Cush It To The Limit Fund
The Cush It To The Limit Fund provides monies to study the pathogenesis of T-cell lymphomas and closely related malignancies and to develop novel therapies. The fund honors the memory of Ben Cushing, a patient with hepatosplenic T-cell lymphoma.
Ben was a young, talented, and ambitious college student whose life was upended when he was diagnosed with hepatosplenic T-cell lymphoma, a rare and aggressive form of lymphoid malignancy that affects young people. As usual with this disease, despite multiple debilitating rounds of chemotherapy, it became clear that Ben’s lymphoma was not curable. When he learned this, he not only refused to stop fighting the disease, but he also selflessly shifted all his energy and love for life to help others affected by this rare and currently incurable lymphoma. Ben started raising money to advance research, in hopes to find a cure for HSTCL and other T-cell lymphomas that receive very little attention—and therefore funding—due to their rare nature. Ben continued this work up until his last days. After Ben’s death, the efforts were continued by his family and friends whom he inspired with his vision. “Cush It to the Limit” funds currently sponsor promising research projects. While Ben may no longer be with us, his fight for those who are suffering continues.
2022 Recipient: Edward Briercheck, M.D., Ph.D. - An Investigation of the Epstein-Barr Virus Genome in Extranodal NK/T-cell Lymphoma (ENKTL)
2023 Recipient: Behnam Nabet, Ph.D.
Development of Chemical Tools to Study Targeted Degradation of Mutant JAK2 Photo: Fred Hutch
2023 Recipient: Jay Sarthy, M.D., Ph.D.
Characterization and targeting of PRC2 and BRG1 in hepatosplenic T cell lymphomas
Targeting lymphoma epigenetics using minimally cardiotoxic anthracyclines Photo: Fred Hutch
2023 Recipient: Karsten Eichholz, Ph.D.
Assessing anti-PD1 CAR reactivity in antioimmunoblastic T cell lymphoma and peripheral T cell lymphoma
2023 Recipient: Sioban Keel, M.D.
Optimizing genetic testing in hematological malignancy patients with inheritable cancer syndromes Photo: Fred Hutch
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James Chung Yam Lee Fund
This fund is an endowment to honor the memory of James Chung Yam Lee, a patient of Affiliate Faculty member Pam Becker. $10,000 is available each year to help fund a pilot project that aims at advancing our understanding of leukemia or the care of leukemia patients.
James Chung Yam Lee was thoroughly dedicated to improving outcomes for AML. He had relapsed shortly after an allogeneic transplant, and he thoughtfully contemplated each decision for therapy on successive clinical trials thereafter. As he realized his young life was to be cut short while he was still in his 20s, he became devoted to the cause of how research might lead to new options for patients. He and his family desired to create a mechanism to promote new discoveries that could impact survival for all patients with AML. It was in this spirit of innovation and hope that this endowment was created.
Recipients:
- 2022 - Vivian Oehler, M.D.
- 2021 - Jacob Appelbaum, M.D., Ph.D.
- 2020 - Colin Godwin, M.D.
- 2019 - Mary-Elizabeth Percival, M.D.
- 2018 - Roland Walter, M.D. Ph.D. and Anna Halpern, M.D.