🍁RCF Fall Newsletter 2021🍁

Board Member Spotlight: Tamara Reese

Reasons for joining RCF Board:

"I strongly believe in our mission and have always had a keen interest in our medical community. We lost our nephew to DSRCT at the age of 22, and I became even more passionate about finding a cure for young adult sarcomas.

Favorite thing about the RCF community:

"I am a strong advocate and believer in our ability to bridge the gap between cancer treatment and the emotional and physical well being of our AYA community. It is a blessing to know how many lives RCF has touched and ministered to in countless ways, and to know that these families are better because of what we do."

BOO at the ZOO with

AYA Patients and Families 🎃👻

Another bootiful day for our patients and their families at Boo At The Zoo has come and gone. RCF friends came from as far as College Station and Mississippi to attend. Audrey, a Junior at Texas A&M, said "I am excited that I got the opportunity to come home for a day of fun at Boo at the Zoo!" Events like this allow our teen and young adult patients to forget about cancer for a few hours and just feel normal. Because of our wonderful donors, RCF hosted 164 guests at this year’s Boo event on Saturday, October 30.

“Thank you for the ticket to Boo at the Zoo! We had an amazing time at this event! It felt so good to get out and do something fun and festive and especially safe!" -AYA Patient

Be Like Tate!

A month ago, when delivering Carley’s Closet bags and pouches to Proton Therapy in Irving, the nurse navigator mentioned a sweet mom who wanted to speak to us at RCF. Her name was Julie and her son Tate had been a patient there at Christmas time in 2019. Tate had received an RCF Christmas stocking and his favorite gift inside was the Bluetooth speaker. “He took it everywhere!“, she said, “He enjoyed sharing the music he loved!”

Tragically, in July, Tate passed away after a two year battle with adenocarcinoma. Over the course of his disease, Tate and his mom had many conversations about ways they could give back. He wanted to make a difference and help others that were fighting cancer like him. Julie said that Tate was known for his infectious smile and his heart for others and soon after his passing, people started saying “Be like Tate!”

To “be like Tate”, his parents accepted donations from his family and friends in order to purchase 300 bluetooth speakers for the RCF stockings. They know that Tate would be so grateful and excited to be able to bring a smile to others fighting! Each speaker will have a sticker that says “in loving memory of Tate Wood. Tate loved people and he loved music. Be like Tate!”

Thank you for making

An Evening with RCF

a HUGE success!

Thanks to ALL of you,

we raised over $330,000

to ease cancer's impact, raise survival rates and find a cure!

Finding a Cure-An Evening with RCF was a time of hope; hope for new, less toxic treatments for those battling cancer and a celebration of those who are making a tangible difference in their lives.

We are extremely grateful for our Sponsors, Committee, Volunteers, and our wonderful and inspiring speaker, Dr. Greg Aune, MD, PhD.

View Recap of Event

RCF Joins Forces with

Qana Therapeutics to Establish

Research Lab in Austin, Texas

Adds senior scientist, Dr. Boada to accelerate platform development

Austin’s ACC Bioscience Incubator (ABI) welcomed new tenant Qana Therapeutics, a promising biotechnology firm working on improved delivery technologies for cancer therapeutics.

ABI offers lab and office space to its tenants, as well as networking and development events. To join ABI, potential members must present to the site’s scientific advisory board, which reviews business plans and the science behind a company’s research.

“We are excited for Qana to join the vibrant community of biotechnology startups at ABI,” said Nancy Lyon Interim Director of the ACC Bioscience Incubator.

Qana also announced the addition of Dr. Christian Boada as Senior Scientist responsible for nanoparticle research. Dr. Boada is joining from Texas A&M Health Sciences Center in Houston, where he was a post-doctoral researcher in the lab of Dr. John Cooke. Previously, Dr. Boada conducted research at Duke University Medical Center and at the Houston Methodist Research Institute. Dr. Boada was lead author on a publication in Circulation Research on a biomimetic nanoparticle to reduce vascular inflammation.

Jim Graham, co-founder and CEO of Qana Therapeutics, credited the support of the Rutledge Cancer Foundation for enabling recent progress.

“Laura Rutledge has been a driving force behind the development of this technology from the start,” remarked Graham. “A recent grant from the Rutledge Cancer Foundation has allowed us to open our lab and bring on Dr. Boada, which will dramatically accelerate our efforts to develop better treatments for the patients who most need them.”

Message from RCF's

Director of

Special Events and Marketing

Dear RCF Friends and Family,

It has been an absolute pleasure working for such an amazing and impactful foundation. I've loved getting to know many of you throughout my time at RCF and I am so grateful for the relationships made. Although I have been called to do something else professionally, RCF will always remain dear to my heart.

However, I am excited to announce that I will be co-chairing the event next year and look forward to seeing everyone in September 2022. Thank YOU for all that you do and for continuing to ease the impact, raise the rate, and find a cure for teens and young adults with cancer.

Sincerely,

Adrienne Stephens

2022 Evening with RCF Co-Chair