The 2011 Big Show was a tremendous success! This year’s show was held at the Tulsa Southern Hills Marriott. Many thanks to the hotel and each worker who made this a smooth transition. The community showed overwhelming support once again to this event. We had 500 people attend this year’s show. Duke University Improv (DUI) once again provided the entertainment for the night. The DUI work hard year round entertaining the masses, all while raising money for The Scott Carter Foundation. We are so thankful for their support and generosity. In addition to a new venue, we formed a small auction committee who helped secure donations to ensure the continued success of the auction. Auction committee members included: Erin Carter, Shelley Carter, Kelcie Englebrecht, Jacelyn Ferguson, Allison Foster, Whitney Heldebrand, Alissa Hurley, Allison Jones, Sarah List, Julee Mabrey, Kim Sutton, and Amanda Herrold. Special thanks to our fabulous auction chairs Shelley Carter and Alissa Hurley. 
All in all, The Big Show, in combination with our golf tournament, raised over $100,000. Monies donated will be used to fund research to fulfill Scott’s dream of finding a cure for cancer. If you missed this great event, it’s never too late to donate online!
Special thanks to Lori Zeller with Lori Zeller Photography for donating her time and services to The Scott Carter Foundation. You can see more great pics from this event in our gallery.
You probably think that anyone who commits to run in a marathon is a big dummy! That’s absolutely false. Running in a marathon is such a great accomplishment. The feeling you get when you cross the finish line is worth every bit of blood, sweat and tears that went into the training. Not only can you cross something off of your bucket-list, but you can help raise money for The Scott Carter Foundation AND treat the family to a dream vacation all in one full swoop!
It’s my opinion that running a marathon is more mental than it is legs. One of the key elements to ensuring success is adhering to a training schedule. There are many variations of training guides available. I’ve attached one that is specific to beginner runners. Please note that it’s an 18 week schedule and we are just about 18 weeks out from the Disney Marathon so now is the time to get moving!
Please don’t hesitate to contact us with questions. Our registration is open and we can’t wait to see who will join us on this brand new venture. The Carter family has a great few days planned. Your entry fee includes:
3 nights for a family of 4 at the Polynesian Resort
a tour of Scott’s Sports Memorabilia Collection at Disney’s Wide World of Sports
pre-race Pasta Dinner
dinner with other SCF runners and families, to be hosted by the Carter family
discounted park tickets and so much more!
The Scott Carter Foundation is excited to announce that we are teaming up with the Walt Disney World Marathon to help raise money and bring awareness to the need for pediatric cancer research. Join us for a weekend of races that are as Magical as they are Memorable- from Disney’s Health & Fitness Expo to running through all four Theme Parks. Win medals of Mickey Mouse and his friends!
Save the dates of January 5-8 and lace up your shoes. Entry fee is $200 and participants will be asked to raise a minimum of $1500 for The Scott Carter Foundation Children’s Cancer Research.
Entry fee includes 3 nights accommodations for four at the Walt Disney Polynesian Resort plus so much more. Click here for more information!
From time to time we would like to provide you with updates on where Scott Carter Foundation fellows are now and what they are doing professionally. I am pleased to be able to update you on our very first SCF fellow, M. Fatih Okcu, M.D. Here is an update from Dr. Okcu in his very own words:
Since 2002 I have been working at Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children’s Cancer Center. In about 60-70% of my time I treat children and adolescents with brain and soft tissue tumors. In the rest of my time I conduct research to discover genetic markers to help us identify patients who might benefit from standard therapy and who would experience severe and permanent side effects after therapy. In one study we found that brain tumor patients who had gene variants for the enzymes that cleared free radicals (Glutathione s-Transferases) had more often and early cognitive impairment after brain radiation. These studies are still ongoing. My long term goal is to identify gene variants that we can use to develop some interventions to protect patients from side effects of therapy.
Junior Greek Life is a group of men and women that are new to Greek Life at Oklahoma State. The program is in place to identify and build leaders within the Greek system. Members are selected through an application and interview process. One of their main tasks is the Scott Carter Basketball Tournament in the Spring. They are in charge of marketing, advertising, operating, and attaining sponsorships for the event. Each fraternity and each sorority on campus have a team for the tournament; the players on each team get a t-shirt. At the end of the day we end up with a winner in both the men and women’s brackets.
Of course, we think the real winner is the Scott Carter Foundation. Money raised through this event is generously donated to the Scott Carter Foundation each year. The amount raised in this year’s tournament will be announced at The Big Show on August 27.
You can help us find a cure for osteosarcoma by making a donation to the Scott Carter Foundation.
Special thanks to Meaghan Hoose for the photos.
We are so proud of the work our SCF sponsored fellows do year after year. You can read more about each of these publications by clicking on the following links:
Time Magazine recently took a look at several different cancer charities. The article was basically asking donors to take a look at their charity, and make sure the money is going where they think it is going.
The Scott Carter Foundation was not specifically mentioned in this article, but we think this is a good opportunity to assure you that over 80% of monies raised goes to research. We have no paid employees. The Foundation will contract work on an as needed basis, but does not employee any individual. The Scott Carter Foundation is dedicated to research and finding a cure for osteosarcoma. At a recent meeting with medical professionals, Scott’s mother, Paula, said, “I’m not getting any younger. I am more determined than ever to make some significant progress towards finding a cure for osteosarcoma. I want to see those changes in my lifetime.”
You can read the full article here.
To make a contribution to The Scott Carter Foundation click here.
Truman Hedrick was just 9 years old when he was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, the same type of cancer that Scott battled many years ago. It has been a tough year and a half for the entire family. It has been especially tough on little brother, Greyson, who was just 6 years old when Truman was diagnosed. Not only has it been difficult for his little mind to comprehend, but it has been emotionally difficult as well. When a child is diagnosed with a disease like cancer, there is an outpouring of support, time and attention for the sick child. Often times, this can cause the siblings to feel a bit left out.
On May 6, 2011, the community came together for a fun-filled afternoon for this family, but especially for Greyson. The Oral Roberts men’s basketball team came out to meet Greyson and Truman, and sign autographs.
But, the highlight of the afternoon was when Mike and Paula Carter, on behalf of The Scott Carter Foundation, presented Greyson and Truman with a go cart. This was the very same go-cart that Scott rode years ago. It was specially designed for him with a hand brake, and since Truman is also an amputee, this go cart is perfect for him too.
Truman’s Mom, Kim Hedrick had this to say, “It’s so very heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time. It just brings me to tears to visualize their beloved Scott riding that go-cart, knowing he and Truman battled the same beast.”
You can see a short clip of the day by clicking here. Thanks to Channel 6 for covering the day and allowing us to use their video for our site. You can follow the Hedrick family on their journey through their CaringBridge site.
The Scott Carter Foundation is pleased to have been a sponsor at the Triumph Over Kid Cancer 4th Annual Golf Scramble this past weekend. James Ragan was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma in 2006, when he was just 13 years old. After researching his disease, James became frustrated that there had been no significant advancements in treatment of this disease since before he was born. (Osteosarcoma is the same type of cancer that Scott was diagnosed with in 1990.) Upon learning this devastating news, James, along with his family and friends, formally organized the Triumph Over Kid Cancer Foundation.
80% of of the funds that TOKC raises goes to research. M.D. Anderson Cancer Hospital has agreed to MATCH those funds on a Dollar for Dollar basis and use all funds for research in Pediatric Sarcoma. You can learn more about Triumph Over Kid Cancer here.
The Scott Carter Foundation is proud to have recently sponsored a symposium featuring Bernard Séguin, DVM, MS, dip ACVS. You can read his bio here.The symposium was at the University of Oregon Health & Science Center, which meant a trip to Portland, Oregon for some of us involved with the foundation. Dr. Charles Keller put together the symposium, and gave us tours upon tours of the facilities at OHSU. Look for more posts to come on all that we were able to see and learn while we were there, but I’ll start with the reason for the trip: the lecture.
Scott’s grandfather, Dr. Paul Compton, had the pleasure of introducing the guest speaker. Dr. Compton is such a valuable resource for the foundation with all of his medical knowledge. In addition to being Scott’s grandfather and friend, he was the one who first diagnosed Scott’s osteosarcoma. We were so pleased that he was able to join us on the trip to Portland.
Dr. Séguin spoke on “Why Treating Man’s Best Friend is Good For Everyone”. He opened with a startling statistic: those in the age group of 10-40 years old with osteosarcoma have not seen their life expectancy improve in the last 30 years. Translation: If a child were to be diagnosed with osteosarcoma in 2011, he or she would be faced with the same prognosis that Scott Carter received in 1993.
So, why study osteosarcoma in dogs? Dr. Séguin gave several persuasive reasons. First of all, the incidence in dogs in much greater than in humans. There are 8000 new cases diagnosed in canines each year versus the 600-1000 new cases in humans. Osteosarcoma is 10 times more common in dogs than in humans!
Secondly, this is a naturally occurring disease. We don’t have to “infect” the dog with cancer. We can study what is already occurring. Thirdly, the dog is a much larger animal than the mouse. And larger dogs are close in size to children so they can go through the same diagnostic testing and surgeries that a child would go through. Another reason that may seem obvious is that there are so many more cases in dogs than in humans. There is much more data to be collected, observed and treated. And finally, dogs have a shorter life span than humans so data can be gathered much more rapidly, and therefore reach meaningful conclusions in a shorter period of time.
When a dog is diagnosed with osteosarcoma, while being treated Dr. Séguin acquires a sample of the cancer. It is placed in a Petri dish where it is grown. In the laboratory, researchers treat the tumor with many different drugs and determine which drug is the most effective. The response to the different drugs will vary from one tumor sample to the other. From this they determine which drug is best suited for each patient and therefore provide patient tailored care. They are hopeful that in the near future children will receive care that is suited for their individual needs and will, as a result, respond better to the drugs.
Of course, the ultimate goal is to find a cure. The Foundation is so proud to have supported many fellows, researchers and now lectures. Our goal, which was really Scott’s goal, is to find a cure for cancer. We can’t do that without your continued support. If you are interested in making a donation to The Scott Carter Foundation, you may now do it quickly and easily online. Just click this link and follow the instructions.
To watch the lecture in it’s entirety, click here. If you are interested in learning more about Dr. Séguin, check out his website.
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