It's Your

metro

Jewish Family Service.

Committed To A Cure

Son's death compels father to seek
a cure for gastric cancer.

I

ak

ewish Fa MPService

etropolitan Detroit

Graham & Sally Orley and
Joseph & Suzanne Orley Building
6555 West Maple Road
West Bloomfield, MI 48322

Crown Pointe Office Building
25900 Greenfield Road
Suite 405
Oak Park, MI 48237

Sheldon Stone, President, Board of Directors • Perry Ohren, Chief Executive Officer

248-592-2300 • www.jfsdetroit.org

You can donate by going online to
www.jfsdetroit.org or scanning

this code with your smart phone.

Contact Debra Wolson Marcus, Chief Development Officer
248-592-2327 • dmarcus@jfsdetroit.org

Jewish Family Service is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization.

28

November 28 • 2013

n March 2013, Wayne Feinstein,
who served as CEO of Detroit's
Jewish Community Federation
from 1982 to 1986, was elected
chairman of the board of the Gastric
Cancer Foundation (GCF), a national
nonprofit dedicated to curing gastric
(stomach) cancer.
His commitment to the orga-
nization stems from his family's
tragic experience with the disease.
Feinstein's 20-year-old son Ben died
in 2010 after battling gastric cancer
for more than two years. During
Ben's difficult struggle, he asked his
father to promise that he would do
whatever he could to find a cure for
the disease so no one else would
have to endure it.
After losing his son, Feinstein set
out to fulfill this pledge. He chan-
neled his grief into action and dedi-
cated himself to building GCF and
expanding the organization's capacity
to heighten public awareness, raise
funds for intensified research, and
serve as an authoritative resource to
newly diagnosed patients and their
caregivers.
Stomach cancer is the fourth most
common cancer worldwide and
the second-leading cause of cancer
deaths worldwide. When diagnosed,
stomach cancer is usually late stage
and the five-year survival rate is
about 27 percent. Despite these sta-
tistics, gastric cancer receives less
than one half of 1 percent (0.4 per-
cent) of U.S. federal cancer research
dollars.
After more than 18 years at
the helm of Jewish federations
in Detroit, Los Angeles and San
Francisco, Feinstein stepped down
from his position as CEO of the San
Francisco JCF in 2000. Soon after,
he joined Capital Group Companies,
where he has been a senior vice
president and investment counselor
since 2001.

Becoming An Advocate

Feinstein continued to be active in
the nonprofit world after his career
change, but it wasn't until he met
GCF's founder, J.P. Gallagher, during
Ben's treatment at Stanford University
Medical Center, that he became
focused on advocating for gastric can-
cer research.
"When J.P. started this organiza-

J.

Wayne Feinstein

tion, he and my son Ben were both
undergoing treatment for gastric
cancer," Feinstein said.
"At the time, awareness and
research funding were minimal. The
need for both was painfully clear,
and I partnered with J.P. to begin
addressing it. I am determined to
fulfill my promise to Ben, and I am
encouraged by the progress GCF has
already made.
"In just a few years, we have
established the only comprehen-
sive Gastric Cancer Registry that
is actively collecting patient data
and tissue samples to fuel impor-
tant new research, and the GCF-
funded genomics project at Stanford
University has made strides in
decoding the genetics of the disease,"
he added.
"We are currently creating an
endowment in partnership with
the American Gastroenterological
Association, a leader in the GI world,
to ensure continuous funding for
research. Our first Research Scholar
Award will be announced in early
2014:'
Sadly, J.P. Gallagher passed away
in February 2013 after battling stom-
ach cancer for five years. Feinstein
has succeeded Gallagher as chair-
man and is applying his vast non-
profit knowledge and experience to
the role.
"Every day, I think about how I
can best honor Ben, J.P. and every-
one who has suffered from stomach
cancer," said Feinstein.
"The key to finding a cure is to
gain visibility for the disease and
invest in research. Our ultimate aim
is to put ourselves out of business by
finding that cure."

❑

