OUR IMPACT
TURNING MADDIE’S HEART INTO TANGIBLE PEDIATRIC CANCER CARE.
When cancer slowed her down, Maddie’s art picked up. She drew and wrote inspirational messages. She braided bracelets and painted rocks. She even created a book with detailed plans for selling creations to help others. Despite her grueling treatments, she felt lucky and promised to pay it forward.
We are taking on her promise.
WE’RE ACTIVELY FUNDING RESEARCH THAT OFFERS THE MOST PROMISE.
Maddie’s Promise is more than a tribute to a beautiful and beautifully strong eleven-year-old girl gone too soon; it’s a rally cry to push rare childhood cancer research forward — creating tangible, life-saving treatments along the way.
Since our September 2019 launch, we have identified and funded initiatives over $300,000 focused in 2 main categories
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Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory: supported preclinical research focused on two unique genetic targets in rhabdomyosarcoma, aspiration to progress candidates into clinical development
Children’s Cancer Development Institute: support to Phase 1 clinical study and Citizen Scientist project focused on identifying existing drug candidates with potential to treat rhabdomyosarcoma.
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Beat Childhood Cancer: Co-funded the rhabdomyo- sarcoma program focused on mining tumor data to identify targeted therapies for individual children in critical need and inform clinical development.
Children’s Oncology Group: Funded a genomic statistician focused on analysis and sharing of tissue samples to progress drug development efforts. Maddie’s Promise was acknowledged in a resulting publication in Cancer, the peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society.
Megan Bugg was diagnosed with stage 4 Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma (ARMS) on December 30, 2014. She fought courageously for over 7 years and left us on March 9, 2022. Throughout her battle she maintained a positive attitude and zest for life and was a true inspiration to those around her.