The Salgi Esophageal Cancer Research Foundation

The holidays are in full swing and that means that the giving season has also arrived.  Before you donate a single penny this giving season, please consider the following tips so that you can ensure that your donation is well spent.

1. Do Your Homework, For Free!

Create a free account with trustworthy websites like Charity Navigator to help ensure that the charity you intended to support is “efficient, ethical and effective.”   Once you create your account you will have access to financial data and other information to help you make an informed decision on where to donate your hard-earned money.

2. How Will Your Donation Be Spent?

Find out exactly how the charity spends donation by viewing their IRS Form 990.  Websites like Charity Navigator lists charities IRS Form 990s. The IRS Form 990 “is the reporting form that many federally tax-exempt organizations must file with the IRS each year. This form allows the IRS and the general public to evaluate a nonprofit’s operations; it includes information on the nonprofit’s mission, programs, and finances.”

It is important to note that smaller nonprofits with gross receipts of less than $50,000 do not have to file a 990 form.*

In the 990 form you will see exactly how much a nonprofit spent within the reporting year.  You will be able to see how much money goes towards the actual mission and how much is spent on other expenses such as salary and travel.

You might be surprised to see what you find out!

3. Make Sure Your Donation is Tax Deductible.

While it is truly always better to give than to receive, charitable donations allow donors to give and receive at the same time.  Before you donate, make sure that your donation is actually tax deductible.

It may sound shocking but while most charitable organizations do qualify for charitable deduction, not all do.  There are certain organizations listed by the IRS that although they are exempt from income tax, your gift(s) to that organization will not be not tax-deductible for you. 

We hope these tips help you make an informed decision on what charity to give to this holiday season.  To view our 2016 Annual Report, please click here.  Happy Holidays and happy giving to you!

Sources:

Charitynavigator.org

IRS.gov

*Smaller nonprofits with gross receipts of less than $50,000 file Form 990-N.

The Salgi Esophageal Cancer Research Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) non profit organization as recognized by the Internal Revenue Service.

Content found on Salgi.org is for informational purposes only. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

Dear Supporters,

It has been exactly six years since The Salgi Esophageal Cancer Research Foundation was incorporated.

Our members have been fortunate to have met wonderful supporters and volunteers who, in one way or another, have been affected by esophageal cancer.

Some supporters have been with us from the very beginning, many have joined along the way, but all are blazing with determination to make a difference.

When The Salgi Esophageal Cancer Research Foundation first “opened its doors”, the heartache from losing our beloved father and grandfather still painfully stung almost 13 years after his passing.  While the heartache from losing him has somewhat been eased knowing that this mission, which started in his memory, has undoubtedly helped others, we now feel the heartache in a greater and deeper sense.

That heartache deepens each and every time we learn one of our supporters has passed away, after an arduous and painful battle with esophageal cancer and the subsequent health effects.

The heartache deepens when we speak to loved ones of those who have passed away from esophageal cancer and they detail the struggles that they faced and the pain and sense of loss that the families are left with.

The heartache deepens when contributions are made in memory of a family member, friend or co-worker who is missed terribly.  The heartache further deepens whenever we read the tear-stained letters from the families of those who passed away and they want to make a difference in their loved ones memory, after witnessing the dreadfulness of esophageal cancer.

The heartache also deepens when we speak to someone who has been diagnosed or are going through treatments due to esophageal cancer or when we speak to their loved ones.

While the heartache is now deeper than it was before, it does not cause us to waver or to lose hope.

It is said that to be successful, a nonprofit must run as a business and as such, be carried out efficiently, with a clear plan and focus on the long and short-term goals.   We’ve been told that it is important to try and separate feelings from the business of running a nonprofit and to not let the heartache affect us.

To that we say: thanks, but no thanks.

The heartache that we’ve mentioned is our catalyst and part of the driving force utilize each day to press forward and continue this life-saving mission.

Esophageal cancer has taken too many people: men and women of all ages and ethnicities.  These are your people and now they are our people.  We love, treasure, honor and remember all of them each time any work for this mission is carried out.

The Salgi Esophageal Cancer Research Foundation has made a tremendous impact as a smaller charity with limited resources towards raising awareness, promoting early detection and funding research.   While we are proud of these accomplishments, our focus is to continue to move forward.

Esophageal cancer, we were coming for you in 2011 and we still are.

We’re just stronger now.

With the help of our supporters and volunteers, we will continue to get stronger until one day, no one will have to be affected by the brutality of esophageal cancer.

Until then, we will continue to carry out this mission with vigor in honor of all who have been affected.

From the bottom of our heartache, thank you!

Sincerely,

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This article was posted on OncLive on Monday, October 30, 2017 and is written by Laurel A. Menapace, MD.

To view the original article, please click here.

“My patient, “Mr D”, presented with esophageal cancer. He was a robust man who looked much younger than his 64 years and had remained active after retirement. He had served in the military for many years and was a classic Southern gentleman with a strong faith who attended church regularly. He had enjoyed good health until the preceding months, when he developed progressive dysphagia. Otherwise, Mr D had felt well enough to travel to the Grand Canyon during the summer and had delayed seeing his physician.

When Mr D returned home, his primary care physician initially reassured him that there was nothing to be overly concerned about. However, a routine endoscopy revealed a large esophageal mass that proved to be adenocarcinoma.

When I first sat down with Mr D and his wife, it was clear that they were both overwhelmed by their current situation. In a frenetic way, they had sought out several opinions regarding treatment prior to meeting with me and my colleagues. First, they sought out advice from a local oncologist. Then, they traveled and were evaluated at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK). Following their visit to MSK, they sought advice at Mayo Clinic. Although exhausted, Mr D and his wife travelled to Cleveland Clinic before making any final decisions.

I was faced with providing Mr D and his wife with news that they had heard before. I explained that his esophageal tumor appeared to be unresectable and that upfront systemic chemotherapy would be the best approach for treatment. Although he showed no evidence of metastatic disease on staging scans, it was clear that there was only a limited chance of cure. Advanced esophageal cancer is a highly lethal malignancy and often spreads despite aggressive therapy. I discussed that treatment would be palliative in an attempt to reduce the esophageal mass and prevent additional side effect from his cancer; treatment would not eradicate the disease. When confronted with this information, Mr. D appeared defeated and weary. He was emphatic as he looked straight into my eyes and said, “I know you can cure me. I am going to beat this.”

As a young oncology fellow, I struggled to respond to this statement. How could I be realistic about his diagnosis without taking away his hope? In the eld of oncology, trainees are taught to be honest when delivering a cancer prognosis, yet to always leave some room for hope. When predicting when a patient may succumb to a malignancy, we cite historic precedent. But there are the rare patients who survive many months, even years, longer than initially assumed. I often remind patients that there are outliers—cancer treatment super responders who defy any traditional trajectory that could be predicted based on disease staging. And so, I suggested to Mr D that although there was no guarantee that his tumor would respond, enrolling in a clinical trial with induction chemotherapy followed by surgical resection, if there was dramatic tumor shrinkage, would be his best course of action.

Mr D subsequently enrolled in a trial and received 4 cycles of leucovorin, uorouracil, and oxaliplatin (FOLFOX) combination therapy. At each follow-up visit, Mr D appeared to be tolerating treatment extremely well; his dysphagia resolved entirely. His excitement grew, as did mine, as he completed 4 rounds of chemotherapy. We therefore took the next step of scheduling his surgery for the following month. Then, during his final visit before restaging scans were to be obtained, Mr D appeared concerned. He mentioned that he had developed some vague abdominal pain in the preceding days.

Given his clinical course, I reassured him that it was likely nothing. I, too, held the same hope that he had responded to treatment. Unfortunately, the results of a computed tomography (CT) scan of his abdomen delivered on the following day revealed small, but undeniable, peritoneal nodules that raised suspicion of carcinomatosis. A subsequent CT-guided biopsy of 1 of these nodules demonstrated adenocarcinoma.

I called Mr D later that day to inform him of the bad news. He now had metastatic disease and would not be a candidate for surgery. Instead, we would have to proceed with second-line systemic chemotherapy. I told him I was concerned that his cancer had progressed in a short period of time.

To this news, he simply responded with, “I believe in the power of hope,” which astonished me. Mr D went on to receive several cycles of treatment, followed by a course of palliative radiotherapy after his esophageal tumor grew in size again. He then enrolled in hospice care, but passed away only a few months later.

Mr D’s case left a lasting impression on me and my approach to practicing medicine. While his story may not be unique, it does remind me what a tremendous privilege it is to be an oncologist and to dispense hope to my patients. Hope is a powerful tool. To hope is to be human—undoubtedly an evolutionary behavior that has allowed humanity to overcome incredible adversity throughout the centuries. As an oncologist, I witness humans facing extreme challenges every day. Mr. D’s story is reminder of why I maintain hope for all of my patients and their families.”

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Disclaimer:

This post contains information shared from another website and does not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of The Salgi Esophageal Cancer Research Foundation who cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of the information or opinions shared.

The Salgi Esophageal Cancer Research Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) non profit organization as recognized by the Internal Revenue Service.

Content found on Salgi.org is for informational purposes only. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.