Being a Wisconsin native and as a 'walk-on' to the University of Wisconsin, it was a privilege to graduate in pharmacy and play Big Ten basketball in the 1950s. Our contribution to University Athletics, the Athletic Training Education Program and the sports medicine facilities is very important to me. Curt Mueller (’57 BS Pharm) |
|  | Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer, Inc., commonly referred to as the MACC Fund, has made a $3.5 million gift to advance children’s cancer research at the University of Wisconsin Paul P. Carbone Comprehensive Cancer Center. The funds will create the MACC Fund Childhood Cancer Research Wing, with facilities for six research teams devoted to pediatric oncology in the Interdisciplinary Research Complex near the American Family Children’s Hospital. That will expedite translation of research into patient care.
“We know there is an enormous need for this type of space, and we hope our gift will help attract the investigators, other researchers and additional funds we need to help kids with cancer,” said MACC Fund Board Chair Bill Steinberg (’68 BS L&S). “They’re the only ones who don’t have time to wait.”
Each year, close to 12,400 children under the age of 20 are diagnosed with some form of cancer. Cancer remains the most common cause of disease-related death in children.
The MACC Fund is well known in southeastern Wisconsin and has funded more than $25 million for research at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee through special events and fundraisers such as the TREK 100, the Milwaukee Bucks’ MACC Fund game, the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association annual high school all-star basketball games, Today’s TMJ4’s annual major broadcast productions, an annual MACC Star holiday ornament and grocery promotions. |
|
|
| The MACC Fund board has increasingly included the University of Wisconsin-Madison in its philanthropy and sees the new research wing as a strategic investment in fighting childhood cancer.
“The MACC Fund Childhood Cancer Research Wing provides us with a tremendous opportunity to bring outstanding scientists together to share ideas synergistically,” said Dr. George Wilding, director of the Paul P. Carbone Comprehensive Cancer Center. “These scientists will be in close proximity of other outstanding research groups who can scientifically cross-fertilize experience and successes in other areas of oncology.”
Overall childhood cancer survival rates have increased from 20 to 80 percent during the past 30 years. Yet, for children diagnosed with certain kinds of cancers, such as metastatic neuroblastoma, the cure rate is approximately 30 percent, according to Dr. Paul Sondel (’71 BS CALS, ’75 PhD, L&S), head of the Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Division at the American Family Children’s Hospital and Walker Professor of Pediatric Oncology at the UW. |
|
|
| “We now know that certain biological features found in the tumor in occasional children can identity a child as requiring more intensive therapy and having a substantially worse prognosis than the average child with the same disease,” said Dr. Sondel. “Identifying such features is very important research, as it helps us to better individualize our therapy.”
The MACC Fund was created to provide research support for the fight against childhood cancer with the goal of “life for kids.” Previous gifts have included $2 million for pediatric oncology research at the University. Board chair Bill Steinberg sees this latest gift as just another step toward that goal, simply stating, “It’s what we do.” |
|
|
|
| | | The MACC Fund was inspired when Brett Doucette, the son of Milwaukee Bucks basketball announcer Eddie Doucette, was diagnosed with cancer at the age of two. Eddie, along with Jon McGlocklin, formed the MACC Fund in 1976.
Brett survived cancer and now lives in California with his wife. Eddie serves as the fund’s honorary vice president from his home in California and Jon continues his long-time tenure as president of the fund.
 |
|
|
|
|
