Our Board

Cynthia Kinsella – President and CEO

When diagnosed with invasive Bladder Cancer at 47 I was terrified,I had a disease that I knew so little about that I had to look up the symptoms. I felt totally alone and did not know what direction to go in.

I remember while doing early research being shocked that there was no formal Bladder Cancer organization. In the spring of 2005 two weeks following the end of systemic chemotherapy, I learned that the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network (BCAN) was forming, I volunteered and then became a member of its board of directors. Dealing with survivors and following their stories taught me a few things.One’s chances of survival are enhanced by becoming an informed medical consumer in cancer, knowledge can be the difference. I also saw how having others to share this journey with enhanced your quality of life as well as knowledge.

As time went on I also became fascinated with the potential of on-line social networking and what it could offer to the Bladder Cancer survivor’s community. I envisioned another organization with its first priority being survivor and caregiver support, harvesting and giving access to good information while becoming another voice to advocate for Bladder Cancer. In late summer of 2007,

I left BCAN knowing it was fulfilling its mission and had talented people giving it a firm foundation. I shared my vision with other Bladder Cancer advocates and the American Bladder Cancer Society was born.The last four years I have seen incredible change in my life. Today finds me with no evidence of disease living a full life following Radical Cystectomy.

My husband Edward and I live in the beautiful Berkshire Mountains of western Massachusetts with our two dogs Sam and Amelia. Our sons Eric and Kenneth are men now and have flown the nest to start their own. I have retired from my career as a Realtor to devote my time to the American Bladder Cancer Society. And a disease that I didn’t even know the symptoms of four years ago has become the focus of my life’s work.

Sally Duffy – Treasurer and CFO

Sally grew up near Boston, Massachusetts and has been married to her husband, Mike, for 39 years. They have two grown sons. When their children were growing up, Sally feels blessed that she was able to be a stay at home Mom and postpone outside work.

She enjoyed volunteering in the school classrooms, was a Den Leader for Cub Scouts; she and Mike were active members on the Boy Scout Troup Council.In the 1980’s when computers were being introduced into the public school systems and having a basic knowledge of computers, she convinced the elementary school department that they needed a computer “specialist” to work with students in grades K-6.

After moving to western Massachusetts in 1989, she become involved in a new school district and became president of the PTO. She organized a used sports sale which became a major fundraiser for the PTO. Sally also started the town’s first After Prom Party and held fundraisers to minimize the cost so all students could attend. For the past 16 years she has worked as a Realtor, obtaining her Brokers License and many professional designations. She and Mike moved to Cape Cod in 2003 and both now work as Realtors. Sally enjoys reading, walking the local beaches, sewing and staying active.The American Bladder Cancer Society is very special to her.

When her best friend was diagnosed with Bladder Cancer she was at a loss as to how to help her. There did not seem to be any place to get information and support. She had been through a breast cancer scare herself years ago and her mother was successfully treated for breast cancer. Bladder Cancer is virtually foreign to most people. She felt frustration, fear, and a sense of helplessness. After watching and supporting her friend through her treatments she is honored to be asked to be part of an organization that is helping other Bladder Cancer patients with support, hope and a medium to advance the awareness of Bladder Cancer and the need for early diagnosis and treatment.

Ed Kinsella – Secretary

Ed holds a Bachelors of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) graduating in 1978. He has been employed in the U.S. defense industry as an engineer for almost 30 years. His career began in his hometown of Pittsfield, Massachusetts. While working on the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) at the U.S. Army’s Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, AL, he met and married Cynthia in 1992.

The family then traveled to eastern Massachusetts while Ed was working at the Hanscom Air Force Base in Bedford. In 1995, the family moved to western Massachusetts where Cynthia and Ed reside in Dalton.

When Cynthia was diagnosed with muscle invasive Bladder Cancer in August, 2004, he became her partner in the battle against this disease. Ed has made the American Bladder Cancer Society his primary volunteer effort, but he still finds a few hours to help the local Habitat for Humanity chapter.

Sylvia L. Ramsey-Rezner – Vice President

The only thing she could find was an eight hundred number for the National Cancer Institute. She called and asked for information. They sent her a large brown envelope of what was available at the time. What she read was frightening because the odds for survival, or any quality of life in that information were very small. She turned her search to the internet and found a research paper about an Indiana pouch.

She took it to her urologist and asked if it were possible. He said maybe, depending on what they found when they did the surgery. She didn’t feel there was an option for the surgery not working, it had to. Her husband began his treatment for his cancer and in his final week, she had her surgery. The good news was that the cancer was contained in the bladder and the Indiana pouch was possible.

Through sheer determination, she returned to work for a half day at a time after only four and one half weeks of her release from the hospital. Her role as caregiver and making a difference for others who had been diagnosed with Bladder Cancer was her main priority. Even though she did not realize it at the time, it was what gave the strength to face the long journey ahead. Several years later, she lost her husband, not to cancer but a blood clot that broke loose and caused a massive heart attack.There were no support groups that existed at home or online for Bladder Cancer. Knowing how badly she needed to at least talk to someone who had been diagnosed with Bladder Cancer, she was determined to do something about it. She began writing about it and seeking to get the information published. She spoke out about Bladder Cancer everywhere she could be heard, speaking to groups, radio and television talk shows. She created her own webpage with links and information, and then she created an online group for women bladder cancer survivors.

Her dream was to see a foundation for bladder cancer survivors that would offer support, create awareness and educate the public about this type of cancer.Later, she was asked to serve on the Executive Committee of the Bladder Cancer SPORE group at M.D. Anderson. In 2005 she attended the SPORE conference in Washington D.C. as a patient advocate for Bladder Cancer. She was the only patient advocate attending for Bladder Cancer. This fact only made her desire to make changes even stronger. More recently, she was one of twenty cancer survivors selected to receive a scholarship to attend the 2008 Biennial Cancer Survivorship Research Conference held in Atlanta, GA in June. The biennial conference was initiated in 2002 by the National Cancer Institute’s Office of Cancer Survivorship and the American Cancer Society’s Behavioral Research Center to bring together investigators and clinicians involved in cutting-edge cancer survivorship research.

Today, Sylvia La Von Ramsey-Rezner teaches Public Speaking at the Georgia Military Community College in Augusta, GA. She is a Professor of Speech Communication, and the Coordinator of the Academic Resource Center and the Electronic Library on campus. Additionally, she is an advisor for the GMC Student Bladder Cancer Awareness Advocates on her campus. Sylvia is also a Public Speaker, patient Bladder Cancer advocate, and a published author. On a more personal note, she had recently remarried. She is now the mother of seven children, grandmother of seventeen and soon to be great-grandmother of four. There is life surviving cancer and she firmly believes what is stated in a poem written by Emily Dickinson, “Not knowing when the dawn will come, I open every door.”

Dr. Charles Thomas Rezner – Director

Dr. Rezner married Sylvia L. Ramsey in 2007 and they reside in Augusta, GA. Tom holds several advanced degrees from several universities, including his most recent degree: American College of Metaphysical Theology, Ph.D. conferred in 2004. Tom’s career spans over forty years of service in academia as a teacher, instructor, and coach.

Tom has also held positions as a diocesan registrar/historiographer and in the field of human resources and industrial safety; holding the position of either manager or director in several organizations. Tom operated his own business for several years. He is currently a faculty member of the University of Phoenix Augusta Campus in Augusta, GA.Tom is a past or present member of many professional organizations in the fields of history, political science, social studies, several faculty associates, water safety, and athletic coaching.

He is also a past or present member of the American Historical Association, several Episcopal churches, several American Red Cross chapters, and several Kiwanis clubs. Tom has received achievement awards from several athletic, civic, labor, and safety organizations, including, the Outstanding Young Men of America and Who’s Who in the Midwest. Tom has been a book reviewer for the Community College Social Science Quarterly in 1970 thru 1973 and the Journal of American History in 1977. He has also authored articles in Swimming World Magazine in 1974 and 1975.

Sara Anne Gardner – Director

When diagnosed with bladder cancer in the late winter of 2008, Sara Anne thought “Now I know what I am going to die of.”

She began doing research on the internet, found the American Bladder Cancer Society web site, and decided that dying was not an option! The information, support, and friendships that she found there convinced her to offer her efforts to others in the same situation.

She has been very active on the Forum, offering advice and support to others, eventually became a Forum monitor, and has worked on testing and reviewing content for the new Web Site. Sara Anne’s interest in medicine and medical research goes back several decades. After obtaining a PhD in physical chemistry, she changed her research direction with a post-doctoral fellowship in neurochemistry/neuropharmacology.

She became a faculty member in the Psychiatry Department of the University of Iowa College of Medicine where she did research in developmental neurochemistry and participated in teaching neuropharmacology/neurochemistry to medical students and psychiatric residents.

During this time, she received research grants from the National Institutes of Health as well as a Research Career Development Award. After a sabbatical at the Roche Institute of Molecular Biology, Sara Anne moved to the extramural programs, National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD, where she eventually became Director of the Pharmacological Sciences research grants program in the National Institute of General Medical Sciences.

Sara Anne is not only surviving bladder cancer, but is also a breast cancer survivor. She lost her husband in 1999 to lung cancer. She has made fighting cancer in its many forms a prime goal.

Mike McGarry – Director

Mike is a senior executive with over thirty years of experience in international business and is currently a management business consultant with a leading consulting firm. He first bout with bladder cancer was in 2006 when he was diagnosed with CIS (carcinoma in situ) of the bladder.

He found the predecessor of ABLCS forum where he was able to connect with others who had had bladder cancer and their loved ones. Mike became an advocate for his own care and interacted with other users once the ABLCS Forum was established. Learning and contributing knowledge were his goals. After two years of being cancer free Mike’s bladder cancer came back. This time it was muscle invasive.

So, back to the ABLCS Forum he went. Again, interacting and learning and contributing with others to better understand his options and the best path forward. Mike had a radical cystectomy with neobladder replacement in 2008 and continues to be cancer free.

However, Mike didn’t forget the help and support he got from the members of the American Bladder Cancer Society. He came back to the Forum day after day to try to give to others the kind of support and fact based information that he received. In 2012, Mike became a Director on our Board of Directors.