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Blue Faery Stars
Blue Faery Stars are people who have gone above and beyond the ordinary to help Blue Faery fulfill its mission to prevent, treat and cure Hepatocellular Carcinoma. We applaud and thank our Blue Faery Stars!
IN MEMORY OF MATT "RHINO" ANDERSON
The Rhino Invitational Golf Tournament was founded in 1985 by
Matt "Rhino" Anderson. Every year since then, Matt had invited
friends from near and far to come together to play golf in "his"
tournament, and the event had grown steadily as Matt's own
circle of friends widened. Although there were no golfing skill
requirements for receiving an invitation to participate in the
Rhino, it had always been an honor to be selected to compete
because it meant Matt counted you among his friends. For many,
the Rhino has become a fixture on the June calendar every bit as
important as a major holiday.
On November 10, 2003, Matt passed away after a six-month
battle with liver cancer. Before he was taken from his family, Matt
made clear that it was important to him for the Rhino Invitational
to continue. It came as no surprise to anyone who knew him.
Matt loved competition in virtually any form, and it brought him
great joy to assemble his friends every year to compete on the
golf course. Indeed, Matt once remarked that hosting the Rhino
was like having a wedding every year: a great opportunity to
bring friends from different parts of your life together for a big party. In that spirit, Matt's family and friends continue to gather each year for the Rhino—because Matt wanted it that way.
For several years now, Matt Anderson's family and friends have seen to it that the proceeds from the annual
Rhino Invitational Golf Tournament are donated to Blue Faery. We thank them for their generosity.
IN HONOR OF KATHIE BRYSON
Chuck, Kathie, and Jim
Healthcare worker Kathie Bryson didn't plan to fight her state Congress, but when she contracted hepatitis C—and later liver cancer—she discovered just how much tenacity it takes to be an advocate for a "silent" disease.
She had just completed four months of chemotherapy when Missouri state Rep. Jim Lembke knocked on her door. He was campaigning in her neighborhood. As she puts it, "He made the mistake of asking what were concerns or needs from us the voters." As her family laughed, Kathie proceeded to tell Jim what she had been through, and he was stunned. She explained to him that 2 out of 100 healthcare workers contract hepatitis C and approximately 75% of liver cancer diagnoses can be linked to it. Soon after Jim joined Kathie's cause to promote awareness of hepatitis C, another hero came into her life—Rep. Chuck Portwood, whose friend had died from hepatitis C after receiving a bad blood transfusion. After some initial difficulty, Jim and Chuck developed an idea for a bill that they knew would get out of committee and past all the lobbyists. On May 10, 2006, Kathie listened as Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder proclaimed that HCR12 had passed; he also added, "Happy Birthday, Kathie." Two months later Gov. Matt Blunt signed HCR12, which relates to Missouri's hepatitis C day, into law at the old courthouse in downtown St. Louis.
Kathie with Jim, Gov. Blunt, her family, friends, doctor, and pastor the day "Kathie's Law" was signed.
Kathie also participated in the award-winning documentary Prometheus Bound: the Epidemic of Hepatitis C produced by Banyan Communications and narrated by Susan Sarandon. Kathie likes to call the film her "hair journey" because you can watch as her hair grows back after chemotherapy.
