Michael Katz, second from the left was a non stop advocate for the myeloma patient community, and a shinning example of how to beat this disease. When he was diagnosed 24+ years ago the life expectancy was between 2 and 3 years, and he learned all he could about the disease or became his own best advocate. He found and was treated by the best myeloma specialists in the world. I wrote a blog post about how remarkably astute he was to be active at the top level of the IMF(International Myeloma Foundation), because of course he did great things for the myeloma patient community, but he also knew of the latest treatments and had contact with the top multiple myeloma specialists. Unfortunately, I received a tweet today from Dr. Rajkumar, who acknowledged all the great things that Mike accomplished in his life and that he will be remembered for them. I then came across the following memorial.
In memoriam — Michael Katz, MBA Posted on April 27, 2015 by Sitemaster of The Prostate Cancer Infolink
This has just a very little to do with prostate cancer but everything to do with cancer patient advocacy.
My friend Michael S. Katz, MBA, passed away on Sunday in New York from complications associated with multiple myeloma (although along the way he had also been diagnosed and treated for colon cancer). He was initially diagnosed with myeloma back in 1990, when life expectancy for myeloma patients was something like 3 to 5 years, and yet he lived for another 22 years with this disorder.
Along the way, Michael did a lot of very important things:
Last year — deservedly — Michael was recognized by ASCO, at its annual meeting in Chicago, with the ASCO Partners in Progress Award, for his considerable contributions to cancer and to myeloma in particular. And if you want to know more about him, you can read what was said about him in The ASCO Post at the time.
Above all, Michael did all of these things without fuss and without ever seeking any reward or recognition for all the work he did. He has been an inspiration over the years to many in the cancer advocacy community, and just because you haven’t heard of him doesn’t mean that you may not have benefited from the example he set for others.
Rest in peace Michael … If anyone deserves that rest, it is you … and you will not be forgotten.
Yes Mike, you will be sourly missed. Good luck and may God Bless your Cancer Journey. For more information on multiple myeloma survival rates and treatments CLICK HERE and you can follow me on twitter at: https://twitter.com/grpetersen1
In memoriam — Michael Katz, MBA Posted on April 27, 2015 by Sitemaster of The Prostate Cancer Infolink
This has just a very little to do with prostate cancer but everything to do with cancer patient advocacy.
My friend Michael S. Katz, MBA, passed away on Sunday in New York from complications associated with multiple myeloma (although along the way he had also been diagnosed and treated for colon cancer). He was initially diagnosed with myeloma back in 1990, when life expectancy for myeloma patients was something like 3 to 5 years, and yet he lived for another 22 years with this disorder.
Along the way, Michael did a lot of very important things:
- He became a Board member and vice president of the International Myeloma Foundation.
- He spoke regularly to myeloma patients and their family members at seminars all over North America.
- He helped to change the first-line treatment of myeloma by insisting that the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) champion the use of low-dose prednisone as opposed to dexamethasone in a major clinical trial — leading to a major reduction in the side effects historically associated with the use of dexamethasone.
- He was an author on the original paper reporting the association of treatment with zoledronic acid (Zometa) to the condition known as osteonecrosis of the jaw (ONJ) — which is seen in some prostate cancer patients.
- He became the first-ever chairman of the Consumer Liaison Committee to the Director of the National Cancer Institute.
- He helped to build and maintain the web site of the International Myeloma Foundation.
- Every year, he video-interviewed dozens of physicians and scientists about their research into myeloma and its management at the annual meetings of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) and the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).
- He initiated and ran face to face and on-line myeloma patient support groups.
- And for much of the time, while doing this, he was holding down a job as a vice-president at a major New York consulting firm.
Last year — deservedly — Michael was recognized by ASCO, at its annual meeting in Chicago, with the ASCO Partners in Progress Award, for his considerable contributions to cancer and to myeloma in particular. And if you want to know more about him, you can read what was said about him in The ASCO Post at the time.
Above all, Michael did all of these things without fuss and without ever seeking any reward or recognition for all the work he did. He has been an inspiration over the years to many in the cancer advocacy community, and just because you haven’t heard of him doesn’t mean that you may not have benefited from the example he set for others.
Rest in peace Michael … If anyone deserves that rest, it is you … and you will not be forgotten.
Yes Mike, you will be sourly missed. Good luck and may God Bless your Cancer Journey. For more information on multiple myeloma survival rates and treatments CLICK HERE and you can follow me on twitter at: https://twitter.com/grpetersen1
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