Dear Friends,
Here we are a month into the New Year, and I’m finally recognizing that it really is 2022! As time marches on, all of us at the Head for Cure Foundation wish you and your loved ones a joy-filled and healthy year ahead.
As we focus on planning and ready ourselves for a productive year ahead, I always reflect on the year just completed, mostly as a guiding light for what is to come. Head for the Cure has encountered its share of challenges over the past couple of years, yet we have counter-balanced every challenge with new and life-changing opportunities to build awareness, raise funds, and inspire hope and joy for brain tumor patients, their loved ones, and other supporters.
More than ever in 2021, we relied heavily on long-established partners and relationships to guide us. At the same time, we welcomed new partners and built new relationships. Every virtual or in-person 5K event, every golf tournament and community-driven event, and every Patient Perspectives and Caregiver Conversations meeting gave us new insight, new energy, and renewed motivation. We are a stronger Foundation for it all and better equipped to continue our service to the brain tumor community.
Again in 2021, our unrivaled Head for the Cure staff, dedicated Board of Directors, medical and scientific partners, generous sponsors, thousands of participants, donors and supporters, and an army of volunteers energized the Head for the Cure Foundation. And in turn, that energy transformed into joyful experiences and hope-filled optimism across the Head for the Cure community.
As we set new goals for 2022 and embark on continued growth to fuel research grants through the Head for the Cure Foundation and build even stronger educational and advocacy programs through our Brains for the Cure platform, we are again delighted to remember the stories of hope and joy we experienced throughout last year. Each story is an inspiring example of why our Head for the Cure work matters, and why the support and encouragement from each of you matters so much to so many.
THANK YOU for helping us celebrate our successes and for embracing the community whose stories we share. Thank you for your continued support and for recognizing the work we do together truly MATTERS!
All the best in 2022,
Matt Anthony, Head for the Cure Foundation President & Founder
Your support matters to the millions of people affected by brain cancer and tumors. With your help, we were able to issue 35 grants to our partner organizations who are making a difference in the fight against brain cancer.
Jaxon’s Frog Foundation in San Antonio
A portion of funds raised from our San Antonio 5K event supports Jaxon’s Frog Foundation as they bring smiles to kids with cancer, kids in hospice care, and families that have lost a child to cancer. These programs range from events for families to bring them cheer after long hospitals stays, assistance for funerals, and meal deliveries at Thanksgiving.
Solace House in Kansas City
Solace House uses funds from Head for the Cure to support adults, children and families who are grieving the loss of a loved one, whether anticipated or sudden and unexpected. Each year, these funds help Kansas City Hospice & Palliative Care provide facilitated peer support groups, individual and family counseling, and grief support camps to over 350 people.
Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City
Dr. Boockvar and his clinical research team used granted funds from Head for the Cure to successfully complete Phases I/II of a clinical trial which showed that Superselective Intraarterial Cerebral Infusion of Bevacizumab (Avastin) improves the median progression free survival and overall survival with newly diagnosed Glioblastoma (GBM). With the help of HFTC, the FDA was able to approve a Phase III clinical trial as a follow up study to assess if repeated treatment with Superselective Intra-arterial Cerebral Infusion of Bevacizumab (Avastin), when compared to standard of care, will increase progression free survival and overall survival in patients with newly diagnosed GBM.
SHINING A LIGHT ON PEDIATRICS
Thanks to our community’s support throughout 2021, Head for the Cure is committed to focusing more of our time, energy, and funds raised in the fight against pediatric brain cancer beginning in 2022. We all know that this terrible disease does not discriminate and impacts patients of all ages. Those in the pediatric community face even less funding for research and clinical trials along with potentially life-long and life-altering effects from their fight against brain cancer.
Family Support: Through new partnerships and programs, Head for the Cure plans to help families through the financial burden of a brain cancer diagnosis.
Research and Clinical Trials: Too little funding is committed to finding better treatment options and a cure for pediatric brain tumor patients. Head for the Cure is building partnerships with the top pediatric research institutes across the country to provide funding for their innovative work.
Education: Brains for the Cure serves the adult brain tumor population through an online navigator. With assistance from medical professionals and families directly impacted, we will add more content focused on the pediatric community.
LOOKING FORWARD TO 2022
1. Gather thousands across the country through community-driven 5K and fundraising events.
2. Continue to support the brain cancer community through Brains for the Cure and new programs.
3. Introduce new conversations through videos, podcast episodes, and support groups.
4. Continue to grant funds for innovative research, support programs, and medical education through our local beneficiaries, the Brain Tumor Trials Collaborative, and new partners.
5. Raise $3 million for the fight against brain cancer!