A tribute to John Fish.

We are very saddened to tell you that CareToLive member John Fish passed away from prostate cancer on Tuesday, December 18, 2007, without ever having the benefit of receiving provenge, the immunotherapy which he so desperately wanted. He was so hopeful that he would be able to get it 7 months ago, when it came before the FDA Advisory Committee of experts who voted it unanimously safe and 13 to 4 substantial evidence of efficacy (2 of the naysayers who “leaked” letters may be called before a Congressional Hearing – read on). Instead the FDA delayed approval, claiming they needed more data. Over 10 years of trials showing survival benefits, were not enough for them, despite the fact that 30,000 American men with PC are out of options, and the treatment has almost no side effects or safety issues. The chicanery going on at the FDA knows no bounds.

We can never thank John enough for all his efforts to right the wrongs in the FDA delay of Provenge. John was one of the lead Plaintiffs in our unprecedented, ongoing, CareToLive lawsuit filed by our attorney Kerry Donahue against the FDA, unfortunately under appeal, but not in time to help John. It was dismissed under a Catch 22, whereby the Court refused to hear the case concerning the delay of Provenge due to the fact that is was not denied, only delayed, so far for 7 months and what could be forever. Tell John that it is still pending. A lot of good that does him. For all intents and purposes Provenge is dead, until the FDA Commissioner Andrew Von Eschenbach decides whether to approve, delay or not approve, depending on whatever baloney is being dished out over at the FDA that day. He bypassed an overwhelmingly positive FDA panel vote and opted to delay. (Don’t get me started on “leaking” letters, FDA corruption and junk science).

CTL member Mike Bauman has treated us to a description of John’s memorial service.

“I just returned from John’s memorial service and the church was packed. There were tears but also a lot of good times remembered and stories told about his “glass half full” approach to life. He never stopped learning and working to help others. His son related a two hour discussion they had a few weeks ago where John gave him a few instructions to reveal once he had passed away. The first on the list was “To keep fighting for approval of Provenge even if it takes another two years to achieve. Never take your foot off the gas pedal in your efforts to help the men who need it.” I was pretty surprised to hear this at the service but it became clear from all who spoke that his efforts with the Man to Man group was his top priority and driving force in his life in the few years he had left and he came to work tirelessly for ways to help those suffering from prostate cancer. He knew that Provenge was a break through treatment which could allow many with prostate cancer to live out their lives rather than have them cut short.

All those at CTL (CareToLive), ARTL (A Right To Live) and all others who have worked for Provenge approval should be very proud of your efforts. John certainly was. Although he is no longer with us in body I am certain he is in spirit. You may sense that you have a new guardian angel helping your efforts. His name is John Fish”.

Here is the link to a John Fish Obituary telling about what a selfless man he was
John Fish, founder of cancer support group dies “Mr. Fish was first diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1999. He formed the Hudson Man to Man and Spouse to Spouse group in 2000 as a way to help men diagnosed with prostate cancer.”
Throughout the years, he was involved in facilitating and leading the Hudson Man to Man group. The group, which averages 150 members, has grown to include meetings in Akron, Green and Medina.

“His impact, in one word, was tremendous,” said Mike Bauman, a member of the Man-to-Man group. “He had a huge impact on the men and their families who were dealing with prostate cancer.

Bauman said Mr. Fish became the group’s expert on prostate cancer and its treatments and advocated for the release of two medicines to treat prostate cancer called Satraplatin and Provenge, which were denied by the federal Food and Drug Administration.

In August, Mr. Fish planned a trip to Washington, D.C., to petition lawmakers to release the drugs to men like himself — men who had no other option left to treat their advanced stage prostate cancer.

“I was hoping that Provenge would be available for me and men like me — men who have no other option,” Mr. Fish said in an August interview with the Hub-Times. “New clinical trials take two to three years, and every year, 30,000 American men die from prostate cancer. I suspect that unless the drug is released, I might be one of the 30,000.”

He was unable to make the trip to Washington, D.C., planned for Sept. 19. He was recovering from a stay in the hospital.”

Our thoughts and prayers go out to John and his family. I urge you to read his complete obit and to join with us in helping to fulfill John’s legacy of getting Provenge NOW to the men who need it NOW!

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Here are some ways you can help us make history and honor John at the same time.

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Congressmen Mike Michaud of Maine, Dan Burton of Indiana, and Tim Ryan of Ohio are calling for a congressional hearing into what happened. We must continue to be vigilant and to contact our representatives in the Congress to keep the pressure on, and to demand a congressional hearing.

CONGRESSIONAL LETTER ASKING FOR A HEARING  PDF (click here) Please fax this letter to your own congressional representatives and ask them to join this action. TIA

An Easy Way To Contact Your Elected Officials - (click here) EVERY VOICE COUNTS!

This link will take you right to a page to send a form to the committee

Here are the members of the Congressional subcommittee that would take up the investigation and institute a hearing. Please let them know that you want to get to the bottom of what went terribly wrong with the Provenge approval process. What about the conflicted naysayers and the “leakers”? What about the 18,000 men who have died since approval was delayed? You may also use this link to contact Frank Pallone, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Health also in charge of implementing hearings on the Provenge debacle. You may also fax them at 202-225-2525. Thanks.
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Petition for the FDA to Reconsider the Failure to Approve Provenge (link)
Please tell the FDA what you really think about the delay of Provenge
Please Post Comments to Above Petition for FDA Reconsideration of Provenge (click link)
Post any thoughts in support, or comments plus any attachments you would like to include that might help our cause. You may also mail a copy to: Lyle D. Jaffe, Division of Dockets Management, Food and Drug Administration, 5630 Fishers Lane, Room 1061 (HFA-305), Rockville, MD, 20852

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Tags: Andrew Von Eschenbach, Care To Live, CareToLive, congressional hearing, FDA, FDA Advisory Committee, Immunotherapy, John Fish, Kerry Donahue, Marilyn Fish, Prostate Cancer, provenge

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 26th, 2007 at 10:44 am and is filed under The Cause. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.