Wednesday night, we headed to Kellari Taverna on K Street for a special reception benefiting the Lazarex Cancer Foundation! We snapped JLL CEO of the Americas Greg O'Brien with his wife, LLS national board member Lynne O'Brien, Lazarex Cancer Foundation founder and Chairman Dana Dornsife and the evening's host, veteran journalist and philanthropist Laura Evans Manatos. Guests heard firsthand from Dornsife and Manatos about the struggles cancer patients face when trying to participate in clinical cancer treatment trials.

The Lazarex Cancer Foundation's goal is to provide financial help and advice for patients wanting to participate in FDA clinical trials. Cancer clinical trials provide the only pathway for future treatments, yet only 3-5% of cancer patients enroll in clinical trials. Lazarex is the only organization in the country helping patients not only find clinical trials that could save their lives, but also reimbursing patients for out-of-pocket costs to get to the trials and stay enrolled. Here, author Margot Machol Bisnow with American University's Anita McBride, WUSA 9's Andrea Roane and filmmaker Kerith Lemon, who created "Bare," a film about breast cancer in young women.

Allison Plater and her mother, Johns Hopkins Medicine's Queenie Plater, surround lobbyist and husband of the host Mike Manatos. Guests enjoyed a wide selection of Greek wine and appetizers throughout the evening.

Lazarex has helped more than 3,000 cancer patients find hope. Now it is working on a sustainable solution to fix the key problem that slows the search for advanced treatments and a cure. Here, Lazarex founder Dana Dornsife joins Reps. Jamie Raskin, Buddy Carter and Martha McSally, who came to support her and the foundation's efforts.