Restaurant Dishes Up Fundraiser to Help Ukraine Cancer Patients

Ashling Kitchen & Bar in Crofton Maryland is featuring Ukrainian food through June 2, 2022, called “Cuisine of the Brave” to help provide funding for the American Cancer Society’s assistance to Ukrainian cancer patients whose treatment has been disrupted by the war. More than 179,000 newly diagnosed patients with cancer are among the Ukrainian people suffering from Russia's unprovoked aggression.

The restaurant is donating 5 percent of their sales of Ukrainian cuisine to the American Cancer Society (ACS), and is featuring traditional dishes such as chicken Kiev, stuffed cabbage (called holubtsi), and beet soup.

ACS, in partnership with the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center-Jefferson Health, is supporting Ukrainian cancer patients and their families though a Clinician Volunteer Corps and free cancer resources available in English, Ukrainian, Polish, and Russian through their patient information websites at www.cancer.org/ukrainesupport and www.cancer.net/ukraine. The ACS 24/7 hotline at 1-800-227-2345 includes six toll-free numbers local to Eastern Europe, which provide cancer information and resources in languages that include Ukrainian, Polish, Russian and English.

Husband and wife co-owners of the Ashling Kitchen & Bar in Crofton, Maryland, Saeed Ashrafzadeh and Elise Letavish, chose the Ukrainian cancer patient cause because they know first-hand what it’s like to fight cancer. Elise was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer at age 34 during the pandemic in October 2020. A loving hug from her husband that caused her breast pain was Elise’s first symptom. “We dealt with two C’s – cancer and COVID,” said Saeed, but the pair understand that fighting cancer in a war zone is even more daunting.

Ashland Kitchen & Bar is located at 1286 Route 3 South, Suite 3, Crofton, Maryland. For more information, see www.ashlingco.com.

Ukrainian Clinician Volunteer Corps Needs More Oncology Professionals

The Clinician Volunteer Corps is assisting cancer patients, family members and clinicians in Eastern Europe. Approximately 400 volunteer clinicians, including physicians, nurses and other professionals, have joined the corps, but more oncology professionals are needed. The webpage www.cancer.org/ukrainesupport provides a one-stop resource for people with cancer, caregivers, and clinicians in Central and Eastern Europe. Since the launch of these resources – ACS has had 30,000 page views and over 20,000 new users to the website.

“Disruptions to cancer treatment pose a grave risk to the survival of Ukrainian patients with cancer,” said Dr. Karen Knudsen, CEO of the American Cancer Society. “We, along with our invaluable partners, are committed to leveraging our expertise and vast network to help Ukrainian cancer patients and their families, as well as the Ukrainian oncology research and care community.”