This fund was established to honor family members and friends who have lost their lives to cancer—including both of our mothers—and to support those who are currently facing the disease. After Wendy received her own cancer diagnosis in June, our long-held desire to create a philanthropic fund took on a clear purpose. We hope the fund will grow and advance cancer innovation for decades to come.

The fund will support current and prospective LifeSciKY tenants conducting cancer research. It will help startup companies access the equipment, facilities, and support they need to advance their research, including subsidized rent for space in LifeSciKY’s incubator, access to shared equipment, and funding for new research equipment as needs arise. By attracting new companies to the incubator, we also hope to create additional employment opportunities for local scientists.

Kentucky faces one of the nation’s highest cancer burdens, with especially concerning rates of breast and prostate cancer. Our goal is ambitious: to better understand why cancer rates are so high, identify ways to prevent the disease, and ultimately help find cures. Science is advancing rapidly, and we believe meaningful answers and breakthroughs are possible within our lifetime.