Earlier this year, Gilda’s Club Desert Cities became CancerPartners, the new name chosen to clearly identify the non-profit’s mission of serving all those impacted by cancer. On November 4, CancerPartners will hold its first major fundraiser, the Passions Ball, to inaugurate two annual awards to recognize local cancer heroes.
The Lifetime Passion Award was created to honor outstanding philanthropists who have devoted much of their life’s efforts to supporting the cancer cause, while the Partner in Passion Award honors strong allies in the field of medicine; physicians who go beyond the call of duty to serve cancer patients. Two extraordinary women—both themselves breast cancer survivors—are the first recipients.
Annette Bloch — 2017 Lifetime Passion Honoree
It would be hard to live in the Coachella Valley without being aware of the extraordinary philanthropy of Annette Bloch. Her generosity extends to many causes and worthy organizations, including the Palm Springs Art Museum and Desert AIDS Project.
But her greatest passion is helping those with cancer, something she has been doing since 1980, when she and her late husband Richard Bloch formed the R.A. Bloch Foundation after he was diagnosed and treated for lung cancer. Their aim was to help people with cancer to navigate emotionally and physically through their treatment and recovery, at no cost to them, while giving them hope. They also opened 27 Cancer Survivors Parks across the country, including one in Rancho Mirage.
Annette first visited what was then Gilda’s Club Desert Cities in 2011, and recognized immediately how complementary its mission was to that of her foundation. From then on, she lent support in many ways, including serving as the first Honorary Chair of Gilda’s Gift of Giving and contributing to the capital campaign for the renovation of the headquarters facility in Palm Desert. Thanks to her generous philanthropy, cancer patients not just throughout the Coachella Valley, but the entire nation, have found the support and hope they need.
Janet K. Ihde, MD, FACS — 2017 Partner in Passion Honoree
Dr. Janet Ihde, one of the most highly respected–and caring–surgical oncologists in the Coachella Valley, has been in practice here for more than 20 years, specializing in cancer of the breast, endocrine system and melanoma. Board certified in general surgery and surgical oncology, she serves as Medical Director of Women’s Health at the Comprehensive Cancer Center at Desert Regional Medical Center and chairs a weekly multidisciplinary pre-treatment conference where physicians come together to discuss breast cancer patients’ treatment options.
Dr. Ihde has the distinction of completing a prestigious surgical oncology fellowship at the famed Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. She has also been an Associate Professor and Chief of the Division of Surgical Oncology at Loma Linda University Medical Center.
Dr. Ihde passionately advocates for cancer patients and generously shares her expertise in the community, giving many educational talks to the public as well as to physicians. For the past six years, she has also guided CancerPartners as chair of its Medical Resource Council.
Maria Elena Geyer is President and CEO of CancerPartners, the former Gilda’s Club Desert Cities, located at 73555 Alessandro Drive in Palm Desert. The Passions Ball will take place November 4 at the Westin Mission Hills. For tickets and additional information call (760) 770.5678 or visit www.cancerpartners.org.
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