SLO LIFE Winter 2010
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There is a sadness that permeates Frank Kalman. It is not obvious when you first meet him, but if<br />
you know his story, you will understand why he struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder.<br />
Nine years ago when his daughter, Calli, was 12 years old, she was diagnosed with a very rare cancer<br />
called neuroblastoma. This type of cancer afflicts approximately 700 American children each year.<br />
“The euphemism that parents whose children were diagnosed with this disease use is to say that<br />
‘Jenny earned her angel wings today’ when they share the news that their child passed,” Frank<br />
explains as his eyes well up with tears and his voice cracks with emotion. He collects himself with a<br />
long, deep breath and continues. “There was this one Friday about six months ago when we learned<br />
that three kids had earned their wings, and that’s when I said ‘I’ve got to do something.’”<br />
By this time, Frank had “pressed every button and pulled every lever” to get the best care possible<br />
for Calli and had become uniquely qualified to help other families going through the same thing.<br />
“I have developed this huge amount of knowledge about the disease and the treatments and the<br />
whole process, and I want to put it to good use. There are just so many people we can help.” With<br />
that resolve, the Kids’ Cancer Research Foundation was recently formed [more information about<br />
the organization can be found on the web at www.endkidscancer.org].<br />
The list of people involved with the foundation is impressive and reads like a “Who’s Who List”<br />
of cancer researchers, but, mostly, it serves as a testament to Kalman’s dogged persistence and<br />
hard-earned credibility. Kalman recalls his chance meeting with one key board member, Christopher<br />
Kennedy Lawford. “We were walking through a shop in Santa Monica, wasting time between chemo<br />
appointments for Calli, who was so sick and completely bald, when I recognize Chris. So, I go up to<br />
him and make a comment about a movie he was in. He was so gracious, and he and his wife spent a<br />
half an hour or so talking with Calli.”<br />
A friendship blossomed, and Lawford continued to follow up with Calli to inquire about her<br />
treatments and played a vital role in clearing up a “major problem” while she was at the Sloan-<br />
Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. According to Kalman, “I was just at my lowest point and<br />
the treatment wasn’t going well at all, and we were caught up in some red tape. Anyway, right<br />
about then Chris called to ask how we were doing and I told him ‘not well’ and he said, ‘Look, I will<br />
call my mom [JFK’s sister, Patricia], she used to work there. And, if that doesn’t help, I’ll call Uncle<br />
Teddy [the late Senator Ted Kennedy]. Don’t worry - we’ll get it figured out.’ It was like this guy just<br />
walked in out of the blue and said, ‘I have an atomic bomb, where do you want me to deliver it?’”<br />
Despite the big names that Kalman has lined up, he cites the support that his daughter has<br />
received from the people of San Luis Obispo as being the most important to them. “Our friends and<br />
neighbors held a fundraising event a while back at the Fremont Theater where they screened Calli’s<br />
favorite movie, “Remember the Titans.” I remember there was this unassuming looking college kid<br />
who walked up and wrote a check and walked right back out. We saw that type of thing over and<br />
over again. I mean, over a thousand people turned out to support my daughter. I’ll never forget<br />
that.”<br />
Today, as Kalman launches his new foundation, Calli’s cancer has returned. She continues her<br />
chemotherapy treatments while also attending Cal Poly as a 21-year-old junior. One gets the sense,<br />
however, that we have not heard the last from this inspirational father-daughter team. Says Kalman,<br />
“We’re looking at this foundation like Edison and his light bulb. It would be bold of me to say that<br />
we’re going to find a cure for this cancer, but the more research we can fund, the closer we get to<br />
getting it done.” <strong>SLO</strong> <strong>LIFE</strong><br />
Do you have an inspirational story to share? Go to slolifemagazine.com and tell us about it.<br />
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