CURE Childhood Cancer’s Named Fund Spotlight: The Sam Robb Fund

The Sam Robb Fund

This post is part of an on-going series that features our Named Funds for CURE Childhood Cancer. To learn more about our Named Funds, or to start one of your own, please click here.

About Sam

On June 25, 2007, Sam Robb succumbed to cancer that had returned with a vengeance. Although he is gone from this earth, his spirit and vitality live on in all whom he touched over his very full but very short 20 years.

Whether we live for a short time or live to 100 years, we all aspire to make a difference in some way, and Sam did exactly that. We are honored to share some of the highlights from a life courageously lived and full of accomplishment, enthusiasm and commitment.

Like many boys, Sam was focused on sports – primarily basketball and football. At 6′5″ and 230 lbs. in the 10th grade, Sam was a “Can’t Miss” college prospect starting in the first varsity football game at Blessed Trinity High School in Roswell, GA. As a sophomore, he led the team there to the first varsity victory in school history.

This is where the story begins…

In the fall of 2002, a nagging stress fracture in Sam’s left knee had to be addressed. X-rays were taken and the unthinkable became a reality…the diagnosis of bone cancer.

The medical term is osteosarcoma, which is bone cancer that presents itself in young people during growth spurts. The bad cell says, “I’m taking over,” and within three days, the protocol was set:

• Three months of chemo pre-surgery;
• Limb salvage surgery (versus amputation), which is essentially a knee replacement in a 16 year-old boy
• More chemo to eradicate the cancer.

Unfortunately, Sam’s response to chemo was poor, with a 50% necrosis (tumor kill) putting him into a high-risk group. His odds for survival dropped from the 75% survival after five years class, to considerably less.

Most normal people would be despondent, angry…Not Sam! After hearing the news that his promising football career was over, he embarked on a new challenge as a baseball pitcher. Although it did not come easy, particularly with a prosthetic knee, he managed to play for a highly competitive East Cobb team, pitching and winning the final game of a world series in Tampa. Although he never would achieve elite athletic status, he loved being part of a team.

After high school graduation, he went on to Young Harris College, where he was a member of the baseball team. He was enrolled at Clemson University for fall 2007, but unfortunately, this would never come to fruition.

Osteosarcoma, when it reoccurs, tends to present in the lungs. In the spring of 2007, Sam began to experience fatigue and discomfort in his lungs. Eventually, he felt compelled to get things checked out. After four and a half years, Sam and his family felt that he had beaten the cancer demon. His previous scans were in the fall of 2006, with no signs of cancer present. In June 2007, a grapefruit sized mass was discovered to have grown and taken over his lungs and chest cavity.

Sam was dying from cancer. A number of nationally renowned doctors felt the surgery to remove the tumor was life-threatening. Eventually, a brave surgeon agreed with Sam to go for the “long ball” and remove the tumor…and a lung.

The weekend before surgery, Sam planned what would prove to be a real fare well tour. He visited UGA, attended Braves’ games and held court in the family’s basement.

He knew the severity of the surgery and he knew his time was limited. Sam never made it off the operating table. The tumor was too difficult to extricate.

In many ways, the outcome was blessed.

Sam never wanted sympathy, nor did he ever act like a sick person. He was good at everything except one thing – being sick.

He is gone but will never be forgotten. In many ways, he was bigger than life. His mantra, “Fightin Till the Last Breath,” lives on in all who knew him.

Purpose of The Sam Robb Fund

Proceeds from the Sam Robb Fund will be used for two primary purposes. First, the fund will support the Sam Robb Fellow at the Aflac Cancer Center and Blood Disorders Services of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and Emory University School of Medicine. We believe it is critically important to help train the pediatric oncologists of tomorrow, so that they are fully prepared for a lifetime of excellence in patient care, teaching and research – just like the doctors who cared for Sam. We know that one of these young doctors may make significant contributions to finding cures for childhood cancers, and we know that Sam would be proud to support their training. We are also proud to be able to help Emory and the Aflac Cancer Center and Blood Disorder’s Service of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta attract some of the nation’s best and brightest young doctors. These doctors care for children with cancer with unmatched skill and dedication, and the importance of providing them with the very best training and preparation for this vital and difficult work cannot be overstated.

Secondly, proceeds from the Sam Robb Fund will be used to help defray the costs of prosthetic devices for children with a cancer diagnosis who cannot afford to purchase and/or maintain them. Sam was determined to live life to the fullest and never let cancer rob him of the joys of life. Sam would want to encourage other children to follow his example, and through the Sam Robb Prosthetic Scholarship Fund, he will do that. The hope is that with the proper prosthetic devices, Sam will inspire childhood cancer survivors to return to a lifestyle that brings them happiness.

Introducing the 1st Sam Robb Fellow – Dr. Tanya Watt

Saturday evening June 21, 2008 we introduced Dr. Tanya Watt as the first Sam Robb Fellow to our family and friends. Many of you joined us for an evening of Remembrance and Resolve.

After graduating from Harvard University with a degree in biochemistry, Dr. Tanya Watt attended medical school at the University of Texas at San Antonio. She entered the pediatric residency program at Emory University, during which time she helped adapt the American Medical Association palliative care program to pediatrics. During her fellowship, Dr. Watt hopes to attain a Masters in Science of Clinical Research, thus giving her the tools and knowledge to successfully participate in clinical research, in addition to furthering her clinical abilities. She hopes to develop new chemotherapeutic regimens, in addition to promoting successful palliative care when medicine has reached its limits.

Click here to read the latest mid-year Research Update from Dr. Watt.

To Donate to The Sam Robb Fund

Click Here and type “Sam Robb Fund” in the Comments section. Your gift will be directed accordingly.

Special Events to Benefit The Sam Robb Fund

June 6, 2009 – An Evening to Celebrate with Dr. Tanya Watt, the Sam Robb Research Fellow.  For more information on the event, please contact Annamarie Robb at fightintillthelastbreath@gmail.com.

October 11, 2009 – The Sam Robb Memorial Golf Tournament on Legacy at Lake Lanier Islands.  For more information on the event, please contact Annamarie Robb at fightintillthelastbreath@gmail.com.

Dr. Ann Mertens, a CURE funded researcher at the Aflac Cancer Center, is named an Atlanta Health-Care Hero and Honored with a Revered Award

Each year, the Atlanta Business Chronicle formally recognizes exceptional accomplishments in health care with its annual Health-Care Heroes Awards. On May 8, 2009, Dr. Ann Mertens, Director of Clinical Research at the Aflac Cancer Center and Blood Disorders Service of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, was honored as a winner of the 2009 Health-Care Heroes Awards. CURE Childhood Cancer is exceptionally proud of Dr. Mertens and her commitment to support pediatric cancer survivors through the development of a Georgia-wide, population-based initiative that focuses on follow-up health care and cancer survivorship research.

“Through the generous support from CURE, we have been given a grant to enable us to identify all childhood cancer survivors in Georgia and give us a preliminary look at the level of follow-up health care they need and so deserve,” says Dr. Mertens. “Childhood cancer survivors are at an increased risk for a range of adverse long-term outcomes, due to cancer and its aggressive treatment in children, and we want each of them to have access to a post-therapy health plan that includes proper follow-up care as they transition to adults.”

Cited by the Atlanta Business Chronicle as a doctor who shows exemplary performance in her field, Dr. Mertens has studied the late-term effects of childhood cancer for decades and is working to educate the health-care community on cancer survivorship. CURE has awarded Dr. Mertens a grant which will enable her to recruit a Masters level Epidemiologist who will be charged with obtaining all of the data necessary to identify childhood cancer survivors statewide, the first step in establishing this pediatric cancer survivor initiative.

In 2008, Dr. Mertens developed SurvivorLink, an electronic information network for Georgia to support pediatric cancer survivor care. SurvivorLink offers patients and their families access to information regarding health risks associated with the particular type of cancer they had and the treatment they received, and includes recommendations on care going forward. She is hopeful that a research component of SurvivorLink will produce population-based data, which will give researchers more insight into the health issues survivors face.

The Atlanta Business Chronicle “…searched for those health-care professionals who have gone above and beyond to help people,” and received nearly 100 nominations of the best and the brightest in Atlanta’s world-class health care community.

CURE Childhood Cancer warmly congratulates Dr. Ann Mertens for being named a 2009 Health-Care Hero.

Kids With Cancer No Laughing Matter for Comedian Jeff Foxworthy

Atlanta native and Award-winning funny man Jeff Foxworthy may be the only one who can make us smile while fighting to fund a cure for childhood cancer, and that’s precisely why CURE Childhood Cancer is using him to spearhead its new marketing campaign.

Jeff Foxworthy has made a household name for himself by making fun of his Southern redneck roots. Whether he’s hosting the hit quiz show Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader, or writing the best-selling You Might Be A Redneck If series of books, Foxworthy’s always good for a laugh. Until now.

Foxworthy is helping CURE Childhood Cancer with a public service campaign to raise awareness for the organization and raise serious money for pediatric cancer research.

“There’s nothing funny about the fact that less than two percent of all federal funding for cancer research goes to solving childhood cancer,” says Foxworthy. “When CURE Childhood Cancer asked if I’d be interested in helping raise funds to find a cure for children’s cancer, I was all for it. Two percent just ain’t getting’ it done, folks,” laments Foxworthy.

The campaign features an online video, two television spots and five :60 radio spots. Foxworthy takes a serious tone in the online video and tv spots, opening with “I never went to med school but today I’m helping to cure childhood cancer,” and closes with, “I’m Jeff Foxworthy, and I’ve never been more serious in my life.” He spotlights a harsh reality in another psa: “Major pharmaceutical companies are making drugs for adult cancers, not for kids’ cancers. That’s sad.”

Foxworthy is the best-selling comedic recording artist of all time, and has appeared on the The Late Show with David Letterman and the Tonight Show. But, there is not a touch of Hollywood in any of the public service announcements. In fact, Foxworthy employs no special production elements, downloadable music or snappy sound bytes to make listeners aware of the seriousness of childhood cancer and the importance of CURE’s work in funding research.

He doesn’t miss a chance to slip in some comic relief now and then in the radio spots.   The five spots entitled “Bullies”; “Dreams”; “Redneck”; T-Shirt”, and “Winnie The Pooh” poke a little fun while dealing with this very serious topic. In one spot, he tells us what makes him laugh, like seeing a guy all by himself wearing a t-shirt that reads, ‘I’m with stupid’. In another, Foxworthy relays a true story about a bully in grammar school who repeatedly stole his sandwich. Tired of going hungry, Foxworthy outwitted his tormentor by creating a caterpillar sandwich of which the boy took a big bite. Case solved.

“Most of us have stories like that one and, as a child, we also have dreams about growing up,” notes Foxworthy. “But kids with cancer are afraid to dream; cancer is taking away their hopes, dreams and all too often a fighting chance for a future.”

“It’s up to us to fight their fight and fund the research here in Atlanta where CURE works directly with our world-class doctors and scientists,” says Foxworthy. He and his wife and two daughters reside in Alpharetta.

Indeed, Jeff Foxworthy may be the one guy who can get us to smile in the face of childhood cancer, while pleading for us to join forces to eradicate pediatric cancer in our lifetime.

Now that’s one stand-up comedian.

Donate to CURE Childhood Cancer Today!

Make a Birthday Wish for CURE.

Are you on Facebook? Do you have a birthday coming up?

We are excited to share this perfect new opportunity for celebrating your birthday and celebrating the fact that you’re raising money to help fund research to find a CURE for Childhood Cancer. Facebook has recently launched a new “Birthday Wish” feature which allows you the opportunity to have friends & family donate to CURE Childhood Cancer to help celebrate your birthday!

Read below for full details on the new feature and how you can help!

The Feature: Birthday Wish
Birthday Wish allows all 200 million people on Facebook to use their birthdays to raise money for their favorite causes. Supporters select CURE Childhood Cancer and then ask your friends to donate, instead of getting yet another coffee gift card you don’t need.

On average, an active Birthday Wish raises over $100, a number that has been quickly increasing each week. That means that if we can get just 150 of our Facebook friends and supporters to make a June Birthday Wish, we could raise more than $15,000 this month!

Create a Birthday Wish Campaign
Anyone on Facebook can set up a Birthday Wish Campaign to support CURE Childhood Cancer! And remember, if you are not already a fan of CURE Childhood Cancer, click here to become one today!

Simply click here to set up your very own Birthday Wish on Facebook.

—————-
Donate to CURE Childhood Cancer Today!

CURE’s Promotes Meri Long to Director, Patient & Family Services

We are pleased to announce that Meri Long has been promoted to Director, Patient & Family Services at CURE Childhood Cancer.

“I am so excited to have the opportunity to continue working on behalf of patients and families in my new role with CURE.  I am fortunate to work for an organization that is making a real difference in finding cures and better treatments for pediatric cancers,” says Meri.

Meri Long joined CURE Childhood Cancer in September 2008 as Assistant Director, Patient & Family Services. Meri received her Master’s in Social Work from the University of Kentucky and her B.A. in Psychology and Political Science from Vanderbilt University.

Most recently, Meri worked as an adolescent therapist and before that as a political fundraiser. Meri is utilizing her education and experiences to better understand the problems facing children diagnosed with cancer, their families and their caregivers. Her work at CURE focuses on supporting their needs in the face of difficult times and working passionately to fund cutting-edge research to develop improved cancer treatments and ultimately a cure.

Donate Today to CURE Childhood Cancer.

New Childhood Cancer T-Shirts Now Available

There are now two more ways to show your support for childhood cancer research. We are pleased to share two new t-shirt designs, sales from these t-shirts will benefit CURE Childhood Cancer in their fight to find a cure for childhood cancer in our lifetime.

The first shirt reads: (front) Hope keeps us going.  (back) Research holds the promise to CURE childhood Cancer.

The second shirt reads (front) Celebrating Hope. Fighting for CURE.

To purchase either of these shirts, or to view more t-shirts supporting research for childhood cancer, click here.

Donate Today to CURE Childhood Cancer.

CURE Childhood Cancer Event Photos Posted

Coming off two big annual events benefiting CURE Childhood Cancer, Care Affair and Lauren’s Run, we are excited to share that photos from both events have just been posted to our website.

Click here to view the 2009  Lauren’s Run photo gallery. You may also view these photos on Facebook. Stay tuned for an update on the success of Lauren’s Run.

Click here to view the 2009 Care Affair photo gallery. You may also view these photos on Facebook. Care Affair raised $67,500 for CURE at this year’s event. For the full recap, click here.

The 26th Annual Care Affair raises $67,500 for CURE!

The Tri Delta Atlanta Alumnae Chapter was honored to present a check to CURE Childhood Cancer for $67,500.0o from their 26th annual Care Affair event held this past April.

Tri Delta has been a long supporter of CURE and in 26 years has raised over $1.5 million dollars for CURE.  This year the event co-chairs were Laura Hamilton and Susan Miller.

“Supporting CURE Childhood Cancer has been a very special part of the Tri Delta Atlanta Alumnae Chapter tradition. Over the course of 26 years, our annual Care Affair has become a very meaningful event for us, and for some, a deeply personal crusade. It has been an honor to have served as co-chair this year. We look forward to continuing our effort to help CURE in their support of pediatric cancer research and critical family needs,” states Susan Miller, co-chair.

CURE Board of Directors Secretary, April Voris, is the current Tri Delta liaison to the board.  ”I am so proud of what we are able to commit to and accomplish year after year in fundraising efforts for CURE.  This year was no exception, in a very difficult fundraising year Tri Delta was still able to raise $67,500!  This is a tribute to the passion and dedication the entire chapter has for CURE Childhood Cancer.”

The 27th Annual Care Affair will be held in April, 2010.  For the most current information and updates on the event, please visit the Care Affair website at www.careaffair.com.

CURE Featured in The Non-Profit Times

CURE Childhood Cancer was featured in an article Social Butterflies Can Raise Money the April 2009 issue of  The Non-Profit Times.

The article highlights the use of online and social tools that non-profit organizations are using to increase their awareness, reach and ultimately their donations. For CURE, we are currently using such online tools as Twitter, a Blog, Facebook, FirstGiving.org, and our CURE online store (just to name a few) to raise money to fund childhood cancer research to find a cure for childhood cancer in our lifetime!

Click here to read the full article, and join us online (and offline!) to help spread the word about CURE.

CURE Childhood Cancer Board of Directors Spotlight: Tammy Hunter

CURE Childhood Cancer is proud to introduce you to our newest addition to the CURE Board of Directors – Tammy Hunter. Tammy is a Partner at KPMG and we are grateful to have her on our team. Below Tammy shares a few insights into what led her become further involved with CURE Childhood Cancer.
“I never knew anyone that had a child with cancer.  I never knew how difficult the treatments were for pediatric cancer patients.  I never knew that there was a lack of funding for pediatric cancer research.  I never knew about CURE. At least I didn’t until April of 2008 when our daughter, Hayley, was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma.  As a parent you never can forget having to watch your daughter lose her hair, lose weight and suffer through chemotherapy, stem cell transplant, surgery and radiation.  Yet through it all, our daughter, like other pediatric cancer patients, persevered and showed us what true strength and determination is.    Towards the end of Hayley’s treatment, we established the Hayley Hunter Research Fund through CURE so that we can help raise money for research that is being conducted right here in Atlanta.  I am very excited to now be a part of the CURE Board so that I can make an even bigger impact as we seek to cure childhood cancer in our lifetime.”