John M. Tew, Jr., MD was 12 years old when his father made him the deal of a lifetime: “If you can reach age 21 without smoking a cigarette, I’ll buy you a new car.”
The offer’s poignancy stemmed from its prescience. Dr. Tew’s father was a North Carolina tobacco farmer, and this was Johnny Tew’s first indication that the heart of the region’s economy also had a darker side. “What did he know?” Dr. Tew asked. “Ninety percent of my dad’s income came from farming tobacco. Many years later I would learn about the relationship between smoking and heart disease and lung cancer.”Dr. Tew told the story Saturday evening at Teal Lake Farm while being honored at the Cattle Baron’s Ball, the annual gala fundraiser held by the American Cancer Society. Dr. Tew, a Mayfield Clinic neurosurgeon, Clinical Director of the UC Neuroscience Institute, and a Great Living Cincinnatian, is an expert in the treatment of brain tumors, trigeminal neuralgia, and Chiari malformation.
In the 1960s, studies funded by the American Cancer Society were instrumental in the development of the Surgeon General’s report that linked smoking and cancer. Dr. Tew recalled that during that time, the American Cancer Society’s executive director visited Wake Forest University’s medical school, where Dr. Tew was a student, to sound the alarm about tobacco. Neither the message nor the messenger was welcomed, Dr. Tew said. “They almost ran him out of town.”
It was then, he said, “that I knew why my father gave me a car.”
Dressed in Texas cowboy style, Dr. Tew told the audience that 577,000 Americans will die of cancer this year, about one-third of them as a consequence of smoking and one-third as a result of poor nutrition, inactivity, and excess weight. The cost to society: more than $350 billion.
Dr. Tew also discussed the history and contributions of the American Cancer Society in education, research and care. Founded in 1913 by 10 physicians and five laypersons, it is dedicated to saving lives and helping people stay well through education, prevention and early detection.
“The American Cancer Society provides information 24/7,” Dr. Tew said. “They offer day-to-day assistance and emotional support, transportation to treatment centers, specialized support for those with breast or prostate cancer, cancer education classes, hair loss and mastectomy products, and help for patients who struggle with their appearance and the side effects of treatment. And they own and operate 32 Hope Lodges around the country.”
A significant portion of the Cattle Baron’s Ball’s fund-raising efforts were earmarked for the Musekamp Family Hope Lodge, which offers free, comfortable housing for patients who travel to Cincinnati for cancer treatment.
Among those who have benefited from Hope Lodge are Wayne Frisbie, one of Dr. Tew’s former patients at UC Health’s University Hospital. Mr. Frisbie, who was treated for a brain tumor, returned to Cincinnati from Illinois to attend the Ball and told the audience about his own positive experience at Hope Lodge.
“Being able to have a place to stay without charge while going through something this serious is wonderful,” Mr. Frisbie said. “The Hope Lodge isn’t just any ‘place.’ It is like home, offering patients and caregivers a chance to help one another during a difficult time. The staff is terrific, and it truly feels like home. It was comforting to know that my family members would be comfortable during my surgery and post-op recovery. I am truly grateful to Dr. Tew and to the American Cancer Society for this wonderful resource.”
— Cindy Starr