When Phil Yagoda’s son, Ian, was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2006, he and wife Cheryl did what most parents would do: They made endless rounds of doctor and hospital visits looking for a cure.
“We always asked about the research and were told, ‘It’s nowhere,’” Yagoda said. “So we researched on our own and figured out that brain tumors are the number one cause of childhood death [from cancer] for those under 20. You’d think tons of money were going towards this, but there’s not.”
That fact provided the motivation for the Sandy Springs couple to launch Ian’s Friends Foundation, a nonprofit named for their son and focused on funding pediatric brain research. “We said we weren’t going to wait for someone else to do something,” said Yagoda.
This year, Ian’s Friends marked its 15th anniversary as one of the leading sources of funding for childhood brain tumor research.
“The way we’ve done it is unique,” said Yagoda. “We looked at it from an entrepreneurial perspective to make sure the research is getting done. We use our dollars for projects that are out-of-the-box gamechangers.”
To find researchers doing that extraordinary work, Ian’s Friends has hosted symposiums in the “Shark Tank” style. About 50 experts have five minutes to present an idea and 10 to defend it to a room of physicists, oncologists, radiologists and clinicians. The top three to five winners receive funding.
“We’re not challenging them; we’re helping them find the holes in their research,” said Yagoda. “Often it can create collaboration between people with similar ideas.”
Some of the projects Ian’s Friends has supported have received additional support from the National Institutes of Health and been tagged with “breakthrough status” by the Food and Drug Administration. Since its inception, the foundation has funded 37 projects at 29 institutions. The goal is a better approach to treatment and information that could save other families from the Yagodas’ experience.
“Ian had a tumor in his brain stem, but he’s now 18 and doing great,” said Yagoda. “He and his friends are always volunteering with the foundation. He’s an inspiration that there is light at the end of the tunnel. For us, it’s a labor of love. At the end of the day, the greatest gift you can give to a parent is the life of their child.”
Information about Ian’s Friends Foundation is online at iansfriendsfoundation.com.
Who’s doing good? Each week, we write about a deserving individual, charity events such as fun-runs, volunteer projects and other community gatherings that benefit a good cause. To suggest an event or person for us to cover, contact us at ajc.doinggood@gmail.com.
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