IN BRIAN'S SPIRIT

Brian J. Monaghan, brother, son, husband and father of 5. He passed away at age 34 from LMS, Leiomyosarcoma and Condrosarcoma, two very rare cancers. And in memory of him we announce:

BRIAN J. MONAGHAN MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP FUND
Philadelphia Paper & Cordage Association
(Fed Tax Non-Profit # 232860121)


"IN BRIAN'S SPIRIT" RAISED MONEY FOR SARCOMA RESEARCH AT PENNSYLVANIA HOSPITAL

The First Annual Brian J. Monaghan Social was held recently at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Glenside, PA. Brian Monaghan had a zest for living life to the fullest but lost his battle last year with Chondrosarcoma, an aggressive form of sarcoma (cancer of the bone).

His wife, Colleen, and a committee of family members and friends are actively involved in raising funds for sarcoma research at Pennsylvania Hospital. Pennsylvania Hospital is one of a few hospitals in the United States that is doing sarcoma research with the GeneChipTM Microarray (known as a "chip reader"), a groundbreaking new molecular tool for studying genes and their functions. The chip reader enables research scientists to probe samples of DNA for alterations in the normal gene sequence, as cancers are the result of these alterations, i.e. gene mutations.

The "In Brian's Spirit" Committee's goal is to become a 501(c)(3), a non-profit organization that can receive donations to support its cause. For the 1st Annual Social, the "In Brian's Spirit" group linked with the Eric Altmann Charitable Trust to receive their donations and forward them to the Joan Karnell Cancer Center at Pennsylvania Hospital to support sarcoma research. Eric Altmann lost his six-year battle with Chondrosarcoma in 2001. Profits from future events for "In Brian's Spirit" will be allocated to different non-profit organizations.

A Monte Carlo style Beef & Beer was the theme for the First Annual Brian J. Monaghan Social and it was a huge success raising $8,600 for sarcoma research. The purchase of a ticket included dinner, beverages and gambling vouchers. At the end of the evening, all winning vouchers were converted into raffle tickets to give the ticket holders a chance to win beautiful prizes.

There were nearly 400 people who supported this event and enjoyed the music of the Don Jones Band and acoustic guitarist, Bob Shetzline, in addition to a brief program. Megan Harkins, Colleen Monaghan's sister, spoke first of Brian and his zest for life and then Mrs. Eric Altmann spoke of her efforts in starting a charitable trust to enable her to raise funds to support sarcoma research. The final speaker was Dr. Anne-Marie Martin who runs the chip reader research project at Pennsylvania Hospital.

If you are interested in additional information on sarcoma research, please contact Marylou Osterman at 215-829-6466 or if you are interesting in helping or would like to get on the mailing list for future events please e-mail Megan Harkins at buca14@comcast.net. The next "In Brian's Spirit" event is a Golf Outing on July 14th at Talamore Country Club. Click here for details.