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Pennies in Action seeks cure for cancer with Olympian approach to fundraising and research. By Margie Barham

The Pearl Giordano Showers of Hope event to raise funds for Pennies in Action is both homage to her and crusade for a charity that is driven by passion and patient, not profits. The event will be held in the Regency Ballroom at Ramada by Wyndham, 2216 W. Landis Ave., Vineland, on Saturday, October 18. Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres will be served starting at 5 p.m., followed by a light buffet and program from 6 to 10 pm. Tickets are $100 with $50 tax deductible and can be purchased at www.penniesinaction.org.

Uschi Keszler is confident that she will see a cure for cancer in her lifetime. “People deserve it,” she says. 

As a two-time cancer survivor, Keszler used her experience as an Olympic figure skater and coach to “go for the gold” in raising funds to support a cure for cancer. Not just any cure, but one without side effects, toxic chemicals, or radiation, and using the body’s immune system to save lives.

Driven only by her unwavering passion, Keszler, who lives in Media, PA, founded Pennies in Action in 2007. It’s a grassroots organization that supports research into dendritic cell immunotherapy. This treatment has paved the way for a cure, already saving hundreds of lives in clinical trials. Keszler calls it the “Olympic Approach” to solving cancer with focus on the prize by solely supporting the work of Dr. Brian Czerniecki, MD,PhD., and his team toward full FDA approval as a standard-of-care treatment option.

 Keszler was introduced to Dr. Czerniecki during her breast cancer treatment and surgery, and despite not qualifying as a candidate for the vaccine herself, Uschi’s foundation has raised funds for his research as well as removing the financial worry of patients who qualify for his non-toxic dendritic cell treatment.

“Coming from sports I said I don’t really have any experience in fundraising, but I’ll give it a try,” she recalled. “So, then I thought I need to use what I know best as a competitor and coach and that’s trying to get somebody to the top. The only way you can win is to beat your opponent at its own game.” 

Her two young grandsons gave her two pennies. That was the start. Today they are grown men who continue to support their grandmother’s cause. Since then, millions of dollars have been raised thanks to the continued multigenerational fundraising torch which has been passed down to younger family members.

The goal is not gold but to make this specific immunotherapy the standard treatment to fight and cure cancer. This endeavor’s research “gold” is to use the body’s own natural ability to fight off cancer cells and not the conventional use of toxic chemicals the standard treatment started. All fundraising resources from Pennies in Action go directly to support this research, and it is already saving patient lives for those able to participate in the clinical trials.

Dr. Czerniecki, full professor of surgery, was honored with Professor Emeritus after 21 years of service at the University of Pennsylvania. Currently, he is the department chair and senior member of the Moffitt Cancer Center Department of Breast Oncology in Tampa, FL, where he has developed this revolutionary experimental breast cancer vaccine that enables a patient’s own white blood cells to fight cancer within the body.

“We reprogram the immune response, taking some of the patient’s white blood cells and reeducate them out of the body and inject them back in, and after five or six injections the patient’s immune response being to build back up to where it was and fights the cancer,” Czerniecki explained in a TV interview featured on the Pennies in Action website.

Some of the pluses of this treatment are that it activates other human immune cells with T-Cells, which fight cancer cells and enhances the immune response. This treatment has an unusually high patient immune response, remarkably free of toxic side effects including auto-immune disease. It is extremely cost effective, costing much less than other therapies. Additionally, this immune response remains for years in a healthy immune system.

Currently, this treatment is only available in clinical trials, but progress is being made to advance through the FDA trial phases so that the treatment will be the “gold standard” in curing cancer.

“The research now is targeting HER2 and triple negative breast cancer. We are in the process of working out therapies for any cancer,” Czerniecki explained. “We are also actively developing immunotherapy for prevention. We have also discovered these conventional dendritic cells are successful in eliminating disseminated cancer cells to prevent active metastasis from forming.”

So how, you may ask, does a former German Olympian and figure skating coach who lives in Media get involved with the Vineland community? 

A chance radio interview Keszler did many years ago with the late Pearl Giordano led to a friendship that bonded the two women over a cause to fight cancer through immunotherapy research. Until her unexpected death in March 2021, you could hear Giordano on the popular radio show she hosted on Saturday on WLT-92.1. Pennies in Action became a passion for Giordano, too.

A respected community icon, well-known activist for local politics, business leader, and woman of great faith, Giordano was also a dedicated volunteer at the Padre Pio Shrine in Landisville.

“She was a wonderful woman who supported the cause with great passion,” said Keszler recalling her friend.  

The Pearl Giordano Showers of Hope event to raise funds for Pennies in Action supports the continued successful dendritic cell therapy non-toxic cancer treatment of Czerniecki. Over the last 18 years, Pennies in Action has helped to pave the way to save hundreds of lives. Using an “Olympic Approach” to solving cancer by focusing sole support of the work of Czerniecki and his team toward full FDA approval as a standard-of-care treatment option.

“Please help us get this to the podium where a ‘Gold Medal’ will be for all mankind,” said Keszler. 

This medal would certainly be one to be envied by any Olympian.

AN INTERVIEW with Inspira Health’s Dr. Nandini Kulkarni
Inspira Health offers diagnostic and treatment options for breast cancer. SNJ Today interviewed Nandini Kulkarni, M.D., medical director of surgical oncology for Inspira Health:

SNJ Today: Specifically for breast cancer, what are the pros/ cons of immunotherapy?

Dr. Kulkarni: The development of Immunotherapy has given us more effectivetreatment for Triple Negative Breast Cancer, which traditionally has been one of the more challenging types of breast cancer to treat. Immunotherapy is generally most effective when used in tandem with chemotherapy.

For certain types of Triple Negative Breast Cancer, immunotherapy has achieved a complete response (no cancer detected in post-treatment testing) in 64 percent of patients.

 In certain difficult to treat cancers, immunotherapy has given us a new tool to achieve a durable response. 

Although more targeted than traditional chemotherapy, immunotherapy can have side effects, including inflammation of organs and structures that are not the target of treatment. Although rare, severe side effects are possible.

What is the latest in the detection of breast cancer?

Although not brand new, 3D mammography continues to provide higher quality and higher resolutions images than traditional 2D mammography. And breast MRI is helpful in detecting smaller cancers in high-risk patients. This allows for early treatment that can result in better outcomes.

What do we know now about finding breast cancer that we didn’t know five years ago?

We have a better appreciation of the importance of offering additional diagnostic studies for women with dense breasts. Women are more aware as well, which empowers them to advocate for themselves when talking with their doctor.

 Having dense breasts is not abnormal, but it can make it harder to find a small cancer. We know that finding cancer in dense breasts can be more difficult, so patients need to be offered additional screening modalities, including ultrasound and breast MRI.

Can breast cancer be prevented?

Breast cancer cannot be prevented, but there are steps you can take to significantly lower your risk.

· Adopt a Mediterranean-style diet, which is more plant-based and includes lean meat and fish.

· Try to exercise for at least 30 minutes a day, five days a week. Find an activity you enjoy and can participate in safely. It could be walking, swimming, dancing or anything that gets you moving.

· Recent studies indicate that a formal exercise program, after treatment is complete, can reduce the risk of recurrence in several cancers, including breast cancer.

· Inspira now offers breast cancer patients access to virtual exercise routines that are led by a trainer who specializes in exercise for cancer survivors.

 What advanced treatment options are available in our own backyard?

At its cancer centers in Mullica Hill and Vineland, Inspira Health offers a wide range of state-of-the-art medical, surgical and radiation oncology services; social workers, nurse navigators and specially trained physical therapists; support groups; and integrative therapies, including art therapy and reiki.

 Inspira Health offers robust access to clinical trials at its cancer centers, which provides local opportunities to participate in the latest treatment and prevention protocols. —Margie Barham

About Breast Cancer Treatment
According to the American Cancer Society immunotherapy can be successful at stimulating the immune system to kill cancer cells. It travels through the bloodstream and can help the immune system target and kill cancer cells that have spread (metastasized) throughout the body. Like chemo, immunotherapy is most often a systemic treatment. Immunotherapy works with the body’s immune system to kill cancer cells or limit their growth, while traditional chemo works against cancer cells (and some healthy cells) directly.

However, the ACS reports that success rates for immunotherapy are often lower as compared with other types of cancer treatment. The reason for this may be because it is often used in advanced stages of cancer when other treatments have not been successful.

Genetic changes in cancer cells caused by other treatments and drugs can cause the immune system to not be able to recognize them and interfere with immune function.

The American Cancer Society also noted that cancer cells can sometimes outsmart the immune system by making substances that turn off or hide from the body’s immune response. Cancer cells sometimes develop resistance to certain immunotherapy.

 People respond differently to all types of cancer treatments. Because immunotherapy is a newer type of cancer treatment there is not much information on long-term effects. The ACS recommends understanding the pros and cons of all treatment options.

As with all treatment options, it is important to get the full course and dose of the treatment and stay on schedule. There may also be side effects in any cancer treatment such as healthy cells also being attacked. Adverse effects can happen at any time during treatment and even after treatment has stopped. 

The ACS notes that immunotherapy can cause different side effects than those from other cancer treatments because of how immunotherapy uses the body’s immune system to destroy cancer. The side effects may be different for each person, and not all people will have the same experience. It depends on the type and dose of immunotherapy you receive, as well as the type of cancer, location, and general health.

Most side effects are mild; however, some can be severe. Some general side effects of immunotherapy include skin changes such as a rash, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea, endocrine changes (such as thyroid changes), flu-like symptoms (such as fever chills, and muscle aches), cytokine release syndrome (CRS), neurologic toxicity, and colitis

The future of immunotherapy is promising but it’s important to note that this type of treatment does not work for everyone. The overall immunotherapy success rate across various cancers is estimated to be around 20 percent to 40 percent. Results vary widely depending on the type of cancer and the immunotherapy used in the treatment.

The inconsistency in cure results emphasizes the importance of continuing study as researchers identify the cause of difference in patient response.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the United States, except for skin cancers. It accounts for about 30 percent (or 1 in 3) of all new female cancers each year.

The American Cancer Society’s estimates for breast cancer in the United States for 2025 are: 

• About 316,950 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women. 

• About 59,080 new cases of ductal carcinoma in situ will be diagnosed. 

• About 42,170 women will die from breast cancer.

• According to the ACS breast cancer most commonly occurs in middle-aged and older women. The median age at the time of breast cancer diagnosis is 62. This means half of the women who developed breast cancer are 62 years of age or younger when they are diagnosed. A very small number of women diagnosed with breast cancer are younger than 45. —Margie Barham