Unique Ikki Matsumoto shirt being raffled off for good cause
Former part-time Sanibel resident John Kanzius spent his entire life in broadcast engineering, management and ownership. When his( retirement was interrupted in 2002 with a diagnosis of a rare form of B-cell leukemia, he began to draw on his years of engineering experience to envision a better way to treat the devastating disease.
Before his untimely death in 2009, Kanzius devoted his full-time efforts to supporting and advancing the research of a new treatment modality. Those efforts led to the development of a non-invasive radio wave treatment for cancer, which is known as the Kanzius Non-invasive Radio Wave Cancer Treatment.
The machine can be compared to many common devises used today – TV remotes, cell phones and automatic garage door openers are just a few of the familiar items that use radio waves to create a wave field. The theory, developed by inventor Kanzius, proposes that these same radio waves, at the proper frequencies, can be used to heat metal.
And if this metal is placed inside a cancer cell, and heated, it will destroy the cancer cell and none of the neighboring healthy cells will be affected. Researchers conducting tests with the Kanzius equipment have been able to kill cancer cells 100 percent in small, live animals and in vitro without harming nearby healthy cells.
The idea that a machine can destroy cancer cells without harming healthy cells and provide no ill effects for cancer patients may seem like a complicated process. Scientists at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in Pennsylvania are putting Kanzius’ theory to the test.
Researchers are using microscopically small metals, known as nanoparticles, and introducing them into a cancer patient’s blood stream. These particles target and attach themselves to cancer cells. The Kanzius Non-invasive Radio Wave Center Treatment then generates enough heat to destroy the cancer. And, good news for patients, there are no side effects.
The FDA must approve the cancer-killing device before it can be used in human trials, and to reach that point in time, funds are needed to support the research. There are many ways to help the John Kanzius Cancer Research Foundation, and Sanibel resident John Carney has chosen to do his part by raffling off a one-of-a-kind Ikki Matsumoto shirt.
“We had a few shirts left from the Rotary arts and crafts fair in February,” said Carney about how is idea came to fruition.
As a long-time friend of Matsumoto, Carney called up the famed artist and asked him to put his iconic anhinga artwork on one of the long-sleeved T-shirts. It also includes Matsumoto’s autograph and is inscribed with the words “Sanibel-Captiva Rotary Club” on one sleeve and “Arts & Crafts Fair” with the dates on the other.
“It was very generous of Ikki,” said Carney.
Matsumoto’s daughter professionally framed the shirt, which measures 38 inches by 40 inches. This unique shirt is being raffled off with the proceeds benefiting the Kanzius Cancer Research Foundation.
“I read articles about John (Kanzius) and he has the answer to the cure of about 80 percent of cancers,” said Carney.
Carney’s goal to support the mission of the foundation, which is to create global awareness of the potentials of the non-invasive treatment, began two years ago, when a lead research doctor, the director of the foundation and wife of the late John Kanzius, Marianne Kanzius, spoke at a Rotary meeting.
“I wanted to do something with the information and help spread the word,” said Carney, who is a member of the Sanibel-Captiva Rotary Club.
Raffle tickets are currently available and priced at just $10 each. The framed one-of-a-kind Ikki Matsumoto garment will be displayed at various restaurants and banks on both Sanibel and Captiva islands for the next two months. The shirt will also be found hanging in Jerry’s of Sanibel Supermarket on Periwinkle Way and in Bailey’s General Store on the corner of Periwinkle Way and Tarpon Bay.
The winner will be announced following the City of Sanibel’s annual Independence Day Parade on July 4. For more information on the raffle, call 395-1767.
As for Carney, he feels the money raised through the raffle “is just a little piece of what (the Kanzius Cancer Research Foundation) needs.”