On November 12, from the fourth floor of the MCW Center for Cancer Discovery, the room held its breath as cancer survivors, researchers, and community members unrolled eight banners, each one cranking up the suspense toward a total big enough to change the pace of cancer research.
The final banner dropped: $1,062,344.
For a split second, the room was silent, then it erupted. Cheers. Applause. Balloons and streamers raining down like confetti at the finish line of a race nobody forgets.
“It is absolutely unbelievable to have raised more than $1 million together with MCW faculty, staff, students, and the community,” said Gustavo Leone, PhD, Director of the Cancer Center and Co-Chair of Audaxity.
“It means we can do things we only dreamed of just yesterday. It means turning discoveries into trials, into better therapies, for our patients. It means training the next generation of leaders and scientists.”
The Audaxity Impact Party marked both the celebration of the first ride done right, and proof that this community is all in. When fundraising opened in January, few could have imagined just how far the movement would go. But by August 17, 1,074 doctors, researchers, and community members—including more than 100 cancer survivors—united around a shared goal to accelerate lifesaving research discoveries and end cancer for good.
During the event, MCW leaders shared how the funds will advance three new Cancer Center initiatives:
- Our Patient Project will bring researchers and clinicians together so they can use their combined knowledge in basic, clinical, and population science to address cancer’s toughest challenges.
- A Clinical Research Fellowship Program that trains the next generation of scientists who approach cancer care with a fresh perspective. It will empower promising young minds to uncover discoveries that help patients live better, longer lives.
- Better serving communities across the state. That means taking trials, discoveries, and results and commercializing them to produce resources and screening tools that people in isolated areas can easily access.
Harriet Pfersch, a lung cancer survivor and Audaxity rider, reflected on the incredible strides made in cancer research over the past several decades that have enabled her to stay cancer free for the last two years. “I’m so lucky that I was born when I was born because if I was born 20 years, 25 years earlier, I might not be here today,” she said.
Pfersch added that it’s common to feel powerless when someone you know is diagnosed with cancer, but the research being done at MCW “gives you the feeling that you have power and there is hope down the road.”
“The success of the first year proved what can happen when we unite around the common goal of ending cancer,” said Lauren Bennett, Audaxity Managing Director. “Our team of riders, volunteers, and supporters built something incredible together, and that momentum will only grow stronger as we look toward the next ride.”
The date of the second annual Audaxity ride will be announced in the coming weeks. Tune up, clip in, and get ready, because this movement is only picking up speed.
Watch the ride recap video.