Living Proof

Hi everyone!

I just wanted to let everyone know that the Lifetime television network will be airing a special made-for-TV movie this Saturday night at 9pm called Living Proof. This movie tells the story of Dr. Dennis Slamon and his work in the development of the cancer drug Herceptin. The detailed description from the Lifetime website explains it best:

The Lifetime Original Movie “Living Proof” is based on the book Her-2, by NBC News’ Chief Health and Science Correspondent Robert Bazell, about UCLA oncologist and researcher Dr. Dennis Slamon, and how the promising breast cancer drug Herceptin was born. Beginning in 1988, Dr. Slamon’s inspiring story shows the sacrifices he makes in his personal life and the obstacles that he faces to get the drug approved.

Dr. Slamon was convinced he had developed a potentially revolutionary drug, Herceptin, that could turn off cancer cells for women who have tumors that are Her-2+ (Human Epidermal growth factor Receptor 2–positive), without debilitating side effects caused by chemotherapy and radiation. With the help of Ronald Perelman, Lilly Tartikoff and the extended Revlon family, funds were raised to further his research.

While encountering red tape, Dr. Slamon loses some of the heroic women with advanced breast cancer who volunteered for the clinical trials. Relentless, he remains committed to the testing of Herceptin to help change the course of breast cancer treatment. In 1998 the FDA finally approves the treatment for the general population, which changes the lives of countless women and their families.

I am particularly interested in this movie because Herceptin is the drug that saved my Mom's life. Herceptin was the cornerstone of my Mom's treatments and without it, her journey would have been very different. Thankfully, Dr. Slamon and his colleagues persevered in their work. and Herceptin was approved for the treatment of non-metastatic HER2/Neu - positive breast cancer in 2006, less than a year before Mom began her treatments. I cannot wait to watch this movie and learn more about the behind-the-scenes efforts that led to the development of Mom's wonder drug.

If you are interested in checking out Living Proof, it will be airing on Lifetime at 9pm on Saturday night, October 18th. The movie will encore on Sunday night at 8pm and again on Monday at 9pm.