LOS ANGELES, Nov. 1, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — Nearly 200 families and friends of people with mesothelioma attended the Second Annual 5k Walk/Hike for Meso, sponsored by the Pacific Meso Center (PMC) on Sunday, October 27th at the Paramount Ranch in Agoura Hills, CA. The event raised $75,000 to benefit medical research at the PMC, a division of the Pacific Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (PHLBI). Donations are still arriving as word rapidly spreads about the PMC's groundbreaking research to discover new treatments for mesothelioma and to improve mesothelioma victims' lives and longevity.
Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is an asbestos-related cancer of the lining of the chest. There is no cure. Effective treatments are limited. Several patients with mesothelioma participated in the event at the historic Paramount Ranch movie set nestled in the Santa Monica Mountains.
"The weather was perfect, the people were fantastic, and the money raised crucial in the fight against this horrible disease," said Dr. Robert Cameron, the PMC's Scientific Advisor and a leading expert on MPM. Dr. Cameron is also Director of the Mesothelioma Program at UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine, and the Chief of Thoracic Surgery at the West Los Angeles Veterans' Administration Medical Center. "This annual walk/hike gives people in the mesothelioma community an uplifting experience in a beautiful outdoor setting. We are grateful for continued financial support of our cutting edge research to find better treatments for MPM," commented Clare Cameron, Executive Director.
Twenty teams competed for fundraising champ, with last year's victor, The Irish Stampede, again coming in first with $13,460 raised in memory of Gerald McCarthy. The tremendous success of this year's event was made possible by the generous support of Worthington & Caron PLC, the Platinum sponsor; the Michael Mandlebrot Law Firm and the Gold Law Firm Trial Lawyers, Gold sponsors; and the Johnson Family and Marc I. Willick, Attorney, Bronze sponsors.
The Belvedere family of Ottavio's Italian Restaurant donated and prepared exquisite luncheon cuisine for everyone in attendance. Over the past few years, The Belvedere family has raised more than $117,000 for the PMC in honor of Ottavio Belvedere who passed away from mesothelioma.
For information on the Pacific Meso Center and on opportunities to volunteer or support the organization's research program, please contact:
Clare Cameron
The Pacific Meso Center
310-478-4678
Email
www.pacificmesocenter.org