 | | | From left: State Sen. Steve Glazer, Patrick Fritzky, Bob Fritzky and Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan. Photo provided | | | | | | The Jeanette Fritzky Foundation was founded in 2018 by her husband, Bob Fritzky, to honor his wife's memory by bringing attention to the disease that claimed her life that same year. Jeanette Fritzky, elected to the Moraga Town Council in 2016, passed away from non-small cell lung cancer at the age of 63.
Fritzky, a nonsmoker, in one of the great ironies of life, worked as a vice president of global marketing for a bio-pharmaceutical company in the field of oncology and later as an independent consultant to various pharmaceutical firms.
State Sen. Steve Glazer, having known Fritzky through her work on the town council, approached Bob Fritzky about his intent to author a senate resolution proclaiming the week of June 24 to June 30 as Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Awareness Week in the State of California.
Glazer stated, "In honor of Jeanette Fritzky, I was happy to author Senate Resolution 49 to bring awareness to Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer. Robert Fritzky created the Jeanette Fritzky Foundation to honor her life and to educate Asian women, who are particularly vulnerable, about this terrible disease."
Bob Fritzky, who attended the June 27 senate resolution reading and presentation with his son Patrick, was amazed to learn that 17 other senators state-wide helped to co-author the resolution. From cities as far south as El Centro, Encinitas and Indio to north of the Bay Area from Chico and Santa Rosa. The central cities of Fresno, Merced, Modesto and Sacramento were represented along with local neighbors San Mateo and San Francisco.
It is the foundation's mission to educate Asian women, their doctors and the medical industry in general, as to the early warning signs of the disease. Fritzky's persistent cough and shortness of breath were misdiagnosed as allergy issues.
The foundation further plans to create a medical advisory board to guide research, awareness and educational programs; educate via an online platform to encourage early screening; recruit oncology nurses and pharmacists with multi-language capabilities to make presentations at Asian women's organizations and events; and continue to raise funds with the annual Jeanette Fritzky Tribute Walk.
Immediate outreach plans are to focus on getting information to Asian communities Bay Area-wide; explore county and state funding opportunities to accelerate education; create a presence at American Society of Clinical Oncology and Oncology Nursing Society events; and attempt to meet with cancer health care institutions to spread the word.
The Jeanette Fritzky Foundation's website is currently under construction. For additional information email: bfritzky@gmail.com or phone (925) 247-0171. |
Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA