On Wednesday, December 5, the Paula Takacs Foundation for Sarcoma Research presented a generous gift for $250,000 to Levine Cancer Institute to advance the ongoing cutting-edge sarcoma research. The celebration was attended by Levine Cancer Institute physicians, researchers and clinical care teams, many Paula Takacs Foundation board members and donors, and Sarcoma Stomp sponsors.
Thanks to year-round fundraising initiatives and its flagship Sarcoma Stomp road race, the Paula Takacs Foundation for Sarcoma Research has raised over $800,000 to-date in support of Phase I and Phase II clinical research trials at Levine Cancer Institute.
For nearly 10 years, the Foundation’s namesake and founder – Paula Takacs – fought liposarcoma, a form of soft tissue sarcoma that is both rare and underfunded. With intent to support innovative research and raise awareness for the devastating disease, Paula and her husband Geoffrey established the Paula Takacs Foundation for Sarcoma Research in 2010. Sadly, Paula lost her battle four years later, but not before growing her non-profit into one of the most active grassroots sarcoma foundations in the country.
Today, Executive Director Sue Udelson – who also serves on the Levine Cancer Institute Leadership Council and the Levine Children’s Cancer Champions committee – carries on her close friend Paula’s legacy by continuing to create awareness for the lesser-known cancer. The Paula Takacs Foundation is now a haven for those touched by sarcoma and has amassed a growing community of supporters, bringing together patients and survivors of all ages and their loved ones in a movement to improve the treatment and prevention of sarcoma.
Funds raised by the Paula Takacs Foundation are supporting the creation of sarcoma-specific clinical trials led by Dr. Ed Kim (left) at Levine Cancer Institute — the first such endeavor for the Institute and one close to the hearts of Foundation staff and supporters. One trial, which involves chemotherapy as well as a new ground-breaking immunotherapy, is one of the only such trials in the country that will allow patients who have soft tissue sarcomas to enroll. What makes it even more heartwarming: the trials will also be available to children who have been diagnosed with sarcoma.
The generous support of the Paula Takacs Foundation allows Paula’s legacy to live on and propels us ever-closer to developing a cure for the devastating disease.
About the Paula Takacs Foundation: The mission of the Paula Takacs Foundation for Sarcoma Research is to raise funds that will directly benefit the fight to end sarcoma. By supporting local, innovative research with a relentless commitment to excellence, the Paula Takacs Foundation opens a pathway for scientists and other research professionals to develop and offer cutting-edge treatment options to more sarcoma sufferers, thus helping to expand the global hope for a cure. To learn more about the Paula Takacs Foundation, visit paulatakacsfoundation.org.
To learn more about Sarcoma research at Levine Cancer Institute, click here.