An event on May 11 hosted by the Foundation in Charlottesville allowed more than 150 supporters, community leaders, scientists, and others to hear about the latest research advances and meet one special patient.
Jack Campanile, a courageous 16-year-old high school student from Toronto spoke eloquently about life with disabling pain caused by a benign bone tumor, the decision that he made with his parents to become the first pediatric patient in North America to volunteer for a Foundation-funded clinical trial, and how the treatment gave him his life back. Attendees also heard updates from the Foundation staff and a keynote on the la advances from Stanford radiologist Pejman Ghanouni, MD, PhD.
Jack shared the story of his treatment day. “I was very nervous on the day. Being Captain of my hockey team, I tried to get the hospital team fired up like I would do at a game, and I cheered them all on to lighten the mood.” After going home that night, he added, “I said no to a pain killer and it felt great. I slept through the whole night for the first time in a year. I was able to run after a few weeks.” We reported the news of his successful treatment last August.
Dr. Ghanouni spoke about the many FUS systems being used and studied at Stanford. He thanked the Foundation and donors for their support as well as the collaboration that has helped him meet researchers from around the world to share ideas, successes, and challenges.
Dr. Neal Kassell welcomes the crowd and shares an overview of the Foundation’s work
Suzanne LeBlang, MD, the Foundation’s Chief Medical Officer, explains why she became a proponent of the technology
Jessica Foley, PhD, the Foundation’s Chief Scientific Officer, discusses the state of the field
Pejman Ghanouni, MD, PhD, tells the story of a patient treated for pain from bone metastases
Jack shares how he is able to play sports, like snowboarding, pain free after focused ultrasound
Jack and his mother pose with Foundation Council members, Jonna and Tony Mendez