John Wayne Cancer Institute Auxiliary Will Honor Patricia Elton and Susan Love, MD at Annual Luncheon

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Oct. 16, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The John Wayne Cancer Institute Auxiliary (JWCIA) will honor Patricia Elton, breast cancer survivor and benefactor, with the Angel Award; and Susan Love, MD, MBA, with the Public Service Award at its Annual Luncheon and Holiday Boutique on Oct. 17, 2013 at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Guests will enjoy a Holiday Boutique featuring items ideal for gift-giving and vendors will donate a portion of proceeds to JWCIA. Sponsors include Grey Goose, Nothing Bundt Cakes and Sugar Paper.  Actor, writer and producer Gerard DiNome will emcee; Katie Lewis and Marisol Zarco are co-chairs for the event. 

Patricia Elton, a breast cancer survivor and longtime supporter of JWCI, credits Donald Morton, MD, Distinguished Professor of Surgery and Chief of JWCI's Melanoma Program for saving her life. Ms. Elton was a professor in the dental laboratory technology program at Casa Loma College and worked with cancer patients in the Maxillofacial Prosthodontics Clinic at UCLA where she designed and created prosthetics.

Honoree Susan Love, MD, MBA has dedicated her professional life to the eradication of breast cancer. As President of the Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation, she oversees an active research program centered on breast cancer cause and prevention. She is also a clinical professor of surgery at UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine. Her activist reputation comes from her role as one of the "founding mothers" of the breast cancer advocacy movement in the early 1990s and one of the founders of the National Breast Cancer Coalition and Young Survival Coalition.

Since 1981, the family of John Wayne has been committed to pioneering cancer research in memory of their father, who died of cancer. The courageous and dedicated researchers at JWCI have made groundbreaking discoveries that have changed the way cancer is detected, diagnosed and treated around the world. Today, the tradition of excellence continues as JWCI spearheads new research advances, while training the next generation of leaders in the fight against cancer through its renowned Surgical Oncology Fellowship Program. With its unique ability to rapidly turn scientific discoveries into novel approaches for early detection and treatment, JWCI provides immediate hope to cancer patients everywhere. 

Individual ticket price is $150. For more information, visit www.jwci.org or call (310) 582-7436.

SOURCE John Wayne Cancer Institute Auxiliary