President’s Message
We celebrated the creation of the Esophageal Cancer Education Foundation (ECEF) in the year 2002 and I will celebrate my esophagectomy surgery done at MSKCC in the year 2000. We thank God for giving us this time and allowing us to reach out and touch patients and caregivers as they journey through this dreaded disease.
We have taken steps to bring ECEF to the next level and we will continue to advance our message and patient support in the coming years. We have expanded our Medical Advisory Committee to bring more Doctors and Medical Professionals into the working subcommittees we have developed. You can see the Doctors who are participating in our various sub committees by clicking on https://fightec.org/ecef-structure/medical-advisory-committee/
SUPPORT GROUPS
In addition, because our Conference call Support Group participation has grown, we now have three ZOOM monthly support groups for patients who have gone through an esophagectomy and their caregivers. We have two Thoracic Surgeons attending each of our post-surgery meetings
We have also established a ZOOM monthly meeting for Esophageal and Stomach Cancer Stage IV and recurrence patients and their caregivers. We have two Medical Oncologists attending each of these meetings.
Any information that is discussed at these meetings must be cleared with the patients doctors before they take any action using what they have heard.
YOU TUBE CHANNEL
We will continue to develop our You Tube Channel and have placed 19 videos on it: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDkh7_H9BOnNASdmG4pdF0g
HOT LINE
Our phone Hot Line addressing questions about esophageal cancer is 732-385-7461. We are working with the General Thoracic Surgical Club members in providing ECEF with their contact information so any call we receive from within the U.S. will have a potential referral of a surgeon in that caller’s area. We have made numerous referrals and we will continue this service.
BOOK
ECEF has authored a book called Esophagectomy Post Surgical Guide Q&A Second Edition that addresses the most frequently asked questions and answers about the post-surgical experience. This book can be obtained from your local bookstore or by going to our Home Page on this web site. Various Hospitals have purchased quantities of this book to give to patient as they leave the hospital post-surgery.
Ginny and I hope, with God’s help, we can make a difference in a patient’s life by the various items we have spoken about in this message.
Respectfully Submitted
Bart Frazzitta
President