American Cancer Society receives $100,000 in memory of Tellabs CEO Rob Pullen
In a public letter addressed to his “Stockholders, Customers, Employees and Friends,” dated April 20, 2012, Tellabs CEO Rob Pullen stated, “I recently went to the doctor and was diagnosed with colon cancer. I am determined to fight it and beat it.” On July 2, the married father of two from suburban Naperville had succumbed to the disease.
According to the American Cancer Society, an estimated 143,460 (6,940 in Illinois) cases of colorectal cancer are expected to occur in 2012, and 51,690 (2,510 in Illinois) deaths. In both men and women, colorectal cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer and the third leading cause of cancer death.
In a perfectly aligned tribute to Pullen, Tellabs Foundation has announced a $100,000 grant to the American Cancer Society in his memory. “Many of us at Tellabs are still grieving Rob's loss, but we are moving forward, knowing that's what he would have wanted,” said Mike Birck, Tellabs Foundation president and Tellabs chairman. “Rob Pullen was a man of action. Helping others fight colon cancer is a fitting way to honor Rob's memory.”
The American Cancer Society will be directing the $100,000 Tellabs Foundation grant appropriately to support a statewide colorectal cancer screening initiative that will raise Illinois' low colonoscopy screening rate, prevent cancer from developing in thousands of individuals and save lives.
Through the multi-year program, the Society hopes to raise awareness about colorectal health and to screen a significant number of the more than 800,000 individuals in Illinois who meet eligibility criteria but haven't been screened, regardless of their insurance status or ability to pay.
Overall, colorectal cancer rates have declined rapidly in both men and women in the past two decades, due in part to early detection and removal of precancerous polyps. However, screening rates remain low. Only 62 percent of the eligible population in Illinois has received a colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy, and the rate is significantly lower among uninsured populations. The Society hopes to increase Illinois' colorectal cancer screening rate to 75 percent, potentially adding nearly 80,000 individuals to receive screening each year. Through this program, the Society will provide grant funding to hospitals to ensure at least 9,000 uninsured individuals are included to access colonoscopy screening as well.
Concurrent with the launch, the American Cancer Society launched a statewide awareness campaign, including radio and television ads, to encourage people 50 and over to get colonoscopies.
For more information on the Society's colorectal cancer screening initiative, visit www.cancer.org or call 800-227-2543.