Our Vision
The Vision initiative is in memory of Giovanna Joyce Imbesi, the late founder of LACNETS (now Neuroendocrine Cancer Foundation), whose vision was to empower neuroendocrine cancer patients and caregivers by providing a healing exchange of educational resources.
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The Neuroendocrine Cancer Foundation provides education, advocacy, and support through its programs, which play a key role in treatment decisions. Giovanna left behind a profound legacy. The Neuroendocrine Cancer Foundation has a great responsibility to help sustain this organization and keep her vision alive due to the impact she had on the neuroendocrine cancer community.
The Neuroendocrine Cancer Foundation invites you to participate in our vision initiative supporting neuroendocrine cancer patients and their loved ones.
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Be a part of the healing. Make a difference today!
Large or small, every gift matters and is genuinely appreciated.
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Your generous contribution will go towards funding the Neuroendocrine Cancer Foundation's greatest needs, such as the production of our educational webinars, podcasts, and conferences.
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Donate to the Neuroendocrine Cancer Foundation to carry on Giovanna's legacy and vision.
In Loving Memory
Giovanna Joyce Imbesi
Our founder, hero & inspiration to live life fully…
Giovanna Joyce Imbesi, LACNETS founder, was a patient advocate, pianist, and composer based in Los Angeles. She lived fully with neuroendocrine cancer for 14 years and served as a model of compassion, love and kindness.
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In 2005, after several years of misdiagnosis, Giovanna was diagnosed with metastatic small bowel neuroendocrine cancer. She understood that those with a rare cancer may feel isolated, and sharing similar experiences may lessen the fear of the unknown and offer comfort. It became her mission to help others in the NET community. Her vision was to create a community for a healing exchange of educational resources and emotional support for all affected by neuroendocrine cancer.
Against all odds, Giovanna went on to receive an MBA from UCLA Anderson School of Management with the sole intent of launching LACNETS.
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In 2012, she founded the non-profit GeneratePossibility and the Los Angeles Carcinoid Neuroendocrine Tumor Society (LACNETS) program. Giovanna's physician, Dr. Edward Wolin, was the inaugural speaker for the first LACNETS' patient education meeting.
Through LACNETS, Giovanna's aspiration was to create a more "NET-fluent" world. She wanted to change the narrative from associating NET with famous people who die from the disease to raising awareness of the more than 180,000 people who live with the disease. Giovanna wrote, "Each one of us has the ability to help change those numbers in our own community. There are more opportunities to share more about NET and add one more person to the extended global family of NET awareness."
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Giovanna helped create tools, such as NET VITALS, to improve communication between patients and physicians. She believed that increased awareness equates to more research, which leads to improved treatments and patient outcomes. Giovanna received the 2016 Monica Warner Advocacy Award, as well as the 2019 Cedars-Sinai Patient Leadership Award, for her inspiring work in patient advocacy.
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Giovanna Joyce Imbesi passed away peacefully on November 24th, 2019. On her last day, Giovanna said with great pride that her greatest legacy was LACNETS. She felt blessed by this community.
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Giovanna often said, "Aging is a privilege." She celebrated life and connectedness. She believed in practicing gratitude, even appreciating the difficult times. She was grateful for the thousands of neuroendocrine tumor physicians, researchers and healthcare providers who work on the behalf of NET patients every day.
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The Neuroendocrine Cancer Foundation works daily to honor Giovanna's vision by serving the NET community she established and helping others to live life richly and fully with NET like she did.
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GENERATE POSSIBILITY
For Giovanna, music was medicine. Her musical compositions can be heard on "Short Stories - piano music for healing, meditation & relaxation" recorded while in recovery from neuroendocrine cancer surgery. These pieces were inspired by her belief in the healing power of music as a vital element of our well-being. She frequently contributed music to NET causes.
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A frequent speaker on living with neuroendocrine cancer and the healing power of music, Giovanna was featured as one of six leaders in Integrative Cancer Care at the 2018 Symington Public Forum at Commonweal.
We hope that Giovanna's song and her own words, "Give Me Peace," bring some comfort and peace.
