Local man helps raise awareness

By Millie Diaz

Managing Editor

Dennis Mozisek will call himself a country man, but he’s become more like a superhero to the workers of Exelixis Inc. Exelixis is a San Francisco Bay Area-based biotechnology company on a mission to help cancer patients recover stronger and live longer. Mozisek and his wife Ann were the subject of a video designed to raise awareness of common types of kidney cancers.

“Ann and I (his wife and caregiver) were at my appointment at M.D. Anderson in Houston, and my doctor said Exelixis representatives were looking for people with success stories about their treatment journey. My doctor gave them my name and we heard from them within a couple of days,” Dennis said. 

Claire McConnaughey, senior manager of Exelixis Public Affairs, said they undertook the venture of making a video to raise awareness of advanced kidney cancer for other patients who might be going through the same situation as Dennis and Ann. 

“Advanced renal cell carcionoma is a serious condition and we wanted someone who would be willing to share their story,” McConnaughey said. “After a preliminary talk with Dennis and Ann they were open to the idea of us coming into their house and sharing.”

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