Blood Cancer Patients Face Drug Shortages

Have you heard about drug shortages in the U.S. this year? According to an article in CityWatch, Methotrexate, a vital drug used to treat cancers, is one of them. The shortage is linked to one of the biggest Methotrexate manufacturing plants, which shut down because it did not pass inspection in November.  It’s hard to think about the consequences of not having access to Methotrexate -which is effective in treating adults and especially children with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). A number of our clients- served in partnership with There Goes My Hero – are fighting blood cancer and may rely on this very treatment to regain their health. 

Photo credit goes to InsideCounsel

 What’s being done about it?

Luckily, the FDA is working on the availability of a preservative-free form of Methotrexate from new suppliers.

More drug shortages are posted on the FDA’s website.

Cheers: A Taste for Life

Don’t forget that tomorrow, February 23^rd, is the second annual A Taste for Life event benefiting There Goes My Hero.  From 6pm – 9pm, at Silo Point's 19th Floor Sky Lounge, enjoy bourbon tastings, fine wines, and craft beers, along with tasty  

hors d'oeuvres and one of the best views of the Inner Harbor that Baltimore has to offer. Tickets are $50 in advance or $65 at the door. Click here to register!

A little background:

There Goes My Hero is a foundation that provides hope and nourishment to leukemia patients and their families. Back in December 2010, we partnered with them to be able to provide meals to people living with blood cancers. So your support means a lot to us.

Oh, and please spread the word!

Expanding Our Services

Moveable Feast reaches out to more and more Marylanders each year. In 2010, recall that we formed a relationship with There Goes My Hero to provide meals to patients living with blood cancers (leukemia). 

On Wednesday, March 2nd, we signed a small food service contract with the DRU/Mondawmin (DRUM) Healthy Families organization. DRUM provides neo-natal services to women who are at high-risk for miscarriage due to drug use and/or HIV. We will now begin providing nutrition to DRUM clients via a congregate meal for 32 people each Wednesday.

Last week, we also received authorization from the Department of Health & Mental Hygiene to provide services to homebound adults with disabilities. This would cover a wide range of people, not excluding those with HIV or other life-threatening conditions.

There Goes My Hero...Bourbon!

In December 2010, we began providing meals to people living with blood cancers, through the There Goes My Hero foundation. There Goes My Hero provides hope and nourishment to leukemia patients and their families.

How did this partnership begin? Well, in the late spring and early summer of 2010, Erik Sauer, the founder and executive director of There Goes My Hero, approached Tom with his vision of feeding people with leukemia. After some discussion and planning, and with the financial support of TGMH, we embarked on a pilot program. This pilot program was comprised of There Goes My Hero, Moveable Feast, and the Sydney Kimmel Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins.

Organizationally, the Kimmel Center will identify patients and families in need of nutritional support during their difficult times. Moveable Feast will provide the meals, funded by There Goes My Hero.

Currently, we feed 6 patients with blood cancers - more than halfway to our initial goal of feeding 10 people!

Help us to meet that goal faster by attending one of There Goes My Hero's fundraisers - a classy and fabulous bourbon tasting at Silo Point's 19th floor Sky Lounge. The event will take place next Thursday, February 17th from 6-9PM. Check out the flier below:

click to enlarge