Who is amy? Hosts 3rd Gala to Raise Awareness, Advance Research and Save Lives

May 29, 2010 - PRLog -- Contact:
Maya Ellman/ Maya@duompr.com / 720-237-9535
Autumn Metcalfe/ Autumn@duompr.com / 303-250-1215
     
Rise Against Rare Blood Disease
Who is amy? Hosts 3rd Gala to Raise Awareness, Advance Research and Save Lives

Denver, Colo. May 25, 2010– Who is amy?, a non-profit organization founded to support research efforts and raise awareness about the rare blood disease amyloidosis is hosting its 3rd Gala, Rise Against Rare Blood Disease. The event will take place on September 11, 2010 from 7 to 11p.m. at Cassleman’s at 2620 Walnut St. – in Denver’s NoDo area just five blocks North-East of Coors Field.

The gala will raise awareness, advance research and save lives of those with amyloidosis, and is expected to attract 400 guests. The Amyloidosis Foundation estimates that approximately 3,000 people are diagnosed with amyloidosis each year in North America and that blood cancers overall have increased more than 40 percent in the last decade. Amyloidosis is extremely under diagnosed and has no cure or generally accepted treatment plan.

“I am thrilled to see the vision of Who is amy? continue into 2010 with its 3rd Gala to raise awareness of and advance research of amyloidosis,” said Becca Barry, who founded Who is amy? in 2002 with her sisters, Shelley and Sarah Cooper, in response to their father’s diagnosis of amyloidosis. “Through these efforts, I hope that patients suffering from amyloidosis and related blood cancers will have better treatment options and researchers will ultimately find a cure.”

Highlights of the gala include a fashion show with the latest fall fashions, a huge silent auction, and appetizers and cocktails from award-winning NoDo restaurants. Proceeds will go to The Mayo Clinic’s Hematologic Malignancies Program, dedicated to furthering research of rare blood diseases and blood cancers, and to support an educational seminar on amyloidosis at the University of Colorado Medical School.  

The event will also include a special tribute to Jeffrey Matous, MD of the Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers for his support of amyloidosis. Dr. Matous specializes in the treatment of blood cancers and diseases as well as in the field of blood and marrow transplantation. He is currently the medical director for the Rocky Mountain Blood and Marrow Transplant Program and focuses on clinical trials for amyloidosis working with Dr. Jeffrey Zonder of Karmanos Cancer Institute.  

Tickets are $40 for individuals and $75 for couples and can be purchased online at www.whoisamy.org. Tickets purchased the day-of the event are $50.

About Amyloidosis

Amyloidosis is a rare blood disease most commonly classified as a blood cancer. Blood cancers have increased by 40 percent in the past decade. Abnormal antibodies, called amyloid, build-up in a person’s bloodstream and are deposited in the body’s organs causing organ breakdown. Progress is being made in research toward finding more effective treatments, but there is no cure and little medical awareness. Early diagnosis is important to allow patients to be eligible for the best treatment options. To learn more about amyloidosis visit www.whoisamy.org.

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Who is amy? is a non-profit organization dedicated to raising public awareness and advancing research for the life-threatening and terminal blood disease amyloidosis.

The Amyloidosis Foundation estimates that approximately 3,000 people are diagnosed with amyloidosis each year in North America and that blood cancers overall have increased more than 40% in the last decade. Watch our video below to learn more about Who is amy? www.whoisamy.org