Dignitaries Come Together to Honor Participants in the Team Sarcoma ...( Ambassadors ...),Health

Ambassadors from Lithuania, Mexico, and New Zealand gathered with physicians and government representatives on July 24 in Washington, DC, to honor people dealing with sarcoma, a rare and dangerous cancer. The reception was a part of the global Team Sarcoma Initiative (TSI), a growing movement that involved more than 14,000 people in 14 countries last week.

Washington, DC (PRWEB) July 31, 2009 --Ambassadors from Lithuania, Mexico, and New Zealand gathered with physicians and government representatives on July 24 in Washington, DC, to honor people dealing with sarcoma, a rare and dangerous cancer. The reception was a part of the global Team Sarcoma Initiative (TSI), a growing movement that involved more than 14,000 people in 14 countries last week.

Ambassador Roy Ferguson of New Zealand expressed appreciation for the grass-roots effort: "When I heard that this sarcoma awareness week started in 2003 with 7 people in Louisiana, and this year will have 12,000 people in [14 countries, that's an amazing example of success. And I think it reflects the fact that this terrible disease knows no boundaries. And it really reflects a common humanity: it doesn't matter whether you live in the United States, New Zealand, Mexico or wherever you live, any of us could be subject to this disease."

Sarcoma is a cancer of the connective tissues, such as nerves, muscles and bones. Sarcomas account for 15-20% of childhood cancer diagnoses and about 1% of adult cancer diagnoses. They are often misdiagnosed and resistant to current treatments. Though sarcomas are rare, they affect hundreds of thousands of people worldwide.

Patients, survivors and families at the event traveled from 10 countries and arrived in DC after cycling and touring 184 miles from Cumberland,
'/>"/>