient care is a team effort.

The secret to Simmons’ success, is its nationally-recognized Supportive Care Program.  The Program employs a collaborative approach to patient care involving a specially trained multidisciplinary team of cancer-specific psychologists, social workers, dietitians, chaplains, and behavioral scientists offering state-of-the-art therapeutic approaches tailored to the individual needs of patients and their families.

Simmons Cancer Center is committed to treating the whole person-not just the disease. The Supportive Care Program is evidence of that commitment.

Respond and Donate

UT Southwestern Simmons Cancer Center from TEAM DRAFT on Vimeo.

Today, a remarkable woman shared her mother’s story with Chris.  Team Draft is proud to share the Ashley Joy’s story of her mother, Patricia Mahaffey.

Dear Chris,

I always say the message you need to hear will find you…I believe you are my message. Around 4:00AM  on Monday, February 27, I woke up to a commercial for an 11Alive news piece about you wife, Keasha. At First, I thought I misunderstood your story so ; I rewound the DVR and played it again. Then, I started crying. 

On September 1, 2007 (my 29^th birthday), my mother was diagnosed with non-small cell stage IV lung cancer. She had just turned 60 in July. While not as young as your wife, my mother was very healthy. She was aware of how poor diet and exercise could shorten the lifespan of an African-American female. She made point to eat well, exercise regularly, take care of the house and yard and stay active with the friends. In addition, she was a non-smoker. She was a great example!

Before her diagnosis, my mother was known for having this cough. She went to the doctor, but no one thought to perform a chest scan or check for cancer because she did not smoke. She went to the hospital because she thought she was having a heart attack. It was then; they diagnosed her with pneumonia and lung cancer. 

Over the next 18 months, my mother fought a tough battle. She went through chemotherapy. It then spread to her brain and she went through radiation. The tumors shrunk and grew and shrunk and grew. It was a roller coaster. On March 4, 2009, Jesus called her home.

It has been almost three years and I miss my mom so much. I try to honor her memory by letting everyone know her story. I tell people, “My mom had cancer.” They say, “I’m sorry. What kind?” I reply, “Lung.” Their facial expression changes from sympathy to judgment. I continue with,” She never smoked anything.” Their face changes from judgment to guilt.

I know if more people were aware that non-smokers get lung cancer too, more research and funding would be made available. For my mom, I believe it is our genetic cancer because she lost a sister (my aunt) to and has a nephew (my cousin) with lung cancer. Neither of them smoked. 

I thank you for listening to my mom’s story. I thank you for what you are doing. I thank you for telling your wife’s story. You touched someone who was feeling alone and needed to hear your message.

Ashley Joy 

Chris Draft and the Spirit Dance Team

This evening, the LA Clippers’ Spirit Dance Team joined other NBA and NCAA dance squads that have honored Keasha’s memory by performing dance tributes.  During the Clippers’ game against the Denver Nuggets, the Spirit Dance Team performed a specially choreographed dance in Keasha’s honor.  Through their dance tribute, the Spirit Dance Team is helping Team Draft change the face of lung cancer by helping us spread the word that anybody can get lung cancer—even non-smokers like Keasha.

As a former Charlotte Hornets Honeybee Dancer , Keasha loved dancing.  It gave her strength and hope.  And thanks to the Spirit Dance Team and the other NBA and NCAA dance squads that have performed dance tributes, Keasha is still dancing today.

Respond and donate at www.teamdraft.org.

Today, Team Draft had the privilege of touring UC San Francisco’s Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center (UCSF) with lung cancer survivor and advocate, Bonnie J. Addario.  Five years ago, Bonnie was diagnosed with Stage IIIB non-small cell lung cancer.  She was given only a 2% chance of survival.  Like Keasha, Bonnie is a fighter, and after life-saving surgery performed at UCSF, she is now cancer free.  But, for Bonnie the fight isn’t over.

Bonnie is a tireless advocate.  She is the founder of both the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation (BJALCF) and its partner organization, the Addario Lung Cancer Medical Institute (ALCMI).  Through research, awareness, and advocacy efforts, BJALCF and ALCMI are working to increase the survival rate for lung cancer.

Team Draft is proud to call Bonnie a friend, and we look forward to working closely with BJALCF and ALCMI as we change the face of lung cancer.

Respond and Donate 

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

Lung cancer is the number one cancer killer in the country.  It kills more people than breast, prostate, colon, liver, kidney, and melanoma  cancer combined.  While these facts may be disheartening, there is hope.  Team Draft took a trip to Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center to meet with Dr. Pierre Massion, Ingram Associate Professor of Medicine and Cancer Biology, to learn how advancements in early detection and treatment are saving extending lives.

Thanks to the dedication and commitment of researchers and treating physicians like Dr. Massion and his colleagues at Vanderbilt-Ingram, we now have a mechanism to detect  lung cancer early, which dramatically increases the survival rate for lung cancer patients.  By submitting high-risk patients to regular spiral CT scans and CAT scans, doctors have decreased the mortality rate by 20%.

Vanderbilt-Ingram and the other members of the 14-hospital Lung Cancer Mutation Consortium (LCMC) are also revolutionizing the way lung cancer is treated by promoting molecular tumor mutation testing for lung cancer patients.  It is through such testing performed at Vanderbilt-Ingram that Keasha’s particular mutation was identified.  Molecular testing is one of the keys to developing effective personalized lung cancer treatments.  As a result of these efforts, the LCMC has already developed targeted drugs aimed at two of the mutations known to cause lung cancer.  These drugs are extending the lives of some patients by as much as 10 months.

Although there has been significant progress over the last decade, more funding is necessary to maintain the momentum.  Team Draft is dedicated to raising lung cancer awareness and increasing badly needed research funding by changing the face of lung cancer, but it takes a team to tackle cancer, and we need your help.  Respond and Donate

Dr. Pierre Massion, Vanderbilt University from TEAM DRAFT on Vimeo.

The Charlotte Bobcats’ Lady Cats dance team paid tribute to Keasha tonight with a special dance dedicated to her memory performed during the Bobcats’ game against the Los Angeles Clippers.

As a former Charlotte Hornets Honeybee Dancer , Keasha loved dancing.  It gave her strength and hope.  And after her first chemotherapy treatment, she and Chris made a video of her dancing to send a message to her friends and family that she would keep dancing no matter what, and as a reminder to always dance, smile, and live.

Thanks to the Lady Cat’s and the other NBA and NCAA dance squads that have performed dance tributes, Keasha is still dancing today. See Keasha’s dance after her first chemo treatment on the Team Draft Vimeo page.

Respond and donate at TeamDraft.org.

Team Draft travelled to Charlotte, North Carolina today—a city that holds a special place in our hearts.  Although born in Anderson, South Carolina, Charlotte was Keasha’s adopted hometown before she moved to Atlanta to be with Chris.  And it is in Charlotte where Chris and Keahsa first met and fell in love.  At the time, Chris was playing for the Carolina Panthers and Keasha was working for Sanofi-Aventis Pharmaceuticals.

Team Draft came to Charlotte to visit the Levine Cancer Institute (LCI) at Carolinas Medical Center.  Team Draft toured LCI and met with hospital administrators, doctors, and staff members in support of our  efforts to promote cancer awareness, research, and scholarship, and to improve the patient treatment experience by identifying and promoting best practices.

As one of the newest cancer centers in the country, LCI is revolutionizing the cancer treatment model by redefining the traditional cancer center.  Traditionally, cancer care services are centralized on flagship campuses, but LCI is taking the opposite approach, offering compassionate, state-of-the-art  care to patients at facilities throughout both North and South Carolina.  By eliminating natural distance barriers between cancer centers, LCI is giving patients the home field advantage in their fight against cancer.

Respond and donate at TeamDraft.org.

Derek Raghavan, M.D., Ph.D, Levine Cancer Institute in Charlotte, NC from TEAM DRAFT on Vimeo.

Clemson, SC- On Tuesday, February 7, Chris Draft, former NFL linebacker and founder of the Chris Draft Family Foundation, announced the Keasha Rutledge Draft Memorial Scholarship to the Clemson University family in honor of his late wife Keasha, a proud Clemson alumna.  The Scholarship, which was announced at the Tiger’s basketball game against ACC rival Maryland, was created to provide an opportunity for Clemson students to further their studies in pursuit of their dreams, will be awarded annually to special students who embody Keasha’s strength and determination. The game featured a special tribute by Clemson’s Rally Cats, the University’s official dance team.  All of the night’s dances were dedicated to Keasha, a former Rally Cat.

Tuesday’s introduction marks Team Draft’s initial effort to galvanize Keasha’s Clemson family to aid in supporting the Keasha Rutledge Draft Memorial Scholarship for Clemson University undergraduate students. “Tonight’s Rally Cat tribute to Keasha captured her vibrance and effervescence.  Team Draft is grateful that the Clemson family has engaged the Clemson alumni to support and donate to the Keasha Rutledge Draft Memorial Scholarship,” said Chris Draft.  “We are excited and gratified that Keasha’s Clemson family has embraced Team Draft and our fight to tackle cancer.”

The Keasha Rutledge Draft Memorial Scholarship is an effort of Team Draft, a Chris Draft Family Foundation initiative created by the Foundation’s co-founders during her year-long fight with devastating stage four lung cancer.  Following her diagnosis in December 2010, Keasha chose to continue to live, smile and dance, while at the same time deciding to elevate the public consciousness of lung cancer by eradicating the stigma and stereotypes associated with the disease.  Chris and Keasha’s Team Draft initiative embodies the spirit of Keasha’s courageous fight.

A healthy, energetic and vibrant woman, who never smoked and was the picture of health when diagnosed, Keasha spent the past year showing her friends and family how important it is to hold onto life and love, while continuing to smile.  The Keasha Rutledge Draft Memorial Scholarship will give Clemson University undergraduate students the opportunity to follow in her footsteps.  Her hope, and her husband’s hope, is to give others the chance to live, dance and smile, while they find their way in the world.

On Tuesday night, the Clemson Rally Cats dedicated the entire night to Keasha’s memory, designating the first dance of the game as a tribute to her courageousness and vibrance, which serves as a light that continues to inspire the Rally Cats.  Wearing pearls and pearl-colored ribbons in honor of Keasha and her valiant fight against lung cancer, the Rally Cats and the entire Clemson family have joined Team Draft to change the face of cancer . . . one breath at a time.

The Clemson family, Team Draft and the Rally Cats are committed to assembling the necessary resources to ensure that Keasha’s light continues to shine, and to give young people the same opportunities Keasha had as a Clemson student, and then as a Clemson alum.   The Keasha Rutledge Draft Memorial Scholarship, funded solely by donations, exists to support undergraduate education at Clemson University.  As part of Team Draft’s campaign to raise awareness and shatter stigmas that plague lung cancer and impact funding, the Keasha Rutledge Draft Memorial Scholarship’s support of Clemson undergraduates plays a crucial role in educating future generations.  Ensuring that Clemson undergraduates follow in Keasha’s footsteps and bring vibrant energy to their studies and post-undergraduate plans, Team Draft’s introduction of the Keasha Rutledge Draft Memorial Scholarship is the beginning of a nation-wide effort to raise the funds necessary to help future Clemson Tigers make their mark, just as Keasha has.  To support the Keasha Rutledge Draft Memorial Scholarship and help remember a beautiful life, please visit Keasha’s special page at Clemson University’s Giving website.

Clemson University Rallycats tribute to Keasha Ruledge Draft 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