On May 11, 2002, Nancy E. Leupold was presented with the American Head and Neck Society's prestigious Presidential Citation.  This year the award was presented at a meeting in Boca Raton, Florida.  Following are Nancy's acceptance speech, a short biographical sketch of Nancy and information about the AHNS.   

Acceptance Speech - Presidential Citation Presentation at Boca Raton May 11, 2002 American Head and Neck Society

Thank you, Dr. Heller and Good afternoon, everyone. It is indeed an honor and privilege for me to be here today and to accept this Presidential Citation on behalf of all oral and head and neck cancer patients, and our organization, SPOHNC.  (Click on the thumbnail for a larger view of the citation).

Twelve years ago, I was diagnosed with oral cancer. Fortunately, my cancer was caught early and with surgery, I was cured. However, the diagnosis and the thoughts of recurrence were frightening enough to make me realize that I needed to find others who had been diagnosed with similar cancers to help me overcome my fears and get on with my life. At that time, there were many types of self-help groups; however, I could not find any that were specifically for oral and head and neck cancer patients. With the support and encouragement of Dr David Wolk, and his colleague, Dr. James Sciubba, I founded SPOHNC (Support for People with Oral and Head and Neck Cancer). This organization, which began with nine survivors almost eleven years ago, now has 23 chapters nationwide and is continuing to expand.

SPOHNC is an organization dedicated to meeting the needs of all oral and head and neck cancer patients, their families and friends and therefore our work is still ahead of us. We must continue to reach out to those patients who are still in need of information, encouragement, support and hope. To do this, we need to develop chapters in more cities in the US and abroad. But, we must also work on raising awareness of oral and head and neck cancer and stressing the importance of early detection and treatment that can lead to cure. Last June 3rd, an awareness ribbon for oral and head and neck cancer was introduced to the public. To date, SPOHNC has distributed more than 12000 ribbons. An image of our awareness ribbon appears on our web site and I all our newsletters and brochures, which are distributed nationwide and abroad.

Studies indicated that thee are more than 400,000 people living in the United States who are survivors of oral and head and neck cancer. Many of these people continue to have difficulty coping with side effects of treatment and their quality of life. Belonging to a support group can help these people to cope with their situations. Sharing and helping one another is one of the surest ways to help oneself. This is what people do in a support group. This is what SPOHNC is all about and this is why SPOHNC continues to grow and serve people in need of support. SPOHNC has helped many people and has changed the lives of many as well. From the moment I met with the other eight survivors at that first meeting of SPOHNC, I knew that my life would be changed forever. 

Thank you,

Nancy E. Leupold 
May 11, 2002

Biographical Sketch:  Nancy E. Leupold, Founder of SPOHNC, Recipient of the AHNS Presidential Citation, 2002.

Nancy E. Leupold, an oral cancer survivor, is the President and Founder of Support for People with Oral and Head and Neck Cancer, Inc. (SPOHNC), a national non-profit organization dedicated to meeting the needs of oral and head and neck cancer patients, their families and friends. She is the editor of the organization's newsletter, News from SPOHNC, which is distributed within the United States and abroad. In addition, she is the coordinator of development and education for the twenty national chapters of SPOHNC. As president of SPOHNC, Ms. Leupold serves as a member of the Coordinating Panel of the National Oral Health Information Clearinghouse (NOHIC), a service of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR). She is also one of five members of the Forum Planning Committee of the Patients Advocates Forum sponsored by the NIDCR. As a patient advocate for oral and head and neck cancer patients, Ms. Leupold participates on the Patient Advocacy steering committee of the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG). She is also a member of Head and Neck Cancer Committee of RTOG. Through her affiliations with national organizations, Ms. Leupold has sought to develop awareness of oral and head and neck cancer as well as SPOHNC's presence. Thus in June 2001, Ms. Leupold introduced an oral and head and neck cancer awareness ribbon to the public. This ribbon has become the official symbol of oral and head and neck cancer awareness and circulates widely in the United States and Canada. Ms. Leupold has been married to her husband, Karl, for almost 40 years and is the proud mother of three daughters and grandmother of five grandchildren.