A V Foundation SPORE Clinical Trial Supplement Grant Awarded To The University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute

See you later cancergator!!

Emily Miner is cancer free! Emily Miner gave up smoking at age 6. "I was on a camping trip with my cousins," the 39-year-old Californian recalls. As the family sat around the campfire, her uncle lit a cigar. Intrigued by the sharp scent of the smoke, Emily persuaded him to let her try it. "I took a huge puff and turned green," she says. "That was it for me."

Thirty years later, Emily was a picture of healthy living: She ran a family winery in Napa Valley with her husband, Dave, had two young daughters, and was training for a half-marathon. So the discovery that a deadly disease was ravaging her was nothing short of shocking.

It started out as back pain, a recurring twinge. When in mid January 2008, an MRI showed a tumor on her spine and spots on her lungs, Emily and her oncologist assumed it must be breast cancer that had spread, a diagnosis not unknown in young, healthy women. No one was prepared for the biopsy result, which showed that these were actually symptoms of Stage IV lung cancer. It had metastasized to her spine. In August 2009, Emily Miner bravely took the stage at the V Foundation Wine Celebration and was awarded as the Vintners Grant Recipient. In a touching, heartfelt moment, Emily spoke to the guests and expressed gratitude for their support of lung cancer research in her honor. As a tribute, guests donated over $700,000 to the Fund-A-Need during the auction. The grant will be made in Emily’s name, who was recently featured as the “New Face of Cancer” in Women’s Health magazine. By November of 2009, doctors were able to shrink the cancer into one lobe of her lung and successfully remove all of the cancer and lymph nodes at USCF. In January 2010, Emily Miner awaited her PET scan results ...

” he informed me that the report stated that the scan was "ESSENTIALLY NEGATIVE" meaning there was NOTHING there. Zero, zip, zilch, nada! Woo hoo! Even though I knew it in my gut, there is nothing like getting confirmation. So I guess that now really officially means I am cancer free!. “I still can't believe that there is no tumor in my body anymore. It is very surreal to me and I'm not sure that I have processed it yet. “I am forever thankful for all of the love and support you have all shown to me and my family. I know we could not have made it this far without all of you.”