Jack is a big fan of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). He is an active patient advocate managing a local support group for patients and caregivers interested in his rare blood cancer. He also participates in LLS' First Connection Program and has helped with LLS's Team In Training and Light The Night fundraising campaign recruiting efforts.
In June 2014, he received an LLS Appreciation Award, "Outstanding Commitment and Support of Advocacy and Patient Quality of Life". As a legislative advocate, Jack has participated in LLS' s (MA state) and federal (Washington, DC) programs to help educate lawmakers about policies and new legislation important to blood cancer patients.
Jack has published many OpEd pieces and participated in phone call and letter writing campaigns, and met with many state and federal lawmakers in conjunction with several LLS legislative support programs. As a research advocate, Jack acts as a strong credible voice encouraging federal funding of biomedical research, particularly at NIH. He helps bridge the communications gap between patients and biotech and life science industries by participating in and regularly speaking at industry conferences in the U.S. and Europe. He is active with several leading advocacy organizations including LLS, AACR, ASCO, DIA, NORD, RDLA and others.
Jack was diagnosed with a rare and incurable blood cancer, which research then indicated a five-year outlook for symptomatic patients requiring treatment. He now helps bridge the communications gap between life sciences, medical professionals and patients as a patient advocate, research advocate and legislative advocate.
He encourages all patients to explore novel targeting agents, many of which are now in LLS-funded clinical trials. Jack says, "Using genetic and genomic information to develop new disease-specific targeted therapeutics might be safer and more effective treatment than conventional chemotherapy."
Jack understands the realities of his blood cancer ,as he has repeatedly relapsed and has been refractory to most of the therapies received thus far. However, his goal is repeated periods of progression free survival during which the promise of science and delivery of successful therapeutics will be achieved.