The largest donation in the Lung Cancer Research Foundation's (LCRF, www.lungfund.org) history was announced in New York today by LCRF founder Laurie C. Carson. In announcing the 2.1 million dollar donation, Ms. Carson said, "The impact that this gift has on the Foundation at this critical point in our growth is enormous. It is a transformational gift and it enables us to expand our grant program in a very meaningful and measurable way." Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide, with nearly 1.3 million people dying from the disease each year. It remains one of the most under funded researched diseases.
The gift was made by Mrs. Laure Sudreau-Rippe, and her husband Mr. William C. Rippe. Bill Rippe, a non-smoker, was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2008. In making this donation, Laure Sudreau-Rippe said, "I lost my father to lung cancer when I was 21, and now my husband has it. I want to make a difference. It's time lung cancer research and awareness got more recognition, and I hope this gift is the first step in a new direction. We picked LCRF for this donation because of their approach to scientific research. We want science to benefit everyone, and we think this is the future to finding a cure for all cancers." Ms. Sudreau-Rippe has lost 3 members of her immediate family to cancer.
The donation will go towards LCRF's grant program, which supports national research studies aimed at developing innovative strategies for better treatments, screening, and prevention of all cancers of the lung. The goal of the grant program is to fund results driven research, which will lead to an improved quality of life for all lung cancer patients. The Lung Cancer Research Foundation is the leading foundation in the United States for scientific research in this field.
Since its founding in 2005, LCRF has funded nearly $2 million dollars to leading cancer institutes throughout the United States for critical lung cancer research. The LCRF medical advisory board is compromised of internationally renowned, multidisciplinary scientists and physicians, each affiliated with a major cancer center – Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, John Hopkins, MD Anderson, Memorial Sloan-Kettering, Stanford University and University of Chicago.
More people will die from lung cancer this year, than any other form of cancer. It will claim the lives of nearly 160,000 Americans this year, with 215,000 new cases diagnosed annually.
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