**Obituary Submission Guidelines for Pioneer Press**
To place an obituary, please include the required information from the checklist below in an email to **[email protected]**. Currently, there is no option to place obituaries through our website. For assistance, contact our obituary desk at **651-228-5263**.
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**General Information Needed:**
– Your full name
– Address (City, State, Zip Code)
– Phone number
– Alternate phone number (if any)
**Obituary Specifications:**
– Name of deceased
– Obituary text
– Photo (preferably JPEG or PDF; TIF and other formats accepted. We will contact you if there are issues.)
– Ad run dates (discount available for multiple days—must be scheduled on the first run date)
– If using a photo for the discount, it must appear on both days. Contact our staff for details.
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**Policies and Verification:**
– **Verification of Death**: Include the name and phone number of the funeral home/cremation society handling arrangements. We must verify the death during their business hours.
– If the body was donated to the University of Minnesota Anatomy Bequest Program (or similar), provide their phone number for verification. Please allow extra time, especially for limited weekend hours.
– A death certificate is also acceptable for verification (only one verification method needed).
– **Guestbook and External Websites**: We cannot reference other media sources with guestbooks or obituaries placed elsewhere. We may include the funeral home website or a family email for contacts. Reach out if you have questions.
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**Obituary Process:**
Once your submission is completed, we will fax or email a proof for review before publication. This proof includes pricing and scheduled run dates.
Please review the proof carefully and notify us of any errors or changes before publication, following each day’s deadlines.
We are not responsible for errors after final proofing and publication.
**Online Notice Changes:**
For changes to online obituaries, contact the obituary desk.
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**Payment Procedure:**
– **Pre-payment** is required prior to publication by the specified deadline.
– After approving your proof, call **651-228-5263** with payment information.
– **Credit Card**: Payment by phone only (due to PCI regulations).
– **EFT**: Check by phone. Provide your routing number and account number.
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**Rates and Discounts:**
– Minimum charge is **$162** for the first 12 lines.
– Each additional line after the first 12 is **$12**.
– Obituaries over 40 lines receive a **7.5% discount per line**.
– Second run date: **20% discount** off both placements (both days must use a photo, if applicable).
– Place three obituaries; the third placement is **free of charge**.
– Each published photo: **$125 per day** (e.g., 2 photos over 2 days = $500).
– Contact us for more details or for memoriam information (see below).
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**Deadlines:**
Please follow funeral and obituary deadline times to ensure publication on the requested day.
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**Memoriam (Non-Obituary) Requests:**
Memoriam submissions are remembrances for a loved one who has passed; rates differ from obituaries.
Submit your memoriam ad to **[email protected]** or call **651-228-5280** for information.
**Business Hours:**
Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Closed weekends and holidays.
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**COVID-19 mRNA Vaccines May Hold New Promise for Cancer Patients**
A stunning new study offers early evidence that COVID-19 vaccines might have a secret superpower: a precisely timed mRNA shot could help many cancer patients live longer.
Although the findings require further validation, the strength of the evidence—which comes from analyzing outcomes between cancer patients who did and did not receive mRNA vaccinations during the pandemic—warrants urgent follow-up. COVID vaccines are inexpensive, widely available at local pharmacies, and if this effect holds true, could provide a straightforward, cost-effective method to improve cancer patients’ lives.
Yet, skepticism from national health leaders toward mRNA science, especially COVID vaccines, could hinder further progress. This new research should motivate reevaluation of the enormous promise of Nobel Prize-winning mRNA technology.
**Origins of the Discovery**
The study, published last month in *Nature*, began when Adam Grippin, a radiation oncologist at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, noticed an unexpected immune response during his PhD research at the University of Florida. While developing personalized mRNA vaccines for brain cancer, Grippin observed that even placebo shots containing unrelated mRNA activated the immune system to attack tumors.
“Since then, I have spent pretty much every day thinking about the results,” Grippin said. The implication: there could be an off-the-shelf mRNA shot capable of stimulating tumor-fighting immune responses.
**Study Findings**
Grippin and colleagues analyzed medical records from over 1,000 patients with advanced lung and skin cancers, all undergoing immunotherapy called ‘checkpoint inhibitors.’ Patients who received an mRNA COVID vaccine—Pfizer or Moderna—up to 100 days before starting immunotherapy were twice as likely to be alive as those who didn’t receive the vaccine or got it outside the window.
Importantly, flu and pneumonia vaccines did not produce this effect, nor did getting a COVID vaccine in tandem with other cancer treatments.
Blood and tissue samples showed that the COVID mRNA shot activates the *innate immune system*—the body’s early-warning defense mechanism—preparing other immune components for battle.
**Surprise and Scrutiny**
The findings have surprised oncologists. “My initial reaction was surprise and maybe disbelief,” said Ryan Sullivan, director of the Melanoma Center at Massachusetts General Hospital. After thorough review, he found the researchers had worked extensively to explain and control for confounding variables. “The data are really good,” he said, noting the large study size makes the results significant.
Still, a randomized, placebo-controlled study is needed for confirmation. MD Anderson is planning such trials, which should also help clarify optimal timing—waiting days or months between vaccination and immunotherapy—for maximum patient benefit.
Researchers are eager to know whether this could help patients with other cancer types (e.g., breast, colon, bladder) and are preparing early answers from ongoing reviews.
**Potential and Roadblocks**
The mRNA in COVID vaccines instructs the body to make coronavirus’ spike protein, but future research could aim to deliver proteins that better stimulate the desired immune responses to cancer.
Despite promise, the discovery comes at a tough time for mRNA vaccine research. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., known for spreading vaccine misinformation during the pandemic, now holds authority over U.S. health policy and has limited support for COVID vaccines, narrowing CDC recommendations and cutting funding for mRNA research grants.
While philanthropy and industry may help fund clinical trials, experts say government funding will be difficult to secure.
**A Call to Action**
The possibility that cancer patients could receive an accessible, inexpensive shot—potentially prolonging life—should inspire a collective effort to set aside politics and invest in researching this promising strategy.
*Lisa Jarvis is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering biotech, health care and the pharmaceutical industry. Previously, she was executive editor of Chemical & Engineering News.*
https://www.twincities.com/2025/11/08/lisa-jarvis-what-if-the-covid-vaccine-could-save-cancer-patients-too/