A few weeks ago I wrote about how much I love baseball, and how much I love this time of year. Actually, as I write this, I have Game 3 of the World Series on (score is still 0-0 in the 4th). So it’s no surprise that there’s nothing like the World Series to remind you that MLB is a huge sponsor of Stand Up To Cancer. I know I’m a little late on getting this out as SU2C’s (as it’s more commonly known) annual event was a little over a month ago (you can still watch it on Hulu). So you know that I love baseball and, if you know me, you’ll also know that my family has experienced the devastation of cancer first hand, the most significant loss being my grandfather when I was seven years old. SU2C is a charitable program operated by the Entertainment Industry Foundation. The charity is unique because it is mainly a fundraising vehicle and doesn’t conduct its own cancer research. Instead, it supports multiple outside research programs.
SU2C was started in the fall of 2007, and officially launched in May 2008, by a group of women whose lives have been affected by cancer in some way. Since its inception, SU2C has raised over $370 million and has over 1,000 scientists participating in SU2C-funded research. The charity has also funded over 160 clinical trials and helped over 6,000 patients. You can find more impressive stats like this at SU2C’s website, here.
The biggest and most public way that SU2C has raised money is through telethons. To date, they have conducted four in the United States, broadcast across three major networks — ABC, CBS, and NBC — and made available to 190 countries worldwide. They’ve happened every other year since 2008. The telethon also aired its own version in Canada in 2014, with all donations going to Canadian-led research. In 2012 and 2014, the UK also hosted their own versions of the telethon. For each telethon, a slew of celebrities turn out to show their support and share their stories. While all cancer stories are heartbreaking, the one that impacted me the most was Pierce Brosnan’s. He lost his first wife to ovarian cancer, and later, their daughter died from the same disease. It is painful to watch one family member go through cancer, but to lose two to the same disease decades apart is just horrifying.
One of the most public figures on SU2C’s board of directors is co-founder Katie Couric. Couric lost her first husband and one of her sisters to cancer, and has been involved in many cancer societies and movements throughout her career. She has also undergone a colonoscopy and a mammogram on air to highlight the importance of preventative care. As much as I wish she hadn’t gone through the pain of multiple cancer journeys with loved ones, I am happy to see that she’s using her public status for a good cause by becoming the public face of a great organization.
As I mentioned before, Major League Baseball has been a long-time partner of SU2C. Other major partners, called “visionaries” by the charity, are Cancer Treatment Centers of America, MasterCard, and Sidney Kimmel Foundation for Cancer Research. They have countless lower-tier partners, and every single one is just as important as the big guns. This fight is not going to be won by one single organization – the disease is too varied across the board.
Cancer research and the eradication of cancer is near and dear to my heart. I would like to think that, if I had been at all proficient in math and science, I would join the scientific side of the fight and search for a cure. I have watched far too many loved ones, friends, and acquaintances go through the terrifying cancer journey, and frankly, I’m sick of it. Cancer is the most terrifying 6-letter word to me. Last year, when the Ice Bucket Challenge was going on, I donated to SU2C in addition to the ALSA. You can donate here and help join the fight. Keep an eye out for more opportunities to fight with SU2C.
