The CalvertHealth Foundation is pleased to present the 2022 Gala
for Cancer Care on Saturday, Nov. 12 at the MGM National Harbor
Grand Ballroom. For more than 30 years, friends of the hospital
have come together for one memorable evening to raise meaningful
support for critical programs and services.
After a two-year hiatus due to COVID concerns, the ball is back. Proceeds from this year’s
gala will help support the advancement of cancer care at CalvertHealth Medical Center
(CHMC) – including the development of a robotic surgery program and an affiliation with a
national leader in cancer care that will open the doors to clinical trials and research for local
patients close to home.
“The theme for this year’s gala ‘Where Hope Grows’ underscores the significant impact
this fundraising initiative will have on the lives of those who rely on CalvertHealth Medical
Center for their cancer care,” said Foundation Chair Denise Bowman.
“When my dad’s colon cancer was found 30 years ago during an appendectomy,
he was 57. They closed him up and told my mom he had maybe two years to live,”
said Linda Sinagra-Smith of Huntingtown.
“It was a small community hospital in Connecticut. They didn’t have the
knowledge and the expertise to care for him. It was a very difficult time … all of
their children had jobs and no one was able to go up there to be with them.
“I was living in Virginia with my husband who was in the Navy and our three
young children who were in school and couldn’t leave.
“So, my mom took him to Boston, two hours away, where she stayed in a hotel
while he was treated because there was nothing back home. He lived to be 83.”
She went on to add, “As a
breast cancer survivor treated
by Dr. (Theodore) Tsangaris at
CalvertHealth’s Surgery Center, I can
tell you it means a great deal to be able
to get the expert care you need without
having to travel far.”
Dedicated to Raising the Bar on Excellence
“We are very excited to announce
we will be returning to our in-person
gala on Nov. 12th at the MGM National
Harbor,” said Gala Co-chair Teresa
Schrodel. “This cause is very close to
my heart. My husband, Michael, died
of testicular cancer 21 years ago.”
Her co-chair, Linda Sinagra-
Smith of Huntingtown, has her own
cancer story. “In the summer of 1991,
my dad’s appendix burst and he
needed surgery. During the procedure,
it was discovered he had colon cancer.”
She went on to add, “I am very
proud to be co-chairing this year’s
gala with Teresa. Cancer care is one
of the highest priorities we have in
our county. I don’t think there is one
person in Calvert who has not been
touched by some form of cancer … with a friend, a family member or
themselves.
“When a loved one is diagnosed
with cancer, you want one thing – the
best care for them,” said Sinagra-
Smith. “The affiliation with Duke
Health is about bringing the best to
our community by expanding access
to the lastest research and clinical
trials. So, our loved ones can get
world-class cancer care close to
home…close to family and friends…
close to the emotional support that
makes all the difference.”
Be a Part of Something Big
According to Schrodel, the gala
committee has spent months planning
what promises to be a spectacular
evening. “We have a wonderful group
of volunteers,” she said. “They are so
dedicated to helping the hospital get
better and better.”
The popular black-tie gala is the
hospital’s largest and longest-running
fundraiser. Since it began, the ball has
raised more than $5.6 million – helping
to equip the Sheldon E. Goldberg
Center for Breast Care, to create
the Mobile Health Center, to add
private patient rooms and to expand
behavioral health services.
Don’t miss what has become one of
Calvert’s most highly anticipated events.
A choice of sponsorship packages is
available including reserved seating
and special recognition. Tickets are
$350 per person/$700 per couple and
include a cocktail reception, fine dining
and dancing to great music by Infusion.
“We want to thank our early
sponsors and especially our presenting
sponsor, the DeCesaris/Prout Cancer
Foundation, for their generosity, loyalty
and passion for helping CHMC provide
the highest quality cancer care for
Southern Maryland residents,” said
Theresa Johnson, Vice President for
Brand Strategy and Philanthropy.
The gala also features a silent
auction where guests can bid on a
curated selection of items from sports
tickets to artwork. Dickinson Jewelers,
a longtime hospital supporter, is once
again sponsoring the jewelry raffle
where one lucky ticket holder will win
a $5,000 shopping spree at their store.
“My husband was 29 when he was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2000,”
said Teresa Schrodel, who lived in Churchton then. “It was so advanced there
was no specialist who could handle it at the time at Calvert.
“We had a one-year-old at home,” she said. “Giving up wasn’t an option.
His fraternity brother in Michigan helped coordinate drivers to make the
100-mile round trip with him every day for six weeks for radiation and
chemotherapy in downtown Baltimore.
“When they couldn’t do anymore for him, we traveled to Indianapolis to
see Dr. Lawrence Einhorn, who wrote the protocol for treating testicular cancer.
“I lost Michael on Aug. 23, 2001. My hope is that others do not have to
go through what we went through… leaving the county… to see specialists.”