Be a Part of the Cure Telethon Raises $400,000
| The 2nd annual Be a Part of the Cure Telethon to benefit the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute’s research and treatment programs raised nearly $400,000 despite a second year of pandemic challenges.
“Cancer has affected us all, and the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute continues to see patients, provide treatment and take care of patients as if there is no pandemic,” said Win Rockefeller, event chairman and advisory board member. “We hosted the telethon again this year because we wanted to reach out to friends and supporters of the Cancer Institute. We wanted Arkansans to know that we are here for them if they need us.”
The 7.5-hour telethon was broadcast statewide Sept. 8 on ABC from the Betsy Blass Boardroom on the Cancer Institute’s 10th floor. Through corporate sponsorships, including event sponsors Highlands Oncology and Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort and the Walker Foundation for their generous $50,000 matching gift, as well as donations from 200 businesses and individuals, the event has raised almost $400,000. Gifts are still coming in and can be made by text or online through October. To donate, visit cancer.uams.edu/cure/telethon.
As luck would have it, Natalie Rockefeller took the call for the day’s largest individual donation — $50,000.
“It was a very emotional call from someone who recently lost their spouse to cancer,” she said. “They were treated at the Cancer Institute but with a stage four diagnosis, it was an uphill battle they couldn’t win. The caller was grateful to UAMS and wanted to honor their loved one with a gift to the Cancer Institute. We were both in tears by the end of the call.”
In an interview on KATV’s Good Morning Arkansas leading up to the event, Cancer Institute Director Michael Birrer, M.D., Ph.D., talked about the impact of the institute’s work. “We see about 3,000 new patients a year and provide a full range of services, no matter what the cancer is. It’s important to note that we’re the state’s only academic medical center, meaning we have a complete, broad portfolio of clinical trials that bring much-needed new drugs to patients here in Arkansas,” Birrer said.
Jonathan Laryea, M.D., UAMS chief of colorectal surgery and Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute medical director, speaks to KATV’s Renee Shapiro during the Be a Part of the Cure Telethon.
UAMS’ Jonathan Laryea, M.D., chief of colorectal surgery and Cancer Institute medical director; Gwendolyn Bryant-Smith, M.D., radiologist and director of the Breast Center; Fritz Van Rhee, M.D., Ph.D., Myeloma Center director; and Pearl McElfish, Ph.D., Cancer Institute community outreach and engagement associate director, shared information about colorectal and breast cancer, still two of the leading cancers in Arkansas.
“If you take both men and women, colorectal cancer is the third leading cancer diagnosis in Arkansas,” said Laryea in a live interview with KATV’s Renee Shapiro. “If you put men and women together, it’s the second leading cause of cancer deaths in Arkansas.”
“We have more than tripled our space in our new breast center, and we’re excited to open access to mammography to more women. We’re so proud of our one-stop shop and same-day results,” said Bryant-Smith.
Birrer thanked all of the volunteers – former patients, board members and UAMS staff – who made the event possible.
“We can’t thank our volunteers enough for their help with this event,” Birrer said. “And of course, none of this would have happened without Natalie Rockefeller. For the past two years, she has been the heart and soul behind the telethon.”