Attendees:
Kamal, Shirley, Mark, Patti , John , Judy, Valorie, Donald, Zee, Esther, and Walter

The meeting was called to order at 9:08am with the first order of business to discuss the recent NY Times article on the use of the Gamma Knife for Radiosurgery. There was mixed opinion on whether this article should be seen as a positive or negative for Radiosurgery. Mark noted that the technology referenced in this article is very dated and for that reason could not be totally credible. The question was raised as to who from Accuray would respond or rebut the article.

Note: Dr. John Adler responsed to the NY Times article. Please see his reply on the CPSG message board dated May 5, 2003.

Accuray Update
An Accuray update was provided by Patti. The recent AANS (American Association of Neurological Surgeons) was just completed with a degree of success. Our location was not optimum but the contacts were.

Election of Officers
The election of officers is the most important piece of business to be discussed at this meeting as they will provide the leadership for this organization. The following officers were nominated elected with full agreement of the attendees.
President: Donald
Vice President: Valorie
Secretary/Treasurer: Mark

Board of Directors: (To meet either prior or directly after CPSG meetings)
Mark
Esther
Patti

New Items for Discussion

Website
Mark discussed contacts to create links on other sites. There are many areas that could be added such as FSR, Patient Support, Radiosurgery, Gamma Knife, the meditags could be updated quarterly, etc.
The web site is terrific and Valorie continues to refine. She is looking for compressed videos that will not require long periods to download. Security needs to be added in order to prevent insurance companies from tracking down patients. No last names should ever be used on the web site. A firewall between Accuray and CPSG will need to be established and perhaps this is something Accuray can facilitate.

Fundraising
This is an area that will need considerable attention. Your suggestions would be most welcome. Some suggestions include:
Tribute dinner as recognition of the CyberKnife growth
Yard Sale

Legal Update
John has been in contact with friends at Cooley Godward and it looks like they will be in a position to provide legal representation for CPSG on a pro bono basis. We are waiting their acceptance which could be just a few months. This status will warrant access to our designated attorney, as needed. John’s letter is attached.

Individual Updates
Kamel: Feeling good after two years.
Walter: His treatment was three years ago, March.
Judy: Her last MRI at Kaiser was mid-April and they are reluctant to share the results with Stanford.
According to Kaiser, there is no change over the last two years but Stanford found a 20% reduction last year. However, there are no new symptoms.

CPSG Inquiries
Donald shared inquiries about the CyberKnife treatment as an option.
Ken from Texas – treated
Lois
Pauline
Janet
Jeanne had taken an educational leave but is back and will be returning to the group.

General Comments
Everyone continues to be an inspiration to others within this group and the level of commitment to the group and to each other is tremendous. All efforts are appreciated. We welcome you to visit and participate in future meetings.

Action Items:
Copies of Discovery video on CD to Valorie for web site-Patti
Discovery video on website along with other videos-Valorie
Refreshments for next meeting (737-9298)-Shirley
Cooley Godward status-John
Patient Release Form-Cooley Godward
$500 Q2 2003 check to CPSG-Patti
Next Meeting is scheduled for Saturday, August 16, 10:00am – 12:00noon at ACCURAY
Hope to see you there!

Minutes created by Patti

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