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FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
Contact:
communications@nof.org
NATIONAL OSTEOPOROSIS FOUNDATION
HOSTED SILHOUETTE BALL, TUESDAY, MAY 24,
2005
Raising
awareness of osteoporosis - - a disease
that will affect one in two women and
one in four men aged 50 and older in the
United States -- was the focus of the
National Osteoporosis Foundation's (NOF)
10th gala on Tuesday, May 24,
2005. All of the honorees that were
recognized are strong advocates for
osteoporosis awareness and include:
Her
Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall
(who accepted via video message)
With
the presentation of the NOF Ethel LeFrak
Award, NOF recognized Her Royal Highness
The Duchess of Cornwall for her
significant commitment to advancing
awareness and understanding of
osteoporosis. In her role as President
of the National Osteoporosis Society in
the United Kingdom, The Duchess
dedicates time to opening bone health
units and visiting with patients and
their caregivers across the United
Kingdom.
In her video
message, she said, “I suspect few of you
know a great deal about osteoporosis, I
certainly didn’t until my grandmother
and mother both died as a result of this
devastating disease…Do you realize that
in the United States more than 10
million women and men, over 50, have it?
My aim is to make more people
worldwide aware of these horrific
statistics – therefore preventing
thousands from suffering the pain and
ignominy of osteoporosis in the future.”
Ms. Joan Rivers
Businesswoman, author, comedienne,
actress, playwright, mother and
grandmother, Joan Rivers is always in
motion and knows the importance of
strong bone health in living the life
you want to live. The Foundation
recognized Joan Rivers, an NOF
Ambassador, with its Innovation Award.
CBS
Cares
NOF
recognized CBS Cares with the Paul G.
Rogers Leadership Award in honor of its
landmark effort in reaching and
educating millions of Americans about
osteoporosis through its strong public
service initiative that includes
primetime placement of public service
announcements and an accompanying
informative and comprehensive Web site,
www.cbscares.tv. Matthew Margo, Senior
Vice President for Program Practices,
oversees the CBS Cares initiative and
accepted the award on behalf of CBS.
Ms.
Janet Hubert
Janet
Hubert, a screen, stage and television
actress, is a champion for bone health
and osteoporosis. She regularly speaks
to audiences, including minority
audiences about health, including bone
health. NOF recognized Janet Hubert with
its Champion Award.
About
NOF: Established in 1984, NOF is the
nation’s leading voluntary health
organization solely dedicated to
osteoporosis and bone health. Our
mission is to prevent osteoporosis, to
promote lifelong bone health, to help
improve the lives of those affected by
osteoporosis and related fractures, and
to find a cure. NOF’s Silhouette
Ball will help the Foundation fulfill
its mission.
About
Osteoporosis: Osteoporosis literally
means “porous bones.” It is a disease in
which bones become more fragile and
likely to break, even from a slight
strain or fall. Osteoporosis is often
called the ‘silent disease’ because
there are no symptoms until a bone
breaks. Fractures related to
osteoporosis cost the nation
approximately $18 billion a year.
NOF estimates 44 million men and
women over the age of 50 are at risk for
or have osteoporosis. As noted in the
recently published US Surgeon General’s
Report on Bone Health and Osteoporosis,
that number is expected to rise to more
than 61 million by the year 2020, unless
action is taken now. One is every two
women and one in every four men age 50
and older will experience an
osteoporosis-related fracture in their
lifetime.
Award Information
Ethel
LeFrak Award
This
award is named for Mrs. Ethel LeFrak who
is known nationally and internationally
for her cultural and philanthropic
leadership. Mrs. LeFrak, who also has
osteoporosis, is dedicated to raising
awareness. For serving as a champion and
for raising awareness, Mrs. LeFrak was
honored by NOF last year and the
Foundation is proud to now present an
award in her name.
Paul
G. Rogers Leadership Award
The
award is named after NOF’s Founding
Chair, the Honorable Paul G. Rogers, to
recognize leadership in addressing
osteoporosis. The award was first
presented in 2004 to Vice Admiral
Richard H. Carmona, MD. A former U.S.
Congressman, Mr. Roger’s efforts as NOF
chair have helped to stimulate an
estimated $160 million in state and
federal grants for osteoporosis research
and education. Mr. Rogers continues to
serve as a distinguished member of the
Foundation’s Board of Trustees.
# # #
NOF has
recognized a number of people at the
Silhouette Ball, including
philanthropists, policymakers,
government leaders, authors and actors.
Previous honorees include:
-
Vice
Admiral Richard H. Carmona, M.D.,
M.P.H., F.A.C.S., US Surgeon General
-
The
Honorable Ann Richards
-
Ethel
LeFrak
-
The
Honorable Paul G. Rogers (NOF Founding
Chairman)
-
Richard U. Levine, M.D.
-
The
Honorable Tommy G. Thompson
-
Jill
Eikenberry
-
Michael Tucker
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