Over the years we have been able to financially support research at The Cancer Center at the Hackensack University Medical Center. HUMC’s Cancer Center is the largest in New Jersey and the Community Clinical Oncology Program directed by Andrew Pecora, MD has been recognized nationally for their achievements in the fight against breast cancer. The center treats hundreds of new patients each week and is one of the busiest and the 8th largest provider of clinical and research cancer services in the country.
The HUMC was the hospital where my wife was treated for her breast cancer recurrence. The Center has deservingly received national awards for its first-rate medical staff and excellent care, which was afforded Nancy during her treatment. Our donations to UMHC have been specifically targeted for its efforts to eradicate breast cancer.
Nancy was courageous and wanted to take every opportunity that was made available to beat the disease. While the door was open for some experimental trials in other instances she was denied several opportunities since the drugs “in the pipeline” had not been approved quickly enough. If those doors were open sooner and the drugs made available, the future may have taken a different course.
We all realize that it is imperative to make more and better options available to breast cancer patients and to dramatically increase the participation in clinical trials from the mere 3% currently involved. Through our past grants to Dr. Pecora’s team at The Cancer Center they have been able to increase the number of participants in clinical trial that provide access to newly developed therapeutic agents.
We have had the opportunity to observe first hand and support the world renowned research to treat and cure breast cancer that is being conducted at Rutgers University/ Division of Life Sciences under the leadership of Kenneth Breslauer, Dean of the Division. Rutgers is committed to focusing on interdisciplinary basic research that can be translated into clinically and technologically relevant applications to assist in reaching the goal of eradicating breast cancer.