Swee Family Catalyzer Project

The Lurie Cancer Center at Northwestern Medicine has been one of the most impactful institutions in our lives.  More than a dozen years ago, our mom and dad were diagnosed with cancer within less than twelve months of each other.  Their cases exhibited unusual complicating factors, and our family quickly found the way to Northwestern where they have been receiving treatment ever since.  Through countless hours at the hospital during many years of different treatments, we have had the opportunity to observe the innovative, patient-centered care that each of them received.  At critical moments, that has required a diverse medical team with deep expertise in multiple highly specialized areas, which few institutions in the world are capable of assembling.  In that way, Lurie has given life to our family.

Through our parents’ experiences at Northwestern, we have seen the crucial role that novel treatments and approaches play in cancer care.  In an effort to support the innovative research that drives such treatments, we have joined the Associate Board of the Lurie Cancer Center.  The board is composed of a couple dozen members who have a personal connection to the care provided at Lurie.  The board raises funds for and awards two grants for cutting-edge oncology research occurring at Lurie.  The grants are designed to fill a gap in existing funding systems by providing seed or bridge funding for early stage projects that have not yet generated enough data to receive NIH funding but have a clear long-term path to doing so.  A number of Northwestern professors have pitched ground-breaking therapeutic approaches to the board in recent months, and we will be awarding grants in Fall 2024 to the two most promising.  We are hopeful that the projects the board supports will transform the lives of patients and their families.

As members of the board, we are raising funds for the two Fall 2024 grants.  That brings us to the annual Lurie Cancer Center 5K race, which our entire family has run for more than a decade.  The event brings together cancer survivors, their families and friends, and members of the Lurie community.  We will be running it again this year.  We’d appreciate anything you can contribute to help this life-changing institution.  All donations directly benefit Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, and Lurie Cancer Center. Every penny we raise will go directly to the two research projects that receive the Associate Board’s grants. 

- William and Joe