The University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center has received $100,000 from local nonprofit CoolingCancer.org to aid in cancer research.
The group raises money for cancer research and supports cancer-related organizations in Hawaiʻi.
Fighting cancer is personal for organization founder Drew Santos. In one year, he lost his father and a coworker lost their mother to cancer. Another employee was fighting cancer and another employee’s wife was battling breast cancer.
He started CoolingCancer.org in 2013 with the goal of raising money for the UH Cancer Center through an annual golf tournament.
CoolingCancer.org makes annual gifts to the UH Cancer Center. They have given over $445,000 so far.
"We are very grateful for this generous donation which builds on many years of support from the CoolingCancer Foundation,” said the center's interim director Loic Le Marchand. “These funds have made a tremendous difference in our effort to reduce the burden of cancer in the state."
On average, over 7,000 Hawaiʻi residents are diagnosed with cancer every year. Over 2,000 patients die from cancer annually.
