The ESSCO-MGH Breast Cancer Research Fund
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The ESSCO-MGH Breast Cancer Research Fund was established in 1994 by my father, Albert Cohen, shortly after my then-33-year-old sister, Lynn, was diagnosed with breast cancer. At the time, we were all stunned and frightened. She was the tofu-eating, veggie-steaming sister who exercised daily, and couldn’t have been healthier.
While my mother, sister and I rallied around Lynn, taking turns caring for my nephew and going to chemotherapy and radiation appointments with her, my father got to work finding a cure. He found promising research at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in Boston and decided it represented the best chance for a cure in our lifetime. I say “our” because my father wasn’t so concerned about a cure during his lifetime, but he was beside himself at the thought that a cure might not be found in ours.
My father, then CEO of Electronic Space Systems Corporation (ESSCO), met with researchers and physicians at the MGH, and learned that promising research is often not funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), because of its risky and unproven nature. However, it is precisely this innovative research that may eventually reveal a cure, if given the opportunity to flourish. So my father established the ESSCO-MGH Breast Cancer Research fund as an endowment fund for this type of research, and initialized it with $25,000. He had one caveat: every single penny raised had to go directly to breast cancer research at the MGH. No money could be used for administrative purposes. To that end, our small band of all-volunteer worker bees organizes an annual benefit in October that consistently raises over $100,000. And, true to my father’s pledge, every single penny goes directly to breast cancer research at the MGH.
Today, our fund has grown to $3.2 million and our small little organization has grown into a band of 24 active, dedicated and wonderfully warm members who are committed to curing breast cancer in our lifetime. And, under the direction of the phenomenal Dr. Kenneth K. Tanabe, Chief of Surgical Oncology at the MGH, we support vital and very promising breast cancer research. We are funding innovative microchip technology to capture extremely rare circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in cancer patients. In the future, when the CTC chip becomes clinically available, a blood sample will be enough to detect cancer cells long before a tumor recurs! The work is so promising, it was recently reported in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine (July 2, 2008). But our research funding doesn’t stop there. All of the work we fund has not only garnered national attention and brought to light research that was previously considered too “risky” for the likes of NIH, but is now receiving NIH grants as well as funds from much larger charitable organizations.
What’s more, my sister is alive and well and celebrating 15 cancer-free years!
Sadly, my father passed away on November 25, 2006, and did not live to see a cure for breast cancer. Therefore, it’s up to us to carry on his legacy making his pledge our goal.
Recently, the ESSCO-MGH Breast Cancer Research Fund was honored as one of the one hundred extraordinary people and groups who have demonstrated an exceptional commitment to cancer care and research. Although my father could not be with us to witness this fabulous tribute, we were overwhelming proud to be able to share this honor with such a remarkable group of individuals and organizations.
We hope that when you weigh your charitable contribution dollars, you will consider funding the ESSCO-MGH Breast Cancer Research Fund and putting your hard-earned dollars to work for a cure.We are always eager to talk with individuals and organizations interested in working with us to fundraise on behalf of the fund. My company, Babe Ease (http://www.cleanshopper.com), will be donating $1.00 from the sale of every pink gingham Clean Shopper to the fund, in addition to 5% of October’s profits.
Here are some examples of other fundraising activities held on our behalf:
Wine Tasting by Colonial Spirits of Stow, MA (total donation over 7 years $15,500) Holiday Shopping Nights by Lotti Ta-Dah of Hudson, MA, (total donation over three years $7,000) Golf Tournament by the Boston Estate Planning Council & Society of Financial Service Professionals (total donated over three years $6,200) Bird Houses for Breast Cancer created and sold by my sons (total donation over four years $785) Dress down day at Ernst & Young (total donated over three years $1,800)
You can support this vital research too. Simply click the link below, and complete the donor form then send to:
The ESSCO-MGH Breast Cancer Research Fund
c/o The MGH Development Office
165 Cambridge Street
Suite 600
Boston, MA 02114
Donate to the fund Download the brochure
