“Let the good times roll!” at Feist-Weiller Cancer center event

Life Savers, the annual fundraiser for Feist- Weiller Cancer Center, will be held on Saturday, Nov. 2. This year marks the 22nd anniversary of Life Savers, and there will be new and meaningful elements featured throughout the event. The event will be casual with the theme of the evening being “Louisiana Saturday Night.”

Life Savers has moved to the CenturyLink Center in Bossier City this year after years of being held at Sam’s Town Casino (which was unavailable on the desired date) and is taking on a cause beyond cancer research – to honor the late Anne Higdon.

Anne, who was beloved by many in our community, served as the director of development for Feist-Weiller Cancer Center for 20 years and raised more than $10 million in donations for cancer patient care, education and research. Anne planned the first Life Savers and was instrumental in developing it into the successful event it is today. She remained dedicated to supporting the gala, attending the 2018 Life Savers event just weeks before she passed away on Oct. 29 after a battle with lung cancer.

For those who knew Anne, this year’s theme of “Louisiana Saturday Night” could not be more perfect as Anne loved spending her Saturdays attending LSU football games, enjoying good music and cooking Louisiana food, all while in the great company of her friends and family. She definitely knew how to love life, and it loved her back.

When Anne was diagnosed with late-stage lung cancer, many inquired if she would go to a large cancer center like MD Anderson in Houston, she was quick to reply with, “Absolutely not. I am going to be treated at Feist-Weiller, where I have seen miracles occur, and I intend to be the next one.”

While Anne did not receive the miracle she might have originally envisioned, she realized and shared before her death that she did indeed get her miracle as she had so many good days between her diagnosis and death, and she definitely strengthened her reputation as a fierce ambassador for Feist-Weiller Cancer Center throughout her treatment. She found joy in being treated in her place of employment by those she cared for deeply and who felt the same for her, and by having her friends and family close around her during the good and not-so-good days.

The 22nd annual Life Savers gala, as Anne did, will deliver a fun time while brightening the future of our community’s health. Attendees are encouraged to wear their school or team jersey, or in whatever casual attire they are most comfortable.

Musical entertainment will be provided by Creedence Revived, the world premier CCR tribute band, and musical duo The Lovers, featuring Amanda June and Cole Vosbury. You might recognize Cole from Season 5 of NBC’s “The Voice,” where he was a Top Four finalist.

The food will not disappoint with famous Louisiana culinary favorites featured on the menu, including alligator bites, meat pies, fried green tomatoes topped with crawfish étouffée, bread pudding and much more from Chef Monday Thomas.

The Life Savers silent auction has an array of items for attendees to bid on, from artwork to sporting experiences to gourmet dinners to weekend getaways, and will help increase funds raised during the evening. The event will also feature an open bar and complimentary valet parking. Life Savers is hosted this year by past event chairs.

Research is a significant aspect of Feist- Weiller’s mission. In addition to providing first-class cancer care and cancer education, clinical physicians can collaborate with scientific researchers to study the causes of cancer, as well as treatments and prevention methods. One way Feist-Weiller supports cancer research efforts is through the Idea Grant Program, which supports researchers to continue developing their research projects, has been fully funded with proceeds raised at the annual Life Savers gala.

Since 1998, more than $1.5 million has been awarded to Feist-Weiller researchers who have gone on to leverage their Idea Grants into more than $14.3 million in additional external funding from sources such as the National Institutes of Health.

While Feist-Weiller Cancer Center and the adjacent St. Jude Affiliate Clinic are filled with well-educated, experienced and accomplished physicians, many note the “spirit of caring” and those who “go the extra mile” as what they remember most from their time of being treated at Feist-Weiller. From the Arts in Medicine program to the Bakowski Center for

Education, where patients can become better informed about their disease and treatment options, to the “Smoothie Cookbook,” created by Feist-Weiller nurse and patient Sue Crowe when nothing sounded good to eat during her treatments, along with the numerous support groups offered to patients, Feist-Weiller Cancer Center feels more like a family than a healthcare provider.

In addition to research and finding the best ways to treat cancer patients, Feist-Weiller Cancer Center trains the next generation of doctors in its hematology/oncology fellowship program, one of the largest training programs in the southeast United States. It is larger than other programs in Louisiana with many graduates of the program remaining in the state, and not just in Shreveport. Several practice in New Orleans, Alexandria, Monroe, Lafayette, Thibodaux and rural areas.

Important research efforts relating to the causes and treatment of cancer are happening right here in Shreveport. With the community’s support of Feist-Weiller Cancer Center and the Life Savers annual fundraiser, these research efforts and more can continue to impact cancer prevention and treatment for the next 22 years and beyond.

HOW TO ATTEND:

The 22nd annual Life Savers will be Saturday, Nov. 2, at the CenturyLink Center in Bossier City. Doors open at 6 p.m., and dinner will begin at 7 p.m. Individual tickets are $125 per person, and table sponsorships start at $2,500. All sponsorships include VIP tickets for the sponsor dinner, recognition on the Life Saver’s event webpage, Feist- Weiller’s Facebook page, sponsor banners at the event, and in a thank-you ad following the event.

For more information, visit www.lsuhsfoundation.org/lifesavers19, or contact Krista Gaston at (318) 813-1423 or kgaston@lsuhsfoundation.org.