2003 Gala Raises $155,000 for Cancer Care

Ken Bauer and Washington Adventist Hospital would like to thank all those who supported the Foundation's 15th Annual Black Tie Gala. The Gala was a jubilant success for the hospital, bringing in more than $155,000 (net) for the Cancer Care Program at Washington Adventist. “This Gala surpassed all previous records!” states Vice President Sheree Parris Nudd of the March 22 event held at Indian Spring Country Club. (Pictured: Dr. Ajit Shah, Otolaryngologist and Mrs. Shilpa Shah.)

“It is wonderful to see such a robust commitment to the health of the community by individuals and corporations, in spite of a backdrop of the current economic downturn, a vicious winter, and the start of war,” says hospital president Kenneth Bauer.

The tempo of the upbeat Gala was set by a variety of live musical styles. The Gala started with classical string chamber music as guests mingled and placed bids on Silent Auction merchandise.

While the crowd got serious about enjoying the abundance of hors d'oeuvres, which ranged from sushi, to lamb chops, to boursin wontons, a men's a cappella group from Oxford University, England, livened up the mood with intervals of harmonized oldies and pop ballads.

Dinner was a leisurely affair of four courses accompanied by jazz standards, which progressed, by degrees to the full offerings of a highly polished cover band.

Entertainment was provided by Columbia Union College Honors String Quartet, Out of the Blue and Bittersweet.

As the music intensified throughout the evening, so did the competitive bidding at the Silent Auction. Friendly battles over Wizard tickets to Michael Jordan's final game and a guided white-tail deer hunt, among others, helped push the Silent Auction proceeds over the $10,000 mark. This was a first for the Gala.

A special presentation was made to (retiring) Gala Chair Horace Saunders, recognizing his many years of service and leadership in connection with the Gala. Mr. Saunders thanked the committee volunteers and also acknowledged Mrs. Jacqueline Neimat who was in the audience. Mrs. Neimat was the chair of the very first Black tie Gala fifteen years ago.

The $155,000+ raised at this year's Gala will help the hospital purchase a state-of-the-art linear accelerator, capable of delivering a uniform dose of high energy radiation beam to the region of the patient's cancer.

Radiation therapy is effective in controlling a variety of malignant tumors and is a component in the management of about half of all patients with cancer. The common cancers that are treated with radiation therapy include prostate, breast and lung, among others.

Washington Adventist Hospital houses one of the few radiation oncology in-house treatment centers in the area which provides total patient care, including social, dietary, physical therapy and pastoral care services. Also, the Radiation Oncology Department at Washington Adventist Hospital is the area’s only accredited practice program by the American College of Radiation Oncology.

This latest equipment is cutting-edge technology and will allow Washington Adventist Hospital to offer cancer patients the most sophisticated radiation therapy available including intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). IMRT is a state-of-the-art cancer treatment method that delivers high doses of radiation directly to cancer cells while sparing more of the surrounding healthy tissue.

This is possible because IMRT uses computer-generated images to plan and then deliver tightly focused radiation beams to cancerous tumors. Clinicians use it to exquisitely “paint” the tumor with a precise radiation beam that conforms as closely as possible to the shape of the tumor.

The availability of this new radiation treatment therapy will greatly benefit cancer patients in our community. The new linear accelerator will be used to treat tumors that might have been considered untreatable in the past. Also, when healthy tissue near the tumor is spared, side effects of the radiation treatment may be reduced.

Many thanks to all attendees and contributors to the 2003 Black Tie Gala; your gifts and participation in the most important fundraising event of the year for Washington Adventist Hospital is greatly appreciated.

If you would like to attend a future Gala, call the Foundation Office at (301) 445-4224 for information.