TOGETHER WE MOVE ON TO THE FUTURE...
Dear Friends,
 We need your help in establishing and maintaining the “CHAMP FOUNDATION FOR EXCEPTIONAL LONGEVITY” for Champ, Rottweilers, all breeds of dogs, and MANKIND. Yes, I said “MANKIND” because it is very important to realize that a FIVE year study in dogs is equal to a FIFTY year study in humans. In other words, an investment in science applied to dogs could possibly produce TEN times the return as the same dollars applied to science with humans!
On May 19, 2007, just hours after Champ left us, Dr. David Waters and his staff were gracious enough to fly down here to perform the autopsy. We trusted Champ with Dr. Waters because like Champ, he is a very exceptional person. David J Waters, DVM, PhD, is a veterinarian whose research focuses on the similarities of aging and cancer in pet dogs and people. Dr. Waters is the researcher who has published the only peer-reviewed scientific study on exceptional longevity in pet dogs. He is Associate Director of Purdue University’s Center on Aging and the Life Course and the only veterinarian to be awarded a Brookdale National Fellowship for Leadership in Gerontology. He is trained as a comparative cancer scientist with special expertise in prostate and bone cancer, particularly the type of bone cancer (osteosarcoma) that plagues Rottweilers so frequently.
In fact, the Murphy Foundation is launching the first ever cancer prevention trial in pet dogs, an ambitious 8-year study that will see if bone cancer in Rottweilers is preventable. His progressive views about the power of this idea that cancer and aging research can indeed help both pets and people appeared in the December 2006 issue of Scientific American (“Cancer Clues from Pet Dogs”).
After we made the decision to euthanize Champ because of his kidney failure, we requested that Dr. Waters conduct a detailed autopsy on Champ. Dr. Waters agreed with our request saying that we should not pass up this precious opportunity to learn more about just what made Champ so exceptional. The autopsy was quite revealing. Upon close inspection, it was found that Champ was harboring not one, but multiple different cancers. Further tests on Champ’s tissues are pending, but it seems that somehow Champ was able to hold in check the massive, life-threatening growth and spread that is so typical of cancer. And here’s where it really gets intriguing. To explore further the nature of how Champ was able to build a shield around and fight off cancer, Dr. Waters is now working in the lab to establish a living cell line of Champ’s skin cells that can be studied in the months and years ahead. You see, Champ’s autopsy became just another way of celebrating his life.
The information gained from research on Champ and other dogs with exceptional longevity and cancer resistance is precisely what we need today. If we want to someday prevent cancer, we need to start ramping up our knowledge of what’s happening in tissues as they age – old tissues are where most cancers develop – so that we can develop more effective cancer preventive measures. Dr. Waters feels that the intersection between the fields of aging and cancer research is surprisingly under-explored territory – hardly any scientists are trained in both fields – and his research team is deeply committed to doing something about it. As Dr. Waters puts it: “Scientists shouldn’t listen to their mothers. As scientists, we’ve got to play in the intersection!”
Through research, the goal is to transform a deadly disease like cancer into a non-lethal nuisance like athlete’s foot. No one will have to fear cancer, because we will all be able to survive through it just like Champ did. And, ultimately, this enlightenment might someday give every Rottweiler owner the chance to spend 15 or more precious years with their beloved companion, as we did with our boy.
We are building a website now to provide you with information about Champ, the Foundation, the research, and monthly updates on information that will help you improve and extend the life of your dog. This valuable information will be done on a membership basis and e-mailed directly to you.
I promise you it will be filled with exceptional information from leading experts in all types of dog care so you can possibly raise the next Champ!
God Bless you for being “You” and helping us explore exceptional longevity for all of us!
Peace always and have the best day of your life,
Manson and Evie Johnson
P.S. Watch your email inbox and VonEvmans.com for monthly updates! |
