Jerry - I thank you and others who have expressed similar kind words and sentiments on the boards re my efforts. But they are largely misplaced. This has been a rough week. I lost two more friends to SCC this week. It has been 6 years of undiverted time and money, mostly 7 days a week - lectures at scientific symposiums from the World Health Organization international meeting to the International Academy of Dental Research, TV appearances, countless newspaper article interviews. I have spent my time networking inside the NIH and on the Oral Cancer Work Group at the CDC, to name just a couple forums, year after year trying to convince those in power to create change. Guest editorials in dental journals, and testifying at congressional appropriations committees attempting to call others in positions of power to action or provide the public funding that would stem the tide of deaths. The message and the mission are the same- it will work, and our science advisors agree; early detection saves lives. But I am not saving them. For all the avenues that I try, I cannot even put my finger in the dike to slow the flow. An 11% increase in incidence rate since I started, and a proportional likely increase in the death rate. I appreciate the thanks, but it would seem that for all that is being done, more needs to be done, and the funding and manpower to do it in force never seems to be there - though the direction and possibilities are well defined that will make a difference.

The people that participate in this board, and support each other with quality information at least ease the burdens of those that come to OCF are the people deserving of real thanks. They post here or extend themselves in spreading the word outside the realm of the world of the web, such as at the NYU event, offering themselves freely in service to others. People who make a difference one person at a time. After all this, I can only take a small amount of credit for creating a place for that to occur, and the rest of you here have done the heavy lifting. It would seem I cannot even help my closest friends. When you go to NY, I hope that you will infect those young