In January 2016, The Kathi Goertzen Foundation transitioned from a formal stand-alone foundation to a Seattle Children’s Hospital Guild. Friends and family have joined together as members of the Friends of Kathi Goertzen Guild. We know Kathi would whole-heartedly support this shift in the organization. The intention and mission are the same. Our mission will be to fund research to find a cure for all kinds of brain tumors and cancer. The money we raise will go directly to Seattle Children’s and their exciting new initiative Strong Against Cancer .
Through Strong Against Cancer, the team led by Dr. Michael Jensen at Ben Towne Center for Childhood Cancer Research is dedicated to developing T-cell adoptive therapy for children’s cancer with the goal of improving cure rates and at the same time reducing the need for radiation and chemotherapy. Treatments with their recent clinical trial for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) have resulted in a 91% complete remission rate in children with relapsed leukemia. And, with regard to pediatric brain tumors they have applied a significant and focused effort in the laboratory to the discovery phase of research to target medulloblastoma, primitive neuroectodermal tumors (PNETs) and ependymoma using genetically reprogrammed CAR (chimeric antigen receptor) T-cells. CAR T-cells are genetically engineered to seek out proteins that appear only on the surfaces of cancerous cells, allowing the T-cells to attach to and destroy the cancerous cells. They are currently launching a first-in-children cellular immunotherapy trial for recurrent neuroblastoma. Additionally, a clinical trial for medulloblastoma patients will launch in just a few months!
Simply put - the goal is to render today’s therapies obsolete so eventually treating childhood cancer is no different than treating an everyday virus. Your continued support is appreciated and we know this shift will keep Kathi’s legacy active at Seattle Children’s where she felt passionate and volunteered so much of her time.
Kathi’s legacy and love for community service will continue and grow as we make this transition to the Friends of Kathi Goertzen Guild. We have greatly appreciated your support and look forward to continuing our impact on helping find better treatments and cures. We will create something incredible and it will feel really good. In the meantime, please visit www.strongagainstcancer.org to learn more about this amazing science.
We look forward to fun and meaningful fundraising ahead, as well as building community and friendship through our guild. Our exact activities are not yet determined, but we expect to have something to announce later this Spring. We invite you to join us.
