Supporters Like You

Jim Creighton’s decision to fund Scholar-in-Training Awards presented at the American Association for Cancer Research^® (AACR) Annual Meeting 2024 was an easy one. His wife, Barbara, died from ocular melanoma, a type of eye cancer, in March 2023. Creighton remembers her as gentle, kindhearted, and gregarious. She would be happy to know that young scholars had the opportunity to learn in her name, he said. With the awards, four students received funds so they could attend the meeting, providing them with an opportunity to expand their horizons and connect with others.

Barbara was always interested in the lives and hopes of the medical professionals who treated her, Creighton said. “Our personalities were such that we were asking the doctors as much about them and their lives as they were trying to understand us,” he said of the medical appointments for his wife that he never missed. “And she’s going to find out what college you went to and what your major was. And what high school you went to.” She never lost the desire to bring people together after her diagnosis on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, 2016, at Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia. 

That spring she didn’t play softball, a game she had played since the age of 6. But during treatment, she quickly returned to playing with a team of friends who treated her like nothing had changed. When she lamented that she might not be able to hit an inside pitch because of a blind spot, a teammate didn’t hesitate to respond, “You can never hit the inside pitch anyhow.” Given two to three years to live, she spread happiness and joy. During infusions, she provided help and guidance to other patients. “The nurses and the doctors would say, ‘Could you go talk to Sally? Could you go talk to John?’ and she would. And then they had their own little network,” said Creighton, who became Barbara’s caregiver and driver as she continued treatments. In year five, she entered a dose escalation trial for a medicine at Jefferson Health’s Sidney Kimmel Medical College in Philadelphia. Barbara eventually received the highest treatment dose of the medicine that a trial participant at Jefferson had ever tried. Although the treatment was unsuccessful, she committed herself to making progress for future patients. 

Barbara died seven years after her diagnosis—four years longer than anticipated. Jim and Barbara spent more than 40 years together. He is happy to know that his gift for Scholars-in-Training will help ensure that Barbara’s legacy will continue. “I know Barbara is totally on board with this because it could help a kid understand and learn and be exposed to somebody and then help come up with a treatment to solve, not just ocular melanoma, [but] anything,” he said. “Because she and I know what we went through.”

Beatrice Mintz, PhD (1921-2022), did many remarkable things over the course of her seven decades as a cancer scientist. She was also a trailblazing pioneer in multiple fields of cancer biology and made discoveries that have been leveraged by countless researchers to advance progress in cancer science and medicine. Among the numerous awards and recognitions she received, Dr. Mintz was a Fellow of the American Association for Cancer Research (FAACR).

“Dr. Mintz made foundational discoveries and revolutionized many tools and techniques of molecular biology that paved the way for tremendous progress in our understanding of cancer,” said Margaret Foti, PhD, MD (hc), CEO of the American Association for Cancer Research® (AACR).

Dr. Mintz was unique in both her personality and scientific style. She had a way of identifying what she considered the most fundamental questions and then determining the most direct and convincing way to answer them. Before her death on January 3, 2022, she had one more question for the AACR: How could she make research-driven progress against cancer her legacy? As she had numerous times before, Dr. Mintz provided a clear and compelling answer: a gift of more than $600,000 left to the AACR in her will.  

The AACR is incredibly grateful for all that Dr. Mintz contributed to the field of cancer research during her distinguished career. The generous funds so thoughtfully entrusted to our care will be used to continue advancing our mission to prevent and cure cancer.

A legacy commitment to the AACR ensures a lasting impact on scientific discovery and innovation in the treatment and prevention of cancer for generations to come. By including the AACR in your legacy gift planning, you can achieve the goals that are important to you and your family, while sustaining the mission and future of an organization that you value and believe in. 

In January 2024, a lesion appeared on Phet Siphengphone’s nose that prompted a visit to the doctor. What he and his family thought would be a simple infection turned out to be much worse. It was cancer. By the time the lesion appeared, the cancer had spread throughout much of his body, but its primary origin site was unknown. Three months later, its origin was still not known, but treatment had begun. The family rallied around him to form a strong network of support—he was not alone. But the family wanted to do more, to make a difference for others going through similar circumstances. “It hits home when people you love get that diagnosis,” said Nicole Concepcion, his future daughter-in-law. “We wanted to support the cause and bring awareness to this type of ailment.” 

Concepcion and Kandace Siphengphone, Phet’s sister-in-law, decided to organize an event to bring the whole family together to show their support and make a difference. They found out about the 2024 AACR Runners for Research 5K Run/Walk held on April 6, 2024, in San Diego. After researching the organization’s mission and programs, the family agreed to raise funds for the AACR and participate in the event as Team Papa, Su Su!, Laotian for Dad, Fight Fight! The team collected donations by sharing the event page on their networks, communicating about fundraising but also sharing how Phet was doing and his treatment status. 

By the day of the event, Team Papa, Su Su! was 60 members strong and had raised nearly $5,000 for lifesaving cancer research. With matching team shirts emblazoned with Phet’s image, an incredible amount of love and support, and varying athletic paces, every member completed the race, cheering for each other along the way. In a beautiful setting with perfect weather, the family extended the early morning race to an all-day family reunion. Most of the family members are local to the San Diego area, but some had flown in from as far as Illinois.

The family supported Phet through his cancer journey with biweekly chemotherapy treatments. As the medication treated Phet’s cancer, the family did what they could to support him holistically. They made sure he got proper nutrition and stayed active. They gathered to share old memories and make new ones to keep their spirits up. Concepcion even taught her meditation practice to Phet to help him process the feelings and emotions that come with cancer treatment.

The AACR was deeply saddened to hear of Phet’s passing in late 2024. “He fought a good fight,” said Nicole. “May he rest in peace and love.” Still, Phet’s family hopes to make their reunion and support for cancer research an annual event. Though the AACR won’t return to San Diego until Annual Meeting 2026, Team Papa, Su Su! plans to be there. 

High School Students Advocate for Cancer Research

This winter, students at Northern Highlands Regional High School in Allendale, N.J., supported the American Association for Cancer Research^® (AACR) as part of their Freshman Seminar. Grouped based on interests, the students were asked to research a cause important to them. Many quickly realized just how much cancer has affected their lives. Using Charity Navigator to find a reliable organization that works on their issue, groups then made pitches for why their charity deserved to receive class donations. Multiple groups focused on the AACR, with several classes selecting the cancer research organization to receive donations. 

The assignment is always “the turning point” for first-year students, said Joe Keily, who co-teaches a segment of the high school’s new class with Jennifer Lederman. Students make stronger connections with one another, their class, and their teachers through the assignment. “They opened up, sometimes about quite personal things, to their classmates, overcame the fear of public speaking, and learned how to be advocates and find reliable charities doing good work,” Keily said.

For students like Michael Echeverri, advocating for cancer research and turning ideas into action was a powerful thing. “My charity being selected made me feel like I actually made a difference,” he said. “I believe that everyone, not just my classmates, needs to learn about cancer and your charity,” he said of the AACR. 

Choosing and advocating for the AACR was an easy decision for Echeverri’s classmate Doyle Flatt. “I saw how much your charity cared,” he said.

The final component of the project was for each student to write a letter to the charity they researched. In the letters, the students shared all the ways cancer has touched their lives. “It has affected my family time and time again,” Alexander Bodnar wrote. In his letter, Ben Shamosh added, “I have felt for a while I needed to somehow help the fight against cancer. I appreciate the AACR for all it has done and am happy to continue the fight.”