American Association for Cancer Research

This challenge is for cancer warriors past, present, and especially future. When I’m asked if there is someone for whom I’m doing this, it’s difficult to answer. The truth is that there are too many cancer cases in my circle, and this seems to be the case for many of us. I am doing this for each one – family, friends, families of friends, friends of family.

So much progress has been made in the fight against cancer. Just look at these stats provided by AACR: “the death rate from cancer has fallen 34% in the last 30 years as hundreds of new therapies and prevention strategies have been discovered and validated with NIH funding. The death rate from breast cancer has dropped 42% since 1989, and survival of children with cancer is now 85%, up from 58% in the mid-1970s.”

This quote is part of an article the AACR should never have needed to write. Here we are, in 2026, with federal budget cuts to critical research programs risking lives of not only Americans, but cancer warriors around the world. This cause is a global effort. It’s a nonpartisan effort. The National Institutes of Health already needed to freeze new grant applications last year, and even just proposed-but-not-passed NIH cuts for 2026 are already setting us back in the progress against this terrible group of diseases, as organizations prepare for this possibility. Please check out this article by the AACR for additional information about the potential impacts of these decisions.

It might seem futile to bother donating in the face of millions of dollars at stake. Realistically, this campaign alone won’t come close to offsetting that. As with any cause, results come from strength in numbers. My hope is that this campaign is one of many, in support of the world’s largest cancer research organization: the AACR. There are so many organizations out there doing amazing work, but I’ve selected the AACR for their global impact (members in 142 countries!) and ethical administration (ensuring 88 cents of every dollar go directly to cancer research, minimizing operational overhead). I also ran my first half marathon with their Runners for Research organization (runners reading this – it’s a great group to get involved with!). If I manage to complete Russia (not currently on the list), I could be the first American woman to complete the Crown of Europe, and I intend to use that platform to drive more awareness.

There are so many causes to support, and the state of the world can be overwhelming. If now isn’t the right time for you to donate, please consider contacting your congressional representatives if you’re US-based or an American abroad – the AACR has made it very simple!

The AACR has built amazing resources not only for cancer warriors, treatment teams, and researchers, but also for fundraisers and donors, making it easy to multiply your impact through company matching programs. Additionally, they’re the largest cancer research organization in the world, and it takes a level of scale to make a far-reaching impact to the development of new cancer treatments, prevention strategies, and eventual cures. They are consistently on top of developments in the space and are often directly involved, publishing invaluable journals and calls to action (as with the congressional outreach campaign above!). More details on recent progress is shared in their Cancer Progress Report.