HELP ME RAISE MONEY FOR CANCER RESEARCH

Greetings!

My name is Dan Snyder (no, not the Washington Redskins owner). I am a musician, photographer and location scout/producer.

I am raising funds for a research study concerning the benefits of exercise in men undergoing androgen deprivation therapy (most often in conjunction with radiation therapy) for prostate cancer. The first week of September I will hike the Northville - Placid Trail (NPT), which traverses 133 miles of some of the most remote and wildest areas of the Adirondack Park. The donations to ADK Hike for Hope© will go to Brigham and Woman's Hospital in Boston, MA. 

You see, a year ago I found out I had prostate cancer and in January after a radical prostatectomy they found that the cancer had left the prostate bed. That meant the cancer was aggressive, a stage T3b. I was told that I had to deal with it sooner than later and that the treatment would start with Lupron and Casodex (androgen deprivation therapy) followed by two months of daily radiation. As my radiologist Dr. Paul Nguyen had found in a study on Lupron - an “avalanche  of side effects“ were not uncommon. 

The research study is headed by Dr. Paul Nguyen, Director of Prostate Brachytherapy at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Nguyen is a wonderful doctor and an amazing scientist who really cares about his patients’ well being.

Because of my determination to do all I could to limit any side effects, survive and be cured of one of the deadliest cancers, I took up a regimen of exercise with a personal trainer every week, hiked every Saturday morning 14-15 miles, had acupuncture twice a week and became a vegetarian.

My side effects?  Basically minimal to almost zero.

Exercise is a major component in fighting off devastating side effects as well as giving the body strength to heal. Dr. Nguyen recognizes this and is going to do a study to acquire much needed data in this area.

For me it was a no brainer, but for others, cancer is so overwhelming on so many levels that exercise is the last thing anyone wants to think about.

This is where we need your help. It’s imperative to get the word out. This study will help so many that suffer unnecessarily. .