My story and why I’m fundraising,

In July 2022, when my daughter was just 2 years old, I was diagnosed with Stage IV ALK-positive lung cancer. I had never smoked, lived a healthy and active life, and never imagined that lung cancer would become part of my story.

I was fortunate to find Dr. Misako Nagasaka at UCI Health, who became not only my oncologist but my advocate. She helped us navigate difficult treatment decisions, sought the expertise of leading ALK specialists across the country, and recommended that I begin lorlatinib, a targeted therapy that was still relatively new as a first-line treatment.

I started lorlatinib on August 5, 2022. Two months later, my tumor had shrunk by approximately 75%. My response was so remarkable that surgery became an option rarely considered in Stage IV lung cancer. In February 2023, I underwent a left lower lobectomy, and the pathology showed a complete response! No viable cancer remained in the removed lung tissue.

I continue treatment and close monitoring today. My daughter is now 6.

Those four years mean everything to me. They have given me birthdays, school days, vacations, bedtime routines and thousands of ordinary moments with my daughter that I once feared I might never have.

Research gave me that time.

For the past four years, my husband, Dan and I have supported the UC Irvine Anti-Cancer Challenge, and for two years our philanthropy has been completely contributed to Dr. Nagasaka’s research. We have seen firsthand how research can change the course of a person’s life.

This year, I’m asking you to join us.

Every donation supports cancer research and helps scientists pursue the discoveries that can become tomorrow’s treatments. My hope is simple: to help give another patient, and another family, more time.

Thank you for supporting my journey and helping us continue the fight against cancer.

Kimberly