The Crowd:

Ethan Zohn than Zohn has been reborn. The 30-something athlete who gained fame and fortune as the winner of CBS Television’s “Survivor: Africa” in 2002, came to Newport Beach last week to front the 2010 Circle 1000 Founder’s Brunch benefiting the Hoag Cancer Center. In April 2009, Zohn was diagnosed with CD 20-positive Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a rare form of cancer. Following aggressive treatment that nearly killed Zohn, his cancer went into remission Jan. 1. This is his new birthday.

“In order to live another day I had to dig deep — very deep to find the strength to survive the darkest moments that cancer can create,” said the candid young man from New York, who also shared lighter reflections on his personal struggle.

“My aunt in New Jersey kept coming to New York to see me in the hospital, bringing buckets of matzo ball soup. It’s a good cure for a cold, but has no effect whatsoever on cancer,” he added as the audience laughed. “By the way, did she think there was no matzo ball soup to be found in all of New York?”

Beside the personal aspect of Zohn’s experience, his speech was significant insofar as it addressed a crucial statistic. For young adults fighting cancer, there has been no real improvement in the survival rate over the past five years of study. Zohn told the crowd that thousands of young adults do not make it each year, in disproportionate numbers to the overall cancer survival rates of both younger and older age groups.

“Cancer is a club that nobody wants to be a part of, yet one in two men and one in three women will be faced with joining that club sometime during their lifetime,” Zohn said.

Cancer has become nothing short of a public heath crisis touching the lives of every American in some fashion.

The 23rd annual Founder’s Brunch of Circle 1000 benefiting Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian’s Cancer Center is a celebration of survival and victory over the health crisis. Chaired by Pame Schmider and supported by founding Chairwoman Sandy Sewell and underwriting Chairwoman Heather Gaughan, the morning confab at the Hilton Hotel, Costa Mesa, raised an impressive $1 million from the 31 founding members and their guests attending the brunch. Their success brings the total sum raised over 23 years to $11.5 million. Funds are directed toward research in the cell biology lab as well as oncological nursing and some forms of specific cancer research, most notably breast cancer.

“Your generosity is working — making a difference,” Schmider said.

Then, following tradition, she asked cancer survivors in the hotel ballroom to stand and be recognized. First, survivors of 15 or more years. Second, 10-year survivors, and finally all survivors. Practically the entire room of some 500 patrons were on their feet.

Schmider went on to label Zohn “an inspiration.” Sharing his journey, Zohn revealed that his experience on “Survivor: Africa” had opened his eyes to the depth of human suffering. Overwhelmed by the devastation of AIDS and its cruel impact on children, he donated significant proceeds from his $1-million prize to fund grass-roots programs in Africa to combat AIDS. He used his love of soccer as a way to reach children vis-à-vis athletic/educational programs combined with much needed provisions of food, water, housing and other basic human services.

“When people are stripped of food, water, shelter, the true essence of human character become apparent ... the human spirit is raw,” he said. “The experience has been burned into my identity.”

In the crowd were loyal Hoag patrons Pat and Dick Allen, Lin Auer, Zee Allred, David Kernan, Hyla Bertea, Vicki and Bill Booth, Mary Buckingham, Jean De Vries, Arden Flamson, Barbara and Jim Glabman, Jodi Greenbaum, Lula Halfacre, Roger Kirwan, Karen Littlefair, Suki McCardle, Linda Colton, Margaret Larkin, Kathy McIntosh, Ida Middlesworth and Gloria and Ray Osbrink. Also supporting Hoag were Gini Robins, Michelle Rohé, Tara and Michael Shapiro, Madeline Swinden, Aaron Trent, Ginny Ueberroth, Valaree Wahler, Carol Wilken and Virginia Zenz.

In the words of Zohn: “Cancer was a crisis in my life that presented me with the opportunity to do something that I never before considered. Cancer provided me the audacity of hope against all odds.”

THE CROWD runs Thursdays and Saturdays.