Cancer research offers hope for a cure Posted On: Monday, Sep. 28 2009 04:35 AM By Rebecca Hertz
Killeen Daily Herald

Nearly one-fourth of all deaths in the U.S. result from some form of cancer, surpassed only by heart disease.

In 2009, 292,540 men and 269,800 women died from cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. It is very likely that you or someone close to you will be affected by cancer in your lifetime.

In Central Texas, the Scott & White Cancer Research Institute, directed by Dr. Arthur Frankel, houses a 23-member staff devoted to finding a cure for cancer.

Frankel said that a new agent is currently being developed for treating solid tumor metastasis, where cancer spreads through the body.

"These patients have limited options with chemo therapy and limited time," Frankel said. "The institute is committed to developing new treatments for hope when standard therapies are ineffective."

The Robert S. Love Foundation donated $62,000 to the project last year and has committed to a second year of funding to support the development of this treatment.

Frankel extends an open invitation to members of the public to see how their donations are being used to transform cancer from a fatal disease into a chronic ailment.

"Cancer is one of those diseases that if you think it is cured, it may rear its ugly head again," cancer survivor Linda Chupik said.

Chupik was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1997. She said the diagnosis came as a shock because for her entire life, she had never had more than a cold and she felt fine. Throughout her treatments and surgery, she was most impacted by the fact that those who were treating her had hope.

"I want to keep hope going," she said. "We keep hope going through answers and keep answers going through research."

Chupik is a marriage and family counselor with Chupik and Associates Counseling in Killeen and Temple. She is a board member for the Robert S. Love Foundation. The purpose of the foundation is to raise money to support cancer research.

"Every cent we raise stays in Central Texas," Chupik said. "We are raising hope for our neighbors and ourselves."

Robert S. Love was a man who touched many lives through his valiant battle with liposarcoma. He was diagnosed in 1994 and died in 2002. The foundation was established in memory of his courage and faith and is dedicated to the support of cancer research, according to the foundation's Web site.

Chuck Lucko, founder and president of the foundation and a cancer survivor, said that he and Love attended Temple High School together. They reconnected years later and worked together at Lucko's surveying company, All County Surveying.

Lucko was diagnosed and treated for testicular cancer in 1996, only to have the disease recur six months later.

"I was sick and on chemo when he (Love) was in between surgeries, "Lucko said. "It was a bad time for me and a good time for him. It brought us together."

Last year, the foundation raised more than $120,000 to support hope for a cure and look for the answers to keep hope alive, Lucko said.

"(Being a cancer survivor) is humbling and does tell us all that we are temporary and that life is fragile," Lucko said. "We need to treat people the way we want to be treated. And we need to appreciate every minute."

Contact Rebecca Hertz at rhertz@kdhnews.com or (254) 501-7469.