Stephanie Edlund, 7, enjoys sitting on a giant Aflac duck, as Thomas Mayes, M.D. (left of Stephanie) and (standing, left to right) Barbara Baros, Terri Edlund and Brian Herman, Ph.D., look on.
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While accepting an $11,000 gift recently from the sale of Aflac ducks at Macy’s stores during the holiday season, UT Health Science Center San Antonio Professor Thomas Mayes, M.D., put into perspective the difference philanthropy has made over the years in the field of children’s cancer research.

“When I was in junior high growing up in El Paso, I had a classmate who was diagnosed with leukemia. Two weeks later he was gone,” Dr. Mayes said.

Fast forward to June 24 at the Greehey Children’s Cancer Research Institute, where beautiful, curly-haired Stephanie Edlund, 7, stood near Dr. Mayes with her mother, Terri. “Her story is not the same as things were 30 years ago,” Dr. Mayes said.

Stephanie was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia in 2006 and after more than two years of chemotherapy, she is now cancer free.

Research has supported life-sustaining treatment
“The philanthropic support we have gotten through the years is translated into what you see here in Stephanie,” said the professor and chairman of the Department of Pediatrics and physician-in-chief at CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Children’s Hospital, the Health Science Center’s primary teaching hospital for children’s care.

Donation courtesy of the Aflac and Macy’s partnership
Barbara Baros, state sales coordinator of Aflac, presented the check to Brian Herman, Ph.D., vice president for research, and Dr. Mayes, noting, “I am grateful to Macy’s for the partnership in the sale of the Aflac ducks. Since 2001 they have raised over $1.6 million for pediatric cancer treatment and research centers across the country. With the help of consumers around the country, this special program will give back to those patients, families and the communities that have been impacted by this disease.”

Baros herself has been touched by cancer. Both of her parents fought the disease and she has personally delivered Aflac claim checks to families affected by cancer. “So today is a special day for me, knowing that this check will help once again bring hope and quality of life to children because of the incredible research that is taking place right here at the Greehey Children’s Cancer Research Institute,” Baros said,

Also attending the ceremony from Aflac were Richard Jones, district sales coordinator; Cinia Montoya, cancer center ambassador Texas Central; and Jay Rex, broker development coordinator.

Edlunds chair the Greehey CCRI Ambassadors’ Circle
Stephanie’s parents, Terri and Steve Edlund, recently were asked to chair the Ambassadors’ Circle, a group of donors, community leaders and friends of the Health Science Center who raise funds to support the Greehey Children’s Cancer Research Institute. “My husband, Steve, and I are very proud to chair the Ambassadors’ Circle, and it is a special privilege to be here today representing our members and their dedication to making lives better for children with cancer and their families,” Edlund said.

“Our family understands firsthand the importance of the mission of the Greehey Children’s Cancer Research Institute. To all the representatives from Aflac and Macy’s, please accept our sincerest personal thanks. Your gift makes a difference because it is helping to fund the research being conducted here and at other research institutions across the nation. One day, that research will lead to a cure.”

Greehey CCRI focuses on genetics of children’s cancer research
The Greehey Children’s Cancer Research Institute was dedicated in February 2004 as the second pediatric cancer research center in the nation. The institute received the single largest oncology endowment in the nation’s history — $200 million from the State of Texas tobacco settlement. That public support, along with federal and foundation grants and philanthropic gifts, fund the institute’s lifesaving research, Dr. Mayes said.

“The Greehey Children’s Cancer Research Institute is unique in its focus on understanding the genetics of children’s cancer,” Dr. Herman said. “We are very proud of the outstanding researchers here who are driven every day to find the answers that will accomplish our dream of new therapies and ultimately a cure for children’s cancer.”