Resident receives Patient Courage Award

Pictured, Dean Paranicas, president and CEO of the HealthCare Institute of New Jersey, presents the Patient Courage Award to David Dubin and his family.

HAWORTH, N.J. –– A resident was recently honored for his strength in the face of adversity and commitment to helping others.

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Resident David Dubin received the Patient Courage Award on Oct. 24 at the Haworth Borough Council meeting. The award was presented by Dean Paranicas on behalf of the Mayors Committee on Life Sciences.

Paranicas is president and CEO of the HealthCare Institute of New Jersey and a co-chair of We Work for Health New Jersey.

Dubin has Lynch syndrome and is a three-time cancer survivor. Lynch syndrome is caused by a genetic mutation that increases the risk for certain types of cancers. He was first diagnosed with colon cancer in 1997 but did not undergo genetic testing until the cancer returned in 2007.

During his treatment, Dubin founded “AliveAndKickN,” a blog to “help him stay sane.” The name is derived from his love of soccer, a sport he continues to play and coach. AliveAndKickN has evolved into a foundation dedicated to raising awareness about Lynch syndrome. The organization’s current focus is on the “heroic registry,” a patient-centric, genetic database that allows patient to contribute to research and share their experiences of living with Lynch syndrome and related cancers.

For more information on AliveAndKickN, visit http://aliveandkickn.org.

Haworth Mayor John Smart nominated Dubin for the Patient Courage Award.

“Alive and kicking is more than a slogan, it’s a way of life for [David Dubin] who has committed his life’s work to helping and educating others,” said Smart. “Now the director of sales, genetics and genomics at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai, Dave remains a friend, a role-model and an inspiration to Haworth residents.”
Photo courtesy of Mary Brown
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