When our daughter Cherie was diagnosed with Stage IV Glioblastoma Multiforme or GBM Cancer in 2009, we were privileged to have one of the world’s leading neurosurgeons, Dr. Kevin Lillehei at Colorado’s Anschutz Medical Campus as her doctor. Dr. Lillehei’s research interests revolve around the treatment of malignant gliomas, which are a type of cancerous tumor that occurs in the brain and spinal cord. In particular, he and his team have studied and explored the role of the body’s immune system and the use of various tumor vaccines as adjuvant therapy for the treatment on brain cancers.
Dr. Lillehei has pursued this hopeful approach because the Gold Standard Treatment of radiation / burning and chemotherapy / poisoning continues to fail his GBM patients. Despite the bold efforts of his team in advancing immunotherapy as a new treatment, they are losing the “war.” As the “commanding general,” Dr. Lillehei simply doesn’t have the “military force” or effective “treatment weapons” to compel the enemy cancer to fulfill his will. Those not on the “front lines” may easily imagine there is a skillful method of disarming and overcoming cancer without a total onslaught. It is a grievous error, which must be extirpated.
The only way to win this War moving forward is to advocate and adopt a U.S. military-style operation to disarm all cancer killers. The campaign must embrace “Rosh Gadol,” which is a Hebrew expression literally meaning “Big Head.” It doesn’t reference a large ego; rather it highlights an outside-the-box mindset to problem solving. The “Start-Up Nation” of Israel embraces “Rosh Gadol” – from its Israeli Defense Force to its Medical Research Industrialists. The results are undeniable.
In the field of medicine, Israel leads the world in patents for medical equipment. Israeli scientific research institutions also are ranked third in the world; and Israel has the third highest rate of entrepreneurship among women in the world. And the Jewish State, per capital, has produced more scientific papers, attracted the most venture capital investment, won more Noble Prizes, and has one of the highest rates of patents filed.
Dr. Lillehei and his team chose to partner with Israeli Immunotherapy Pioneers a decade ago on a breakthrough treatment for GBM. He selected a very brave, young woman from Colorado to be the first recipient for the treatment. Our daughter Cherie was a tough “Military Brat;” and had the strong support of her loving family and friends. While Dr. Lillehei’s team in Colorado and Israeli partners aggressively developed and advocated for the approval of the Medical Protocol and start of the Clinical Trial, the U.S. Federal Government put up repeated roadblocks. HHS, FDA, the U.S. Congress, and the Administration at the time did not grant us the “Right to Try.”
There is no question that the delay of treatment, prompted by Washington D.C.’s pushback and supported by the legacy Pharmaceutical Establishment, adversely impacted Cherie’s health and thwarted any promise for a successful treatment. Without another hopeful option, we ventured overseas to Thailand to receive the immunotherapy treatment, which was spearheaded by our Israeli doctors and expeditiously granted by government authorities in Bangkok. While the treatment results were promising, the tumor burden proved too severe. Cherie was a courageous pioneer and her inspirational crusade and the important lessons learned are brilliantly penned by LA Story Studio in a screenplay titled, “Angel Fire.” We are promoting it as a feature film to educate, inspire, and frankly anger moviegoers to demand an urgent campaign to find a successful treatment for cancer.
Of course, some strides have been made in recent years in certain cancer treatments, such as using a rapidly emerging immunotherapy approach called Adoptive Cell Transfer (ACT). It is collecting and using the patients’ own immune cells to treat their cancer. Thus far, the ACT that has advanced the furthest in clinical development is called CAR T-cell therapy. But, it has been restricted to small clinical trials; and none have targeted GBMs.
Another optimistic note is Americans stricken with terminal illness are now able to have access to some experimental treatments in the United States versus having to go overseas thanks to “Right to Try” Federal Legislation. It was signed into law by President Trump in 2018 and is an incredible achievement. “Right to Try” has been lauded by millions of Americans and was championed by the Goldwater Institute, a public policy group that defends liberty and freedom. However, even these experimental treatments must get past the arduous Phase One testing of a clinical trial.
Moreover, the FDA drug approval process can still take up to 15 years. So potentially life-saving treatments that are already available overseas remain beyond the reach of patients here in the United States. And because most Americans cannot afford to seek treatment abroad… many are left without hope. Our grand “Rosh Gadol” strategy includes pushing for more Phase One Trials, more talent to administer the trials, and many more trial slots need to become available for patients. In other words, more “bandwidth” or capacity is needed to deal with the situation.
While President Trump and his Administration have been most successful in U.S. history in reducing burdensome regulations, Medical Healthcare Entrepreneurs in the U.S. Public and Private Sectors remain under the chains of bureaucracy, stopping them from pursuing novel treatments to eradicate deadly diseases, even when following careful protocols. Alarmingly, the risk-averse worldview that has existed for decades in the U.S. Federal Government’s Healthcare Oversight and Regulatory Agencies, such as the National Institutes of Health, still exists. These agencies must all be overhauled, which in some cases means relocating their functions outside the National Capital Region.
The virtue of our future Medical Army – both “generals and their troops” — must not only have genius, but also superiority in numbers, bravery, boldness, and perseverance. With those provisions in mind, we robustly endorse that the United States establish an exclusive “compact” with its staunch, entrepreneurial ally Israel to join forces to urgently solve the leading cause of death, second only to heart disease, cancer. It could not be a more opportune time because America and Israel enjoy their best relationship since the Jewish State’s Declaration of Independence in 1948. We owe the “Rosh Gadol” Campaign to our fellow citizens and future generations.
Written by: Stephen L. Lanning (Brigadier General, retired), Cherie’s Father
