Dyer endownment

[Guest guest]

I forwarded this from Dyer's newsletter www.cancerrd.com check her website

and subscribe (click on Newsletter and follow the directions.) Please pass on!

Fall 2006 Greetings from Dyer, MS, RD, author of A Dietitian's Cancer

Story

It is hard for me to believe that I am quickly approaching the 10-year

anniversary of writing and independently publishing my book, A Dietitian's

Cancer Story. Some of you may even have a copy of that 1st edition, which was

stapled together at my local Kinko's in June 1997. I only printed 300 copies at

that time, knowing I would have no trouble giving that number away to friends,

relatives, and colleagues. Instead, the first printing sold out in 3 weeks! With

that vote of confidence, I next printed 500 copies, which sold in 3 months, and

on and on and on. Now I print 5,000 books each year. It seems like the blink of

an eye, but nearly 10 years have now gone by.

I very quickly realized that I wanted to do more than provide information and

inspiration to individual readers but to also make a difference by funding

research that would give cancer survivors better guidance about which

nutritional strategies could improve their odds for long-term survival. That

desire led me to develop a relationship with The American Institute for Cancer

Research (AICR) in Washington, DC. I had known of AICR's dedicated commitment to

fostering research on diet and cancer prevention for many years, and AICR has

enthusiastically embraced the need for and opportunity to support nutrition

research that fosters cancer survivorship also.

Proceeds from the sale of my books are donated into the Dyer Cancer

Survivors' Nutrition and Cancer Research Endowment that I have established at

AICR specifically to fund nutrition research to optimize cancer survivorship. I

have helped to fund six (6) projects since the endowment was established in the

year 2000. However, high quality research is very expensive, and currently my

endowment can only help to partially fund these projects.

My dream is to have my endowment funded to a level at which one full research

grant can be awarded every year that will be exclusively focused on researching

nutritional strategies to optimize cancer survivorship. In order to do that, my

endowment needs to be funded at a level of $2 million (yes, million). Whew, that

is a LOT of books to sell, so I am looking for alternative ideas and help to

achieve that goal.

Currently my endowment is funded at a level of approximately $110,000, which has

come primarily from my donations. Some additional people have made

contributions, also, and I extend my deepest gratitude to them for sharing and

supporting my vision with their gifts. However, sometimes I admit to feeling

discouraged when I see that my endowment (and what it can do) is still so small

after all the effort I have put forth during these past 10 years. I want my

endowment to be more than a " political statement " , so I have decided that it is

time to both " re-think and reach out " for new ways and help in order to increase

the endowment's funding and ability to support the research that is so necessary

(and even urgent) for cancer survivors.

Thus, I am offering all of my readers who share my dream an opportunity to be

involved in a meaningful way by investing in the future and hopes of all cancer

survivors. There are several ways you may choose to become involved:

(1) Of course you may order more books. In fact, you may choose to purchase a

large number to donate to your local cancer center, clinic, or doctor's office,

to give to your own patients, local libraries, support groups, place of worship,

etc. Quantity discounts are available when ordering 10 or more copies from AICR.

Please call 1- and ask to speak to Candis Navarrete.

(2) You may wish to hold a fund-raising event in your own community such as a

golf-outing, bike-a-thon, silent auction, etc, etc, with proceeds donated to The

Dyer Endowment at AICR. Ideas and information about fund-raising for AICR

are available on their web site at http://www.aicr.org, then click on " How can I

help? "

(3) In addition, I would be honored if you chose to make a direct contribution

to the Dyer Endowment at AICR. A donation of any size can now easily be

contributed directly to my endowment on AICR's web site at

http://www.aicr.org/Dyer or mailed to AICR, 1759 R Street - NW, Washington,

DC 20009. If mailing a donation, be sure to put Dyer Endowment on the memo

line. In addition, check to see if your employer will match any direct

donations; AICR always gets the paperwork filed promptly to receive these

matching funds.

AICR is eager to help you with all of these options. Please feel free to contact

, Director of Development, at 1- or by Email to

h.morgan@... for additional information and assistance with local

fund-raising events or more in-depth discussions about donations.

I have been very blessed with the opportunity to help others have a cancer

survivorship journey that has been less difficult than mine. Indeed, although I

could not foresee this path when I was struggling with chemotherapy and recovery

in 1995, sharing my journey with all of you has become a way of life for me.

Many great voices have expressed an understanding of this blessing in different

ways over the ages, so I will end with their words:

A man makes a living by what he gets; he makes a life by what he gives.

- Sir Winston Churchill

My life is my message.

- Gandhi

Your work is to discover your life and with all your heart give yourself to it.

- Buddha

With continued best wishes to all of you for both life and hope,

Dyer, MS, RD

Check Nutrition at my site:

Nutrition.teach-nology.com

Ortiz, RD

nrord@...

" The belly rules the mind. "