2024 By the Numbers: The Impact of Your Support
Because of generous donors like you, our wonderful corporate partners and grant funders, West Cancer Foundation is able to provide free cancer services to those in need. Whether screenings for preventive care or practical services for cancer patients in active treatment, your donations are saving lives and improving care for thousands in our community each year. These numbers tell a heartwarming story.
In 2024, West Cancer Foundation provided:
- 6,904 FREE rides to and from cancer appointments
- 172 FREE wigs for patients facing hair loss
- 204 FREE mammograms for early detection
- 139 FREE post-mastectomy prostheses
- 110 FREE lymphedema garments for better care
Together, we’ve touched lives and provided hope to those who need it most. Thank you for being a part of our journey!
Please Join Us In Welcoming Our New Board Members
West Cancer Foundation is thrilled to announce the addition of Jarvis Greer, Wendy Likes and Tish Towns to our Board of Directors.
Greer, a cancer survivor, is a Memphis sports icon who spent more than 43 years as an Emmy-winning sports reporter, anchor and director with WMC Action News 5. He is also a former University of Memphis football standout and currently serves as a member of the U of M Tigers football broadcasting team. In 2022, he was inducted into the Memphis Sports Hall of Fame.
Likes is the Dean of the UT Health Science Center College of Nursing and is leading the POWER for Nursing Program which aims to advance oncology nursing education and address the need for skilled oncology nurses. The program is made possible by a grant from West Cancer Foundation.
Towns has more than 25 years of experience in healthcare leadership and is currently Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer for Regional One Health. She is a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives (FACHE) and a previous member of that organization’s Management Series Editorial Board, a past Delegate for the American Hospital Association (AHA) Regional Policy Board, and a member of Memphis Rotary.
Their diverse expertise, passion for service and dedication to our mission will play a vital role in advancing our efforts to improve access to cancer care and support services. We look forward to working together to create meaningful change and extend our impact in the community.
Why I Give…
Check out our latest testimonial from Tish Pinion who has survived cancer twice and has turned her journey into an inspirational story and an unwavering passion for giving back to the cancer community. It’s cancer warriors, volunteers and enthusiastic ambassadors like Tish who help West Cancer Foundation thrive. Thank you Tish for your inspiring story.
Join Us for a Lecture on Compassion and Burnout Among Nursing Professionals
Calling all nurses, nursing faculty and nursing students to join us February 3 at the FedEx Event Center for the first lecture in the UT Health Science Center College of Nursing’s Bernie Crook Distinguished Visiting Professorship program. The speaker series is made possible by a grant from West Cancer Foundation. Lori Ranallo, RN, MSN, APRN-BC, CBCN, Board Certified Oncology Nurse Practitioner at the University of Kansas Cancer Center, will share an insightful presentation that sheds light on the challenges faced by oncology nursing professionals with a discussion of strategies and techniques to promote resilience and well-being.
This Visiting Professorship Lecture, named in honor of long-time Memphis oncology nurse Bernie Crook, is designed to equip practicing nurses and healthcare professionals with the tools to care for oncology patients and their caregivers while addressing the challenges of compassion, fatigue and burnout. We’re honored to support initiatives like these that uplift and empower healthcare providers.
She to Sea Team is Gearing Up
More than 20 women are hard at work training for this year’s She to Sea cycling event. The 4th annual She to Sea will launch on March 22 and include 22 women who will cycle from Memphis to Seagrove Beach, Fla., to honor lives touched by cancer and raise funds for West Cancer Foundation. The group of elite athletes will ride more than 500 miles over five days and arrive in Seagrove Beach on March 26.
While many of us are just trying to stay warm in January and February, these fearless female warriors are braving the cold, the aches and the pains to provide real, tangible help to cancer patients. Let’s show them the support they deserve
Scientists Discover Hidden Ally in Fight Against Cancer
It’s everyone’s favorite buzzword nowadays. And soon doctors may gain access to a groundbreaking AI tool that leverages routine blood tests and clinical data to more accurately predict whether cancer patients will benefit from immune checkpoint inhibitors—a form of immunotherapy.
Developed by researchers from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) and the Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai, this AI-driven model, named SCORPIO, offers a more accessible, cost-effective and reliable approach compared to the two biomarkers currently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
“Immune checkpoint inhibitors are a powerful cancer treatment, but they only work for a minority of patients,” explains Dr. Luc Morris, co-senior study author, surgeon, and research lab director at MSK. “These treatments are expensive and can cause serious side effects. Existing predictive tools often rely on advanced genomic testing, which isn’t widely available worldwide. Our goal was to create a model that uses readily available data, like routine blood tests, to guide treatment decisions effectively.”
Our Mission
West Cancer Foundation’s mission is to break through barriers to cancer care and improve patient outcomes by providing accessible patient resources, early detection and education, and community-based research.
