Moffitt Advocates Travel to Tallahassee to Share Their Stories

The halls of the Florida state Capitol were filled with blue Wednesday as more than 75 Moffitt Cancer Center team members, patients and advocates traveled to Tallahassee for Moffitt Day. The annual advocacy day highlights Moffitt’s impact on improving cancer care and prevention. The Moffitt group met with lawmakers to ask for continued support of the cancer center and its mission.

Twenty-one Cure on Wheels cyclists biked 325 miles to finish at the Capitol courtyard.

“Florida has the second highest cancer burden in the nation. While we are working hard to knock down those numbers, we cannot do it alone. Our state legislators are critical to helping secure additional state funding so we can grow and reach more patients,” said Dr. Patrick Hwu, president and CEO of Moffitt.

More than 100 people were screened for head and neck cancers during Moffitt Day.

Moffitt Day is a day full of activity. It kicked off when 21 Cure on Wheels cyclists entered the Capitol courtyard, completing a four-day, 325-mile bike ride from Tampa to Tallahassee. Their annual ride raises money for Moffitt’s cancer research and support services. Cyclists and cancer survivors Joshua Rivera and Richard Spayde presented Hwu, founder H. Lee Moffitt and Dr. John Cleveland with three checks totaling $50,000.

With prevention as a key component of Moffitt’s mission, the cancer center offered visitors free head and neck cancer screenings. The four-person team examined 102 people during their six-hour period in the courtyard and only had one suspicious finding.

The day concluded with a reception where Moffitt patient Mary Anne Quigley shared her story. January marks the five-year anniversary of completing her treatment for ovarian cancer. She shared that cancer was her greatest teacher and was grateful to have Moffitt and her care team on her side.