In December 2011, my mother received the worst news one can expect from a routine yearly checkup. Her family doctor identified something in her blood work that was very alarming and immediately provided the name of an oncologist for my mom to see. My mom was diagnosed with CML, or Chronic Myeloid Leukemia. At the age of 73, the oncologist recommended against chemo or radiation treatment, stating that the treatment would be hard for her to tolerate, maybe even worse than the cancer itself. He educated us on a prescription medication called Tasigna that could possibly work. Long story short, my mom is still living her long and fulfilling life today, taking the same medication she has been since she was diagnosed.

I later looked up the history of the prescription drug Tasigna and was shocked to find out it was only approved by the FDA in 2007, just a few short years before her diagnosis. While I have never doubted the importance of any medical research, it really hit me that we must always continue to advance our medical research even if it saves just one life.

There is a lot more to do in advancing cancer research. I hope you will consider contributing to help shape the future of cancer research.