MAN OF YEAR GETS COURAGE FROM KIDS.Byline: DENNIS McCARTHY Dennis McCarthy may refer to:
When you make a promise this important, you don't dare break it, Spencer Shiffman said. You thank the man upstairs for the extra time, then you go out and work your tail off to make that promise come true. And one night in June 2003 - six years after the doctors said you'd be dead from the three types of cancer attacking your body - you're standing in a ballroom instead, being feted by the City of Hope Medical Center as its Man of the Year. Receiving the Spirit of Life Award, and being called a man of courage and inspiration by people like former California Gov. Gray Davis, U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer Barbara Levy Boxer (born November 11, 1940) is an American politician and the current junior U.S. Senator from the State of California. A member of the Democratic Party, Boxer was first elected to the U.S. , Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. Mayor James Hahn For the Iowa politician, see . James Kenneth "Jim" Hahn (born July 3, 1950) is an American politician from the Democratic Party. He was the Deputy City Attorney (1975-1979), City Controller (1981-1985), City Attorney (1985-2001) and Mayor of Los Angeles, California , and a host of local Congress members, who recognized your work raising money for the National Childhood Cancer Foundation. But the accolades that mean the most come from your own mother, and other mothers like Kathleen Balaschak, whose 12-year-old son, Cody, is battling cancer right now. Battling the disease the way you were back when you sat with your own mother in the waiting room of a Houston medical office, where a doctor was providing experimental treatments to kids from all over the world suffering from brain cancer. You weren't a kid anymore, but that didn't matter. You had run out of options. After five life-threatening operations, and seven different forms of chemotherapy that didn't work, you were looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. a miracle. It didn't happen. But it didn't matter anymore because you came to realize there was another reason you were sitting in that waiting room. You had some kids you had to see. Then, you had a promise to make. ``I was there as a last resort,'' said Shiffman, who was diagnosed with testicular cancer testicular cancer Malignant tumour of the testis, or testicle. Although relatively rare, testicular cancer is the most common malignancy for men between the ages of 20 and 34. It typically affects men between 15 and 39 years old. 17 years ago at age 24, just weeks after finishing the New York City Marathon The New York City Marathon is an annual marathon foot-race run over a 42,195 m (26.2 mile) course through all five boroughs of New York City. It is the largest marathon race in the world, and with 37,866 finishers in 2006, was also the largest marathon race ever run. . ``Every six weeks, I'd fly into Houston accompanied by my backbone - my mom - and sit in that waiting room watching kids with deformed de·formed adj. Distorted in form. heads from the brain cancer come in with their mothers. ``It broke my heart,'' the Calabasas man said. One day in that waiting room, her son leaned in close to her and made his promise, Diane Sharlin said. ``The room was literally wall-to-wall with cancer children, and their parents were so desperate,'' she said. ``Spencer looked at me and said, 'Mom, if I live through this, I'm devoting the rest of my life to fighting for these kids.''' Diane took her son's hand, and for the first time in a long time put a real smile on her face, not a brave one. For years, she had been pleading with her son not to give up - not to listen to the doctors who had tried everything and said it was futile. ``These kids gave Spencer the courage to keep going,'' she said Monday. ``They made him realize this couldn't be the end because he had so many important things left to do.'' Liz Shotwell, a development specialist for the National Childhood Cancer Foundation, said Monday that more than 40,000 children with cancer are currently being treated through her foundation that works in conjunction with the City of Hope and 200 other hospitals nationally. ``Spencer has been the most positive and amazing a·maze v. a·mazed, a·maz·ing, a·maz·es v.tr. 1. To affect with great wonder; astonish. See Synonyms at surprise. 2. Obsolete To bewilder; perplex. v.intr. inspiration for us,'' she said. ``He's done an incredible job of getting the word out, and raising funds. Last year, his charity golf tournament raised over $100,000 for cancer research.'' In August, Balaschak's son Cody will being honored at Shiffman's charity golf tournament at El Caballero cab·al·le·ro n. pl. cab·al·le·ros 1. A Spanish gentleman; a cavalier. 2. A man who is skilled in riding and managing horses; a horseman. Country Club in Tarzana. ``Spencer's just one of those people who doesn't give up, and that means a lot to these kids,'' she said. ``He knows firsthand first·hand adj. Received from the original source: firsthand information. first what Cody is going through right now, having his cancer come back after being in remission Extinguishment or release of a debt. A remission is conventional when it comes about through an express grant to the debtor by a creditor. It is tacit when the creditor makes a voluntary surrender of the original title to the debtor under private signature constituting the . ``He's just a wonderful person to be fighting for our kids like this.'' Not a wonderful person, Spencer said. Just a guy with cancer who was supposed to be gone by now. Getting some extra time from the man upstairs to fulfill a very important promise. Dennis McCarthy, (818) 713-3749 dennis.mccarthy(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Spencer Shiffman of Calabasas has been named Man of the Year by the City of Hope Medical Center. Hans Gutknecht/Staff Photographer |
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