October 6, 2006

Miles for Myeloma: IU Doctor Running and Cycling from Indy to South Bend

INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana University Cancer Center physician Rafat Abonour is going the extra mile to support his patients – in fact he is going one hundred forty miles on foot and bicycle. His goal is to raise at least $140,000 -- one thousand dollars for every mile he covers.

On Oct. 14 and 15, IU Cancer Center oncologist and researcher Rafat Abonour, M.D., who is an avid amateur marathon runner, will run and cycle the 140 miles between Indianapolis and South Bend, with side trips to Logansport and Rochester, to raise awareness and funding to study multiple myeloma, a rare blood cancer.

The second annual running of Miles for Myeloma has been organized by a group of Dr. Abonour’s patients and their family members, grateful for the care he has provided for their rare disease and hopeful that funding generated through this event will lead to new scientific discoveries and better treatments for multiple myeloma.

Multiple myeloma is an incurable but treatable blood cancer. It has afflicted several well-known individuals, including politician Geraldine Ferraro, columnist Ann Landers and actor Roy Scheider. More than 17,000 Americans are diagnosed with this disease each year. It affects slightly more men than women, and African Americans and Native Pacific Islanders have the highest reported incidence of the disease.

Last year, in the first Miles for Myeloma, Dr. Abonour ran and cycled 120 miles from Indianapolis to Fort Wayne raising $125,000 for myeloma research at the IU Cancer Center.

This year, friends and supporters will send off Dr. Abonour at approximately 9 a.m. from IU Medical Group’s Carmel outpatient facility at 103 Street between Illinois and Meridian streets, just north of Indianapolis. He will run north on US 31 through Westfield to the south side of Kokomo. He hopes to arrive around 4 p.m., concluding the first day at Crossroads Community Church at the corner of Highway 26 and US 31.

Sunday, Oct. 15, starting at approximately 8:30 a.m., Dr. Abonour will bike from the north side of Kokomo on U.S. 31 to Highway 35 to Logansport, and then Highway 25 to Rochester. After lunch, provided by supporters at Grace United Methodist Church in Rochester, he will return to U.S. 31 and cycle the final leg to South Bend.

Dr. Abonour’s run/cycle will conclude at Memorial Hospital of South Bend’s Leighton Center for Senior Health, 534 North Michigan Street, where Memorial Hospital is sponsoring a finish line celebration.

The Indiana University Cancer Center is a National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center. Dr. Abonour is associate dean for clinical research at the IU School of Medicine.

Celgene is the lead sponsor of Miles for Myeloma. Other sponsors are Clarian Health (IU Cancer Center); IU Medical Group; Michiana Hematology-Oncology, PC; Millennium Pharmaceuticals; Morris Apparel, Inc.; South Bend Memorial Hospital and the Steve Watson Family. Gifts in kind have been contributed by Family RV, Hubbard and Cravens and Kroger.

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Media Contacts:

Cindy Fox Aisen
(317) 274-7722
caisen@iupui.edu

Pamela Su Perry
(317) 274-7722
(317) 695-2299 (cell)
pperry@iupui.edu