Who We Are
Dear friends,
My name is Phil Yagoda. My wife Cheryl and I are the proud parents of our three year old son, Ian. Approximately one year ago our little boy was diagnosed with a type 2 astrocytoma located in his brain stem, more commonly known as a brain tumor. As shocked as we were at the time to hear and contemplate the horrific disease that plagued our child, we were equally shocked to learn that there was hardly any research being done. Today in this great country that we live in, the number one cause of childhood death is accidental death with the second leading cause of childhood deaths being cancer. The number one cause of death relating from cancer is brain tumor.
As many of us today have causes that are near and dear to our hearts Cheryl and I have made fighting this terrible disease our priority. As brain tumors in children often become more aggressive between the ages of 6 to puberty and as Ian’s tumor is non resectable with no alternative treatment available, we have without hesitation, decided to take matters into our own hands and start a foundation named Ian’s Friends. Ian’s Friends is a foundation which was set up with the sole purpose and focus of funding projects for the advancement of pediatric brain tumor research. As we were astonished to learn, there is relatively little to no public money dedicated to research in this field and therefore felt compelled to embrace this fight ourselves. My fellow board members and I have identified as our first project, a lab run by one of the leading pediatric brain surgeons in the country, Dr. Mark Souweidane, Vice Chairman of Neurological Surgery of the Weil Cornell University Hospital in New York City, who is the lead investigator in his lab that is dedicated to overcoming and abating brain cancer.
Dr. Souweidane’s lab is focused on local delivery schemes, the delivery and administration of therapeutic molecules directly into tumors. As there are many advantages over conventional administration (i.e. bypassing the BBB –blood brain barrier and the limitation of toxicities of more conventional chemotherapies), these features have been integrated into one particular form of local delivery called interstitial infusion. It is the interstitial infusion that is being investigated in Dr. Souweidane’s lab as a potential form of therapy for children with unresectable brain tumors. In addition to the mechanical considerations, the lab is also focusing on different therapeutic compounds. Conventional chemotherapeutic compounds, conjugated immunotoxins, and radiolabelled monoclonal antibodies are all in different phases of investigation.
As we are delighted with the success that Dr. Souweidane’s lab has had to date (please see the enclosed lab summary and results), we need to ensure the vitality and success of this lab and others in the future. It is only through private donation that these successes have the ability to continue. It is because of this that my wife Cheryl and I, the board of Ian’s Friends, and every child in the world who is fighting this terrible disease asks for your support. Any contribution you can make would be more than appreciated. We truly are excited about the potential for this lab. With recent findings we hope that interstitial infusion and the use and discovery of new therapeutic compounds will have universal application for children and adults around the world with brain cancer. Please donate and be amongst the few who choose to help the many children fighting for their lives. It is only your support that will change the destinies and the futures of these wonderful children. Please join me by pledging your support financially and actively in helping change the course of life from one generation to another.
I thank you for your time and consideration of this very important cause.
With warmest regards,
Phil Yagoda
Chairman
Ian's Friends Foundation