Forward 4 Tobi's Chicago Marathon Fundraising Efforts Benefit NorthShore Kellogg Cancer Center

This Sunday, October 11, Team Tobi will be running in the Bank of America Chicago Marathon on behalf of the Forward 4 Tobi Foundation. The team is running to help raise money for the Forward 4 Tobi Patient Assistance Fund at NorthShore University HealthSystem (NorthShore) Kellogg Cancer Center, a fund that helps women with Stage 4 breast cancer.

The mission of the Forward 4 Tobi Foundation’s Patient Assistance Fund is to improve the lives of patients suffering from breast cancer by providing financial assistance for medical expenses, child care and other daily unmet needs so they may focus on fighting this insidious disease. Forward 4 Tobi was formed in memory of Tobi Klonecki, a local Chicagoan.

Tobi Klonecki was a special wife, mother and friend who lost her life to breast cancer on May 7, 2013. Rebecca Linscott, Tobi’s friend and Forward 4 Tobi President says, “Even during the worst days of this disease, Tobi thought of herself as lucky because she had the family, friends and financial means to deal with the daily struggles of breast cancer. She would have wanted her legacy to be about helping those who didn’t have the means she had, and she would have been first in line to pay it forward.”

Tobi was a passionate runner who participated in the 1998 Chicago marathon. Because of Tobi’s passion for running, Forward 4 Tobi formed Team Tobi, made up of 16 friends and family from Illinois and Massachusetts to run the Chicago Marathon. They are not only running for Tobi but for the lives of so many who are desperately in need of daily assistance. To date, Team Tobi has raised over $100,000 for breast cancer.

In March 2015, Forward 4 Tobi donated $50,000 to NorthShore Kellogg Cancer Center, and created this patient assistance fund. Within a few short months, the generous donation has changed the lives of many. “I see the impact the Forward 4 Tobi grant is having on advanced breast cancer patients at the Kellogg Cancer Center almost every single day,” says social worker Meg Madvig, LCSW, OSW-C. “Some of our patients with advanced breast cancer do not have family help or outside resources to support them as they face cancer treatment. The Fund is a huge support to these patients, providing financial assistance for child care, living

expenses, housekeeping costs, integrative medicine such as acupuncture and massage therapy, and other medications not covered by insurance. Patients are very appreciative, as this grant helps to make their lives a little easier during a very challenging time.” Team Tobi will be on-site during the marathon discussing their efforts at 3:00pm on Saturday October 10th and 1:00pm on Sunday October 11th at the JW Marriott, 151 W. Adams St., Chicago, IL in hospitality suite under the name Fidelity/Jennifer Bott.

The following team members will be available to talk about the event, the foundation and opportunities to help and support this great cause. Both Tom and Rebecca will be running the Chicago Marathon.

· Tom Klonecki, Tobi’s husband and Chairman of the Board; resident of Glenview, IL

· Rebecca Linscott, friend of Tobi and President; resident of Arlington Heights, IL

· Jodi Soriano, childhood friend of Tobi and Board Member; resident of Wilmette, IL

· Jennifer Bott, childhood friend of Tobi and Secretary/Treasurer; resident of Lincolnshire, IL

· Karen Jacob, lifelong friend of Tobi, Director of Fundraising, and Forward 4 Tobi Chicago Marathon organizer; resident of Boston, MA

About Forward 4 Tobi

The Forward 4 Tobi Foundation aims to improve the lives of patients suffering from metastatic breast cancer by providing financial assistance for medical expenses, childcare, and other daily unmet needs so they may focus on fighting this insidious disease. Cancer is hard enough. The vision is to help make the lives of patients and their families a little bit easier, taking away some of the financial burden so they can focus all of their energy on fighting this disease and living life. To bring out the normal in abnormal. http://www.forward4tobi.org/home.html

Forward 4 Tobi Patient Assistance Fund at NorthShore Kellogg Cancer Center

The Fund provides direct financial assistance to Kellogg Cancer Center patients with metastatic breast cancer. The Fund is be used to support needs that enhance a patient’s quality of life. Examples include, but are not limited to, housekeeping costs, medicine not covered by insurance, integrative medicine services, attendance at cancer conferences (e.g. Annual Conference for Women Living with Metastatic Breast Cancer), travel expenses for clinical trials, and child care costs.

About NorthShore University HealthSystem

Headquartered in Evanston, Illinois, NorthShore University HealthSystem (NorthShore) is a comprehensive, fully integrated, healthcare delivery system that serves the Chicago region. The system includes four hospitals in Evanston, Glenview, Highland Park and Skokie. NorthShore employs approximately 10,000 staff and has 2,400 affiliated physicians, including a 900 physician, multispecialty group practice with some 100 office locations. Further, NorthShore supports teaching and research as the principal teaching affiliate for the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine.

The NorthShore Research Institute focuses on clinical and translational research, including leadership in clinical trials, medical informatics and genomics. The NorthShore Foundation is the

organization’s primary philanthropic entity. The Foundation raises charitable contributions and engages volunteer friends in support of NorthShore’s ongoing mission to preserve and improve human life.

NorthShore has significant capabilities in a wide spectrum of clinical programs, including Kellogg Cancer Center, NorthShore Neurological Institute, NorthShore Orthopaedic Institute and

NorthShore Cardiovascular Institute, as well as high-risk maternity and pediatrics. NorthShore is a Magnet recognized organization, the first in Illinois designated as a system to receive this prestigious honor that demonstrates excellence in nursing. NorthShore is a national leader in the implementation of innovative technologies, including electronic medical records (EMR). In 2003, NorthShore was among the first in the country to successfully launch a system-wide EMR with demonstrable benefits in quality, safety, efficiency and service to patients. NorthShore has been recognized by multiple national organizations for this notable achievement.