Watch Episode 4
VeloSano Youth Rider Audrey and researcher Betty unite, inspiring advocacy and community in the fight against cancer.
Season 2 Now Streaming
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NEW EPISODES
Presented by Cleveland Clinic
About the Sessions
A liver transplant donor and recipient unite, showcasing the transformative impact of generosity on transplant patient services.
Ken and Julie
FLORIDA
A devoted VeloSano rider and a dedicated researcher join forces, advancing hope for young-onset colorectal cancer breakthroughs.
Jason and Stephanie
OHIO
A resilient survivor and a passionate researcher team up, driving progress in lymphoma research and cancer care.
Craig and Paolo
Season 2
Season 1
Grayson and Madelyn
Jan and Valerie
Sandy, Melissa and Teresa
Rustom, Mary and Milind
Bill and Paul
Matt and Meghan
Trina and Cheryl
Patients meet the founders at the Lou Ruvo Center, sharing how specialized care transformed their journey with neurological disease.
Mike and Sara
Sandy and Jame
Camille, Larry, Andrea and Dan
Next EPISODEs released December 18
Watch More Gratitude Sessions
Two VeloSano participants meet to share their inspiring journeys and highlight the crucial role of fundraising in the fight against cancer.
Patient-turned-donor meets with a nurse, sharing his motivation for supporting the community.
Among those working to keep our communities healthy, there is no small giving.
We’re all in this together when it comes to gratitude.
On the frontlines of the pandemic, reasons to be thankful abound.
Lifesaving cardiovascular research comes from paying it forward.
An unprecedented brain study inspires support in different forms — and gratefulness.
Heart transplants lead to grateful hearts.
Cancer knows no age limits. Fortunately, neither does generosity.
Here at Cleveland Clinic, we love about people whose generosity makes a difference . We also love sharing stories about people who are the beneficiaries of that generosity. These two sets of people rarely have an opportunity to meet, however, let alone to share their stories with each other, . Until now.
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VeloSano Youth Rider meets researcher, sharing inspiring stories of advocacy and community support in the fight against cancer.
Audrey and Betty
VeloSano Youth Rider meets researcher, sharing inspiring stories of advocacy and community support.
A liver transplant donor and recipient unite, showcasing the transformative impact of generosity.
A VeloSano rider and a dedicated researcher join forces, advancing hope for cancer breakthroughs.
Trina Bediako is CEO of a baking company owned by her family. Community health programs benefit from her generosity. Cheryl Williams is a retired pharmaceutical sales representative. A breast cancer survivor, she promotes cancer screenings in the community.
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Behind-the-Scenes
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Nine-year-old Huck Kurinsky is the youngest person to successfully land a backflip on a BMX bike. Participating in the Trike & Bike series for Cleveland Clinic Children’s, Huck honors his late grandmother by cycling to raise money for our pediatric cancer research. Read more inspiring stories like Huck's by subscribing to INbox, our twice monthly newsletter covering the lifesaving research, education and care happening across Cleveland Clinic.
A Young Champion Who Champions Cancer Research
Matt Litzler supports multiple sclerosis research as well as the VeloSano cancer research initiative. He is president and CEO of a manufacturing company. Meghan DeBenedictis is a genetic counselor. She was diagnosed with MS more than 20 years ago.
After a heart attack, Maine resident Mary Ann Seidler received a bleak prognosis. Refusing to accept it, she sought Cleveland Clinic’s heart expertise. On a virtual call, she was told that a cardiac ablation could work. “I remember thinking, ‘Maybe I shouldn’t have cashed out my 401(k),’” she says. Read more inspiring stories like Mary Ann's by subscribing to INbox, our twice monthly newsletter covering the lifesaving research, education and care happening across Cleveland Clinic.
Death was imminent. Then she called us.
Bill Summers stepped up to support the COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund. Prior to his retirement, he was chairman and CEO of an investment banking and securities firm. Paul Lamiell, MSN, RN, CCRN, is a clinical nursing director. During the pandemic, he was one of the nurse managers for the Medical ICU.
Born with a congenital heart disease, Adaya Robinson faced a grim outlook—until Dr. Hani Najm pioneered a three-phase surgery to reroute her blood flow. Now thriving, Adaya is one of many young lives transformed by Cleveland Clinic’s groundbreaking, lifelong cardiac care led by our visionary specialists. Read more inspiring stories like Adaya's by subscribing to INbox, our twice monthly newsletter covering the lifesaving research, education and care happening across Cleveland Clinic.
Procedures No One Anywhere Has Done Before
Mary and Rustom Khouri, DPM, MD, have been married 42 years. They run a real estate development company. The couple made a generous gift to support cardiovascular research. Milind Desai, MD, is a cardiologist who holds the Haslam Family Endowed Chair in Cardiovascular Medicine. His research interests include computed tomography (CT) angiography for cardiovascular risk prediction.
Sandy Fox, DDS, is a retired dentist. He was the first philanthropic donor to the Cleveland Clinic Brain Study. Melissa Fox is Sandy’s daughter. Teresa Brewer is a vendor management analyst. She was the Cleveland Clinic Brain Study’s first participant
Valerie Carpenter had a heart transplant at Cleveland Clinic. Prior to her retirement, she was a client sales executive in the information technology services industry. Jan Jones Artz is a retired broadcast journalist. A gift from her and her late husband, Shelly Artz, MD, supports research in heart disease and transplantation.
Grayson Yee is in third grade. He supports pediatric cancer research through Cleveland Clinic’s Trike & Bike initiative. Madelyn Petrulis is in 10th grade. She is in remission from Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Laura Frank and Leigh Anne Best are the founders of Brakes for Breasts. Their grassroots campaign has rallied independent auto-repair shops to raise critical funding to develop a vaccine aimed at preventing triple-negative breast cancer. Jennifer Davis is a registered nurse. She was the first person to participate in a novel study for the breast cancer vaccine.
Camille and Larry Ruvo partnered with Cleveland Clinic to found the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health to support patients and families through specialized care and innovative brain disease research. After Dan Harrington’s mild cognitive impairment diagnosis, he and his wife, Andrea, moved to Las Vegas for care at the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health. In 2023, Dan became the center’s first patient to receive the FDA-approved Alzheimer’s disease therapy, lecanemab.
Nevada
Jame Abraham, MD, is a VeloSano researcher and Hematology/Oncology leader, dedicated to advancing cancer treatment. An 11-year Virtual Fundraiser and rider, he’s committed to fighting cancer on and off the bike. Sandy Erlanger is a Virtual Fundraiser, volunteer, and donor with a personal cancer journey as a Living Hope member. A retired Cleveland Clinic caregiver and former writer, she’s dedicated to supporting cancer research.
Mike White is a dedicated supporter of Indian River Hospital, having recently made a generous donation toward the Emergency Department (ED) renovation. As a patient himself, he saw firsthand the need to expand the ED to better serve the community. Sara Fontaine, RN is a compassionate Emergency Department nurse at Indian River Hospital, committed to providing high-quality care to patients. She brings valuable insight into the impact of the ED renovation on patient care and the community.
Audrey Heath, a VeloSano Youth Rider and Living Hope member, rides to support cancer research and inspire hope through her journey. Betty Hamilton, MD is a dedicated VeloSano researcher and grant recipient, with projects also backed by government funding. Her entire family shares her commitment, with her children participating in VeloSano rides from a young age to support cancer research.
Ken Hollander, a transplant patient and donor, passionately advocates for enhanced services supporting transplant patients. Julie, a liver transplant recipient, is thriving thanks to the transformative impact of the Cleveland Clinic Transplant Fund.
Jason Dorn rides with Team Make it Rain in honor of his wife, Kathy, who has been courageously battling stage IV colon cancer for over two years, and for their son, Ollie, who has grown up witnessing his mother’s resilience. Jason's dedication to VeloSano reflects his commitment to supporting cancer research and giving hope to families like his own. Stephanie Schmit, PhD, a 2022 VeloSano grant recipient, is advancing cancer research by developing an innovative epigenetic age acceleration biomarker to better understand and stratify risk for young-onset colorectal cancer. As part of Cleveland Clinic's Genomic Medicine Institute, her work aims to improve early detection and outcomes for patients facing this challenging disease.
Craig Sheetz is a cancer and COVID-19 survivor who channels his resilience into making a difference. As the captain of the Cruising for a Cure team and a VeloSano Big Wheeler, Craig is dedicated to supporting cancer research through his inspiring fundraising and cycling efforts. Paolo Caimi, MD, a Cleveland Clinic hematologist, specializes in lymphoma treatment and research. As a VeloSano grant recipient, he is advancing groundbreaking studies to improve outcomes for lymphoma patients while also supporting cancer research as an active fundraiser.
We want to thank the stars of “The Gratitude Sessions,” our friends from all walks of life who came from near and far to meet each other and speak their truth in front of our lights, cameras and microphones. We’ve learned so much from them. We hope you will, too.
Behind-The-Scenes
Executive Producer ............................... Lara A. Kalafatis Producer ................................................ Cindy Fink Producer ................................................ John Soeder Project Manager .................................... Peter Voight Project Manager .................................... Ahmed Aduib Photographer (Ohio/Florida) ................ Matt Kohlman Photographer (Ohio/Nevada) ............... Don Gerda Photography Supervisor ....................... Shawn Green Designer ................................................. Ivy Monroe Designer ................................................. Leah Pirrung Editor ...................................................... Jacelyn Almanzar Editor ...................................................... Tom Leland Editor ...................................................... Elizabeth Misson Editor ...................................................... Arelene Allen-Mitchell
End Credits
Cleveland Clinic
Special thanks to Kelly Needham, Nicole Peters, Christina DeAngelis, Kandis Schreiber, Renae Delucia, Nicole Wolf, MacKenzie Ruta, Chris Roddy, Don Rudolph, Linda Walton, Kelley Barbati and Jackie Zassick. Thank you to many marketing and communications colleagues working to promote The Gratitude Sessions, with special thanks to: Sam Arth, Jennifer Guerrieri Tadiello, Tyler Maddox, April Miller, Miles Sawyer-Hill, Lily Schwab, Sofia Vilar, Tora Vinci, and the AdCom team.
Executive Producer ................................ Brian Glazen Director ................................................... Julia Thorndike Producer ................................................. Taylor Caruso Producer (Florida) .................................. Bob Ruggeri Director of Photography ........................ Eddie Smith Editor ...................................................... Dan Krivenki Camera Operator (Ohio)........................ Dan Krivenki Camera Operator (Ohio/Nevada).......... PJ Mozingo Camera Operator (Nevada)................... Reece Moffett Camera Operator (Florida).................... Alex DeStefino Gaffer (Ohio) .......................................... Ryan Keeper Gaffer (Nevada) ..................................... Jesse Johnson Gaffer (Florida) ...................................... Jose Flores Production & Post Audio Engineer ....... Mike Carissimi Hair & Makeup Stylist (Ohio) ................. Giovanna Keeper Hair & Makeup Stylist (Nevada) ............ Kelly Moore Hair & Makeup Stylist (Florida) ............. Sandy Maranesi
Think Media Studios
Executive Producer ................................ Brian Glazen Producer ................................................. Taylor Caruso Director ................................................... Geoff Yaw Director ................................................... Julia Thorndike Director ................................................... Bob Ruggeri Director of Photography ........................ Eddie Smith Camera Operator ................................... Dan Krivenki Gaffer ..................................................... Ryan Keeper Production & Post Audio Engineer ....... Mike Carissimi Hair & Makeup Stylist .................. ......... Giovanna Keeper Editor ...................................................... Keith Potoczak Editor ...................................................... John St. Pierre Editor ...................................................... Dan Krivenki
Special thanks to Michelle Amato, Bridget Andrews, Ellen Bader, Kristie Burke, Jessica Claughton, Christina DeAngelis, Meredith Foxx, Adam Gundlah, Chelsea Knowles, Claire McBroom, Kelly Needham, Cara Nething, Mayme Patthoff, Carey Stadnick, Tiffany Vesperman and Jackie Zassick. Thank you to many marketing and communications colleagues working to promote The Gratitude Sessions, with special thanks to: Sam Arth, Jennifer Guerrieri Tadiello, Tyler Maddox, April Miller, Miles Sawyer-Hill, Lily Schwab, Sofia Vilar, Tora Vinci, the AdCom team and the Merkle team.
Executive Producer ............................... Lara A. Kalafatis Producer ................................................ Cindy Fink Producer ................................................ John Soeder Project Manager .................................... Chloe I. Maxwell Photographer ......................................... Lisa DeJong Photographer ......................................... Don Gerda Photography Supervisor ....................... Shawn Green Designer ................................................. Michael Gallagher Designer ................................................. Ivy Monroe Designer ................................................. Joanne Mrosko Designer ................................................. Leah Pirrung Editor ...................................................... Jacelyn Almanzar Editor ...................................................... Tom Leland Editor ...................................................... Elizabeth Misson Editor ...................................................... Jill Stefancin
