The Cynthia Solomon Holmes Foundation attempts to give voice to an extremely rare and aggressive cancer in an effort to find a cure. This disease is called Leiomyosarcoma (LMS) Cancer. Our mission is to bring local and national attention to the importance of funding research of this rare and aggressive cancer, without a cure. We strive to raise awareness through vigorous and creative fundraising while utilizing every possible media outlet, by reaching out to all families affected and providing personalized assistance to fit their needs. A portion of all proceeds will also be allotted for direct Leiomyosarcoma research organizations which already exist, and are active in the area of clinical and lab research, as well as participation in clinical trials.

We are the friends and family members of Cynthia Solomon Holmes (my mother), who was a healthy 52-year old woman who was stricken with this treacherous disease called Leiomyosarcoma. Cynthia is yet another casualty of another war in which is under-funded, under-manned and under-recognized. We who love her and miss her will not rest until all other sufferers of LMS have a chance to live. My mother's cancer was so aggressive that she passed away three months after diagnosis on July 13, 2010. Watching her suffer and literally become incapacitated before my eyes was more than agonizing. I'm still trying to come to terms with it.

It is an extremely rare and aggressive cancer that occurs in roughly four out of every million cancer cases. Leiomyosarcoma, also called LMS, is an unusual cancer that usually strikes people who are middle-aged or older. However, in recent years we are finding the victims are getting younger. LMS affects the soft tissues of the body. Attaching itself to blood vessels, it spreads through the blood stream, affecting other areas such as the liver, lungs, and other soft tissue areas of the body.
Surgery is the first plan of action for this cancer, due to the resistance it has to chemotherapy and radiation. Frequently, however, many surgeries are needed due to the aggressive nature of the disease. Tumors tend to grow large and fast.There is no cure at the present time for LMS, and remission is difficult to attain. CT scans are needed for the patient's lifetime, because this cancer can resurface any time in any part of the body. Because LMS is so rare, most doctors have never seen it, and most of the public has never even heard of it. There are a handful of specialists in just a few teaching hospitals around the country. As a result, little funding is given to researching this cancer to try and find a cure. Only those of us who have looked this disease in the face know of its power and devastation.

In our lifetime, we have seen breast cancer go from a horrible and cureless disease to a horrible but manageable, mostly curable disease. The only reason this has become so is because the disease was so prevalent, killing our mothers, daughters, sisters, wives and girl friends on such a frequent occasion that a cure was an absolute must. The call was heard by many voices and people from all walks of life gave their time and money to help. Research was funded and a cure was found. Now anyone can passively donate to Breast Cancer research by simply buying a pink pen or a pack of toilet paper that shows a pink ribbon. That is the miracle. Millions of women will now live through the generosity of millions of others who heard their cries. They now have a whole MONTH dedicated to this disease.

The story of Leiomyosarcoma is very different. Our voice is so small that no one can hear it. With only hundreds of people diagnosed, most people have never heard of it. Our mothers, daughters, sisters, wives and girlfriends are dying. So are our fathers, sons, brothers, and husbands. They may be fewer, but the disease is no less vicious and cruel. The tumors grow large and fast and with a long-term survival rate of less than 25% we are desperate to find a cure. Although only hundreds have this cancer, the people who care for these victims are thousands strong. We still need more voices in order to be heard.Without more people to raise awareness and donate money for research, LMS will remain an unheard of cancer, with the only people who know it being the people who die from it, or the ones who cared for someone who did.

Thank you for your consideration and support of The Cynthia Solomon Holmes Foundation and our quest to find better treatment options and a cure. We will keep etched in our hearts, the memories of all those we have lost and those we will lose to this cancer.

Sincerely,
Chandalyn Williams, Executive Director