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When Patrick McNichol signed up to participate in Penn State’s THON as a senior, he unwittingly committed to a life of philanthropy. Penn State’s year-long student run fundraiser culminates with a forty-eight hour dance marathon in support of research for pediatric cancer patients, their families, and, in Patrick’s case, a cause near to his heart.

“I got involved with THON a little late in my college career, and felt that I could have done more,” Patrick says. “The summer after graduation, a few friends and I started a fundraiser down the shore in Avalon, NJ called 'War on the Shore.'”

War on the Shore, which supports The Four Diamonds Fund, just held its 10th annual event—and has successfully raised over $250,000 since 2004.

Uniting around the common goal of building a strong philanthropic network in support of cancer research and care, Vice President Erik T. Christian, Secretary James D. Krugh, and Treasurer Corey M. Talone, started the Elpis Foundation.

The foundation was named after the Greek goddess of hope who was the last deity to be released from Pandora’s Box. Elpis personifies the promise of a world without despair.

And that is the Elpis Foundation’s intention: to build a community that inspires hope, raises awareness, and offers unwavering emotional and financial support for cancer research, treatments, and care.

“War on the Shore expanded into other events, golf outings and bowling tournaments that support different cancer research,” Patrick says. “This isn’t our day job—we keep Elpis going in our free time, and are motivated by our shared vision of a world without cancer.”

One Father’s Fight Inspires a New Era of Hope

In September 2011, Patrick’s connection to cancer became even more personal. His father, Joseph F. McNichol, was diagnosed with Stage IV, non-small cell lung cancer— sadly losing his battle only a year later, in July 2012.

“Lung cancer is incredibly hard to detect and diagnosis often comes too late. It kills more people than breast, prostate, and colon cancers combined yet continues to be one of the lowest funded forms of cancer, in terms of research and treatment,” Patrick explains.

“There is such a negative stigma as well, that people deserve [their condition], when some of the worst lung cancers are not caused by tobacco use.”

The Elpis Foundation wants to change that. In February 2013, they held their inaugural JFM Memorial Gala to honor his father’s life, share the treatment he received at Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania by Charles B. Simone II, MD and to inspire hope.

The Elpis Foundation pledged $200,000 to the Abramson Cancer Center, establishing the Joseph F. McNichol (JFM) Lung Cancer Research Fund to support the advancement of lung cancer research and awareness through Penn’s Interdisciplinary Thoracic Oncology Program, specifically as it relates to early detection and screening, treatment, and advances in radiation oncology.

Why Penn Medicine

Penn Medicine’s Thoracic Oncology Program is one of the few centers in the world that can offer a full spectrum of personalized treatment options, that aren’t available everywhere else.

“We are at the cutting edge of technology for radiation therapy, revolutionary discoveries in the lab, translational research in the clinic, surgical options, and have world-class pulmonologists,” says Dr. Simone, assistant professor of radiation oncology who specializes in lung cancer, mesothelioma, and other thoracic malignancies. "We [have the unique ability] to handle encompassing expertise across the care modalities.”

Early detection is critical, and to this end, the JFM Fund supports research of circulating tumor cells (CTCs). These cells shed from primary tumors or their metastases that circulate in the bloodstream. Inside these CTCs are information researchers at the Abramson Cancer Center believe could be a lynchpin to a better understanding of cancer diagnosis, metastases, and recurrence.

Unlocking the potential within CTCs also opens up the possibility for a “liquid biopsy,” a non-invasive blood test that will provide live information about the patient’s disease status, and a roadmap to personalized, targeted cancer therapies.

“Beyond the amazing, compassionate care my father received at the Abramson Cancer Center, the more we learned about the disease during his treatment, the more we knew this was the place for the Elpis Foundation to direct much needed resources to lung cancer research and care,” says Patrick.