Kelly’s Heroes recently awarded its annual Healthcare Scholarships to two deserving high school seniors. The annual awards recognize Steve Kelly’s great appreciation for the nurses who provided compassionate care during his cancer journey.

Two awards of $500 are presented to a student from Hightstown (N.J.) High School and Notre Dame High School in Lawrenceville, N.J. The HHS recipient is Amanda Szeles, a scholar-athlete who played on the school’s lacrosse team. Amanda plans to study nursing at Seton Hall University. The scholarship was presented by Linda Heller, a longtime friend of the Kelly family and an HHS teacher who is retiring following this school year.

At Notre Dame, the scholarship was awarded to Zoe Carpene, who will pursue a nursing degree at the University of Vermont. A dancer as well as an excellent student, Zoe earned a Presidential Scholarship at Vermont. Her award was presented by T.J. Drahuschak, last year’s Kelly’s Heroes scholarship recipient who is studying nursing at William Paterson University.

Overall cancer death rates and incidence rates have decreased for men and women across racial and ethnic groups in the United States. And yet, pancreatic cancer death rates and incidence rates continue to climb.

Those are among the sobering findings in the Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer, released May 22 by the American Cancer Society, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Cancer Institute and the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries.

Pancreatic cancer stands as the third leading cause of cancer death, and is projected to become the second leading cause by 2020.

Death rates declined measurably in cancers such as lung, melanoma, colon, breast, prostate, leukemia and nearly every other type of major cancer. But for pancreatic cancer, the death rate increased for both men and women.

The World Pancreatic Cancer Coalition – of which Kelly’s Heroes is a member – has a mantra in the fight against pancreatic cancer: Demand better. We support the mission of better treatment options, better screening and better outcomes for the 40,000 Americans who are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer each year. Our fund-raising efforts support research into early detection and new types of treatment, continuing Steve Kelly’s commitment to making pancreatic cancer a disease you live with, rather than die from.

Kelly’s Heroes presented a $25,000 check May 4 to Dr. Dung Le and her colleagues at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins to support clinical trials that bring hope to patients facing pancreatic cancer.

With the latest donation, Kelly’s Heroes has contributed $43,000 to Johns Hopkins physicians who are leading cutting-edge research in immunotherapy and other treatments to increase survival. The money is raised through donations, events and the generosity and commitment of Kelly’s Heroes supporters.

Board members Bill Habib and Kerry McKean Kelly presented the check as part of the Johns Hopkins Spring Luncheon, an annual event for patients, donors and supporters. Dr. Le delivered luncheon remarks on “the promise of immunotherapy.”

Dr. Le, who was Steve Kelly’s physician through two clinical trials, choked back emotions as she discussed how patient volunteers in some of her earlier trials have allowed today’s patients to live longer, with better quality of life. She credited those trial participants and philanthropic donations with making those advances possible.

“What your money goes toward is a mission – of hope and opportunity,” she said.

About 120 of Steve Kelly’s closest friends honored his legacy March 24 at the 3rd Annual Kelly’s Heroes St. Patrick’s Day Party in East Windsor, N.J., raising $8,000 to support cancer research.

The money will support patient clinical trials and research into early detection and improved treatments at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, where Steve Kelly was a patient and a clinical trial hero.

“Steve would be humbled to know what he has inspired,” said his wife Kerry McKean Kelly. “Pancreatic cancer has a five-year survival rate of just 9 percent and is projected to become the second leading cause of cancer death by 2020. The standard of care for pancreatic cancer just isn’t good enough. We need to do better, we need to demand better, and we can’t do it without you.”

The fund raiser carries on a Steve Kelly tradition, whose annual St. Patrick’s Day parties featured Irish music and dancing, a golf contest and March Madness on TV for more than 20 years. Joining the festivities this year were dancers from the Denogla-Ardmore School of Irish Dance and the band Ballycastle.

A portion of the proceeds will also provide two $500 scholarships for graduating seniors at Hightstown High School and Notre Dame High School who plan to pursue nursing or other healthcare studies. Visit the Photos page to view a photo gallery of this year’s event. 

Join the Kelly’s Heroes March Madness pool – it’s fun and it’s free! Who needs cash winnings when you could nab a Kelly’s Heroes prize pack and a year of bragging rights?

The reigning champ is Steve Kelly protégé Kacey Kelly. Who’s in this year? To join the fun, go to http://games.espn.com/tournament-challenge-bracket/2018/en/groupfind, search All Groups for Kellys Heroes. Our password is “HOPE.”

Be sure to track the standings throughout the tourney on Facebook at www.facebook.com/1kellysheroes .

Discounted pricing ends March 14 for the 3rd Annual Kelly’s Heroes St. Patrick’s Day, being held March 24 at the Hightstown American Legion. It’s a party with a purpose – your support benefits clinical trials for patients facing pancreatic cancer and scholarships for local students pursuing healthcare careers.

Brand new this year is live music from Ballycastle, plus we’re bringing back the ever-popular Irish buffet catered by Killarney’s, cash bar, Irish dancers, raffle baskets and March Madness on TV.

Date: March 24, 7 – 11 p.m.

Place: Hightstown American Legion, 895 Route 130

Registration: $30 if purchased by March 14, $35 after that date. Go to our Join Us page to print our mail-in flier or register securely online via PayPal

Here’s the exciting research under way from Kelly’s Heroes-funded cancer researchers, as reported in Pillars of Progress, the 2017 Year in Review from the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins:

• Lei Zhang, MD, PhD, collaborated with colleagues on a new treatment approach which aims to make currently incurable pancreatic cancer curable. About 40 percent of pancreatic cancer patients are diagnosed when the cancer has begun to attach itself to tissue and vessels around the pancreas, often removing surgery as an option. Dr. Zheng’s research involved standard anticancer drugs to stabilize the cancer, followed by a pancreatic cancer vaccine and an immune checkpoint inhibitor. Patients also will receive radiation therapy. The investigators believe the combined therapy will kill cancer cells outright and also awaken the immune system to attack the cancer, making surgery possible, followed by chemotherapy and more immunotherapy.
• Dung Le, MD, led a clinical trial that resulted in FDA approval of the drug pembrolizumab. Dr. Le and investigators linked a DNA spell-check-like error, known as mismatch repair deficiency, to response to immunotherapy. The new drug is used to treat patients whose cancers contain this genetic repair defect.
• Bert Vogelstein, MD, is part of a team of researchers that invented a new type of cancer drug called MANAbodies. Although still experimental, this first-of-its kind immunotherapy targets the proteins from the abnormal gene mutations that drive cancer growth. It’s a mix of cancer immunology and cancer genetics in which the researchers take the cancer-specific genetic mistakes that “hide” within cancer cells and transform them into red flags that can be recognized by the MANAbodies.

Slainte! That’s Irish for good health, and that’s the hope we hold for anyone facing pancreatic cancer. Kelly’s Heroes’ 3rd Annual St. Patrick’s Day Party March 24 benefits clinical trials for patients facing pancreatic cancer and scholarships for local students pursuing healthcare careers.

Brand new this year is live music from Ballycastle, plus we’re bringing back the ever-popular Irish buffet catered by Killarney’s, cash bar, Irish dancers, raffle baskets and March Madness on TV. Go Green with us!

Date: March 24, 7 – 11 p.m.

Place: Hightstown American Legion, 895 Route 130

Registration: $30 if purchased by March 14, $35 after that date. Go to our Join Us page to print our mail-in flier or register securely online via PayPal

Thank you for waging hope with us! To learn more about how your support helps increase awareness and funds research for greater survival, check out our 2017 Year in Review.

What can a band of motivated people inspired by the cancer fight of one individual accomplish together? Find out in Thanks to Your Support…our 2017 year-in-review.

Kelly’s Heroes along with its donors, volunteers and sponsors raised thousands of dollars for cancer research, increased awareness of pancreatic cancer and its symptoms and donated to worthy local causes, carrying on Steve Kelly’s fierce hope for better outcomes for those facing pancreatic cancer.

With your help, our efforts this year included:

• Gathering for good, with our annual St. Patrick’s Day Party and Teed Off! Golf Outing raising more than $20,000. We also fielded two teams at PurpleStride in support of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.
• Supporting research, with our fund-raising efforts donated to patient clinical trials and research at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, where Steve Kelly participated in two clinical trials. Kelly’s Heroes-supported researchers Bert Vogelstein, Dung Le, MD, and Lei Zheng, MD, are leading efforts in areas such as introduction of Keytruda, the first immunotherapy drug accepted to the mass market for several types of cancer including a specific type of pancreatic cancer, and development of a liquid biopsy to increase early detection.
• Joining a global effort, through our membership in the World Pancreatic Cancer Coalition. Kelly’s Heroes attended the annual conference of this global partnership of nonprofits and joined in the planning and execution of World Pancreatic Cancer Day to raise awareness of the third leading cause of cancer death and educate people about its symptoms.
• Engaging our local community, with donations of gift cards for cancer patients in need at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and scholarships to local high school students pursuing healthcare careers.

Thank you for waging hope with us!

Many cancer patients face financial troubles as they battle their illness through long treatment regimens. Kelly’s Heroes is doing its small part to help this holiday season by donating $500 in gift cards to the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey. The gift cards will be distributed to cancer patients in need to help them defray expenses like meals and gas.

“I can’t thank you enough for your generous support of our program,” said social worker Lauren Kriegel. “Your donation will help to brighten the holidays of our patients.”