Rein In Sarcoma Foundation

INTRODUCTION TO THE FOUNDATION Rein in Sarcoma was created by Karen Wyckoff in 2001. Karen died from synovial sarcoma a month after the first Rein in Sarcoma event. For the last sixteen years, thousands of people touched by sarcoma have kept her vision of a world without sarcoma cancers alive. The Karen Wyckoff Rein in Sarcoma Foundation (RIS) was incorporated in 2004 as a Minnesota non-profit organization to continue the mission that Karen established: • Find a cure for sarcoma cancers (raise funds for research) • Educate physicians and public about sarcomas • Support sarcoma survivors and families directly affected by sarcoma RIS is the largest and best-known sarcoma foundation in the Upper Midwest. With its three-pronged commitment to sarcoma research, support, and education, the Fund has reached thousands of people and raised over $1.7 million. SARCOMA CANCERS Sarcomas are highly malignant and rare types of cancers that occur in the connective tissues of the body. Approximately 15,000 new cases of soft tissue and bone sarcoma are diagnosed each year in the United States. While rare among adults (less than 2% of all adult cancers), sarcoma cancers are among the top three most commonly diagnosed cancers affecting children. A sarcoma diagnosis is particularly shattering for most patients as they rarely have heard of this type of cancer and feel they will wage their personal war against the disease without much public knowledge of the disorder.