The Long Beach Cancer League, a nearly 50-year-old nonprofit that raises money for cancer research, will host its annual Reach for the Stars Gala on Saturday evening, June 3, at the Museum of Latin American Art.
And during the fundraising event, the organization will honor eight “stars.”
Among them are two SCNG columnists and former editors: Rich Archbold, the Press-Telegram’s former executive editor and current public editor, who is now cancer free about 18 months after being diagnosed with melanoma; and Harry Saltzgaver, the former longtime editor of the Grunion Gazettes, who was at his father’s hospital bedside when he died from lung cancer in 2009.
For much of its existence, the Long Beach Cancer League raised money — more than $11 million — for the American Cancer Society. But earlier this year, the nonprofit announced the money it raises will now be reserved for geriatric and youth cancer treatment programs at MemorialCare’s Long Beach Medical Center and Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital.
The nonprofit’s marquee fundraiser is its annual gala, at which a select group of cancer stars share their stories of how cancer touched their lives. This year, that includes Archbold and Saltzgaver.
But before they tell an audience of benefactors and philanthropists their stories, our two stars are sharing them with readers — in a pair of columns.
You can read Archbold’s column about his cancer journey here. You can read Saltzgaver’s poignant tale of losing his father here.
For more information on the Long Beach Cancer League, go to lbcancerleague.org.
2023 Cancer Stars
Fay Abed: Abed’s mother died from stomach cancer in 2006, and her elder sister died from colon cancer in 2017, at 60 years old. Abed has been a member of the Long Beach Cancer League since 2015.
Rich Archbold: Rich Archbold, the Press-Telegram’s former executive editor and current public editor and columnist, was diagnosed with Stage 3 melanoma in January 2022. He…
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