Fighting Chance (organization)

Established	2002
Headquarters	Sag Harbor, NY, USA
Focus	Free-of-Charge Counseling & Resource Center for Cancer Patients
Homepage	www.fightingchance.org/

Fighting Chance is an American charity that provides counseling for cancer patients and caregivers. Independent from any hospital and funded solely by charitable contributions,

Fighting Chance gives patients and their caregivers free access to hard-to-find resources and professional counseling is available from the time of diagnosis through treatment to survivorship. Headquartered in Sag Harbor, New York, the organization operates on the East End of Long Island and also offers e-counseling to patients outside the area.

Organization

A 16-member board of directors, comprised primarily of cancer survivors and caregivers, meet quarterly to guide the overall direction of the organization and plan annual events. The board is led by chairman Duncan Darrow who is also the founder of Fighting Chance.

Day-to-day operations are handled by Karrie Zampini Robinson, LCSW an oncology social worker with over 20 years of experience; Laraine Gordon, LCSW, another oncology social worker with over 10 years of experience; and William Di Scipio, Ph. D, a clinical psychologist and retired member of the faculty at the Einstein School of Medicine.

A Medical Advisory Committee of oncologists, some of whom also serve as board members, contributes to day-to-day operations. They include: Martin Karpeh, Jr., MD, Head of Surgery, Beth Israel Medical Center, New York City; Peter Bach, MD, Pulmonologist and Biostatistician at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City; and Philip Schulman, MD, head of the Long Island satellite branch (based in Commack, New York) of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

History

In April 2001, Charlotte Darrow was diagnosed with metastatic lung cancer and survived only 100 days after diagnosis. The lack of support groups and professional counseling available on the East End of Long Island is what lead Charlotte’s son to start an organization that would provide tools to help future cancer patients in the area navigate the healthcare system. The foundation was created in Charlotte’s honor, as Duncan Darrow used to pray not for a miracle, but that his mother simply be given a “fighting chance.”

Leadership

• Duncan Darrow – Founder and Chairman, 2002 – Present
• Ben Gillikin – Vice Chairman of the Board, 2004 – Present
• Karrie Zampini Robinson, LCSW - Director of Clinical Programs, 2005 - Present
• Martin Karpeh, Jr., MD – Medical Advisory Committee, 2005 – Present
• Peter Bach, MD - Medical Advisory Committee, 2005 – Present
• Philip Schulman, MD - Medical Advisory Committee, 2005 – Present

Resource Guide

Since 2004, Fighting Chance has updated and published an annual resource guide with a regional focus titled Coping with Cancer on the East End – a Practical Resource Guide. Topics covered in the 93-page booklet, free and downloadable to everyone , include contact information for area doctors, hospitals, pharmacies and assisted living facilities; sources of complimentary or alternative medicine; guidance on obtaining a second opinion, the scope of coverage under health insurance policies and protocols for clinical trials; and a list of useful websites.

Sister Organizations

In 2008, Duncan Darrow established a sister non-profit organization called cancersimplified.org. The organization’s website, launched in 2009, explains cancer in layman’s terms through a 44-page flip chart presentation.

External links

Fighting Chance Website [6]

Other References

Stand Up to Cancer – Resources and Support [7]
Cure Today – Resources [8]
Women’s Cancer Network – Advocacy Group [9]
The Wellness Community – Resources [10]