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The Fight Against Cancer
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Friday’s speaker, Tami Agassi
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Rourke O’Brien introduced his guest, Tami Agassi, who has recently been appointed to a fundraising position with the Marcia Rivkin Ovarian Cancer Institute in Seattle. Tami, herself a cancer survivor, described the battle she went through to beat the disease. She was formerly Executive Director of the Gary Payton Foundation and was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 30.
“My principal activity has been fundraising. I left the Payton Foundation to become Director of Business Development at Rivals.com. Three months into this new job, I found a lump in my breast. There was no family history for breast cancer. I had a mammogram to be safe, followed by an ultrasound. The diagnosis was ‘98% benign.’ I went for a second opinion and was told I should elect to ’take it out that week.’ In other words, if you get a lump, pay attention to it.”
Tami took a six-month leave-of-absence. She had a mastectomy, followed by “aggressive chemotherapy. I was able to catch the cancer early in Stage 1, with a predicted recovery rate of 98%.”
It was here that Tami revealed a little about her family. Yes, she is the sister to professional tennis star Andre Agassi. And now, her mother is also being treated for breast cancer. “When we got this news, we immediately had other siblings and wives in our family check immediately for any signs of the disease. I believe I did it right and did it once and would recommend that, at the first sign of trouble, be aggressive yourself and get several disgnoses.”
Today, Tami is the first fundraising person to be hired by the Rivkin Ovarian Cancer Research Center. “Unfortunately, there is no good early detection test available for this disease. Most cases are diagnosed late in the stage when it’s difficult to treat. There is a blood test called ‘CA 125,’ but it produces a lot of false positives.”
A question from the audience: How do you handle this?
Tami’s response: “Life has never been more simple. Everything was put in perspective. I learned about a whole different side of life. Just walking the dog was a new experience. I learned life’s lessons.”
The Rivkin Center, which works closely with Fred Hutch and Swedish Medical Center, is described by Dr. Rivkin as a “center without walls.” It’s now supporting a project in Mexico which holds promise for early detection. Jeff Maxwell announced that a $1 million match at last weekend’s Fred Hutch gala for ovarian cancer was expected to raise needed funds for continued research.
Tami said, “Genetics play a role in all of this, but no one knows exactly how. As for my treatment, I chose my doctor because he’s aggressive. That’s why I’m able to speak to you today.”
Mary Bell offered that the “Mammogram must have been invented by a man. Is there some new procedure afoot?” Tami agreed that a new method would help detect cancer early.
For her presentation, Tami was the recipient of a certificate showing the BBRC had purchased 240 doses of polio vaccine to be administered to children of the world. Thanks to Rourke O’Brien for his introduction.
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Links to articles on Tami Agassi and her battle with breast cancer:
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