Richard and Sandra Cohen
As a lifelong baseball fan, Richard J. Cohen, MD, a practicing oncologist in San Francisco and clinical professor of medicine at UCSF, is no stranger to seeing baseball played from a field-level view. As a sometime "ball dude" for the San Francisco Giants, he often has a chance to field balls during actual game play.
On August 20, Cohen received something more significant than a foul ball: He was honored in a pregame ceremony on the playing field, with a view from home plate looking out onto a full stadium at AT&T Park.
Cohen was one of three individuals - and the only medical professional in the group - named to the Strike Out Cancer Hall of Fame. The ceremony recognized a total of seven patients and survivors for their courage and inspiration. Strike Out Cancer is a national education and empowerment program that encourages people affected by cancer to seek out information about new treatments, support networks and educational resources.
"As a 'ball dude,' to be suited up and on the field alongside the players is magical for a baseball fan like me," said Cohen. "To be named among cancer survivors who share my sentiment on the fragility of life and the intent of modern therapy is very humbling. To have this honor bestowed as a further dimension of being here on the field was really quite extraordinary."
To be chosen for the Strike Out Cancer Hall of Fame, individuals were nominated by others - in Cohen's case, Zero Breast Cancer, a Bay Area-based research community organization that chose Cohen for his spirit, achievement and service to the community.
"Dr. Cohen was recognized because he has been a medical leader and compassionate physician throughout his lifetime career," said Janice Barlow, executive director of Zero Breast Cancer. "His approach to patient education offers effective and cutting-edge ways to manage cancer while living life to the fullest."
Zero Breast Cancer presented Cohen with their 2006 Healing Professional Award in May. In 2005, he received the 2005 Charlotte Baer Award as a member of the volunteer clinical faculty at UCSF.
Now in its third year, the Strike Out Cancer program, a collaboration comprising cancer patient organizations throughout the nation and sponsored by Genentech, is actively involved in the Bay Area. For every strikeout thrown by a Giants pitcher in a regular season home game, Genentech makes a $200 donation to the Wellness Community, a nonprofit organization that helps people with cancer and their loved ones to enhance their lives and well-being through a variety of professional programs that are free of charge.
For the second year in a row, the program has hit the road on a 10-city national tour that features three Major League Baseball (MLB) spokespeople touched by cancer. These include Hall of Famer Paul Molitor, whose father battled lung cancer and who, along with former MLB All-Star and colon cancer survivor Eric Davis, has served as a spokesperson the past two years. This year, Don Baylor, former All-Star player and coach and survivor of multiple myeloma, joined the tour to inspire and motivate cancer patients.
Cohen was joined on the field by cancer patients and survivors also honored for this year's Strike Out Cancer program. The other two inducted into the Strike Out Cancer Hall of Fame were lead trainer Dan Scheiman of Stanford University's "Getting Strong" program and Jan Adrian, the executive director of Healing Journeys, a nonprofit organization based in Sacramento.
Adrian is a cancer survivor and coordinator of an annual two-day program designed to uplift and motivate cancer patients and their support networks. The upcoming conference, called "Cancer as a Turning Point: From Surviving to Thriving," is co-sponsored by the UCSF Comprehensive Cancer Center, and takes place on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 9 and 10.
For Cohen and his family, the 2006 Strike Out Cancer Day at AT&T Park was a rewarding experience. As a native New Yorker, this Giants fan displays his team pride with a collection of baseball memorabilia in his home and office. Among his cherished sports memorabilia are single-signed baseballs by some of baseball's heroes, including a prized Babe Ruth 1927 World Series baseball. His collection also includes a photo of Joe DiMaggio personally inscribed to Cohen, a 1966 signed Mickey Mantle photo, and a photo of himself with Barry Bonds and Willie Mays.
It was through his noted memorabilia that the Giants originally contacted Cohen to volunteer for their community fund. For the past several years, Cohen has taken his place on the field during home games to catch stray balls that are no longer in play.
"I tell my patients that I would have to leave my day job if the Giants wanted me every day," said Cohen with a grin.
While the ceremony and a pregame reception were certainly the highlights, the newfound "players" also had a chance to run out to take their field positions for a photo opportunity. Cohen ran out to center field, where outfielder Steve Finley signed a baseball for him.
"It was a perfect day, except for the fact that the Giants lost," said Cohen.
