We can make a difference.
We can help defeat rare cancer as we know it.
Rare cancer patients and their families need our help.
The Jed Ian Taxel Foundation for Rare Cancer Research’s sole commitment is to accelerate scientific discovery … science that translates into breakthrough treatments and maybe even cures for rare cancers.
Rare cancers are not rare.
25% of cancers diagnosed annually are rare cancers.
Over 200,000 patients are diagnosed with a rare cancer each year in the U.S. alone. This diagnosis is usually a death sentence because there are no established treatment protocols that lead to durable remission or cures. With 190 rare cancer forms, government agencies and pharmaceutical companies cite “not enough bang for our buck” as rationale for low levels of research funding, leaving rare cancer patients without good options. This foundation’s sole purpose is to help change that.
Jed’s untimely death at age 39 exemplifies the heartbreak and loss associated with a rare cancer diagnosis.
He lived six short months after his initial diagnosis. By the time doctors realized that Jed had metastatic cancer, after months of treatment for a sports injury, it was too late. This is typical of rare cancers; they don’t present like most common cancers. Even with consultations with doctors in leading cancer centers, Jed’s outlook was bleak. One night a few weeks before he died, after he learned that his latest treatment was ineffective, he asked “What will be my legacy?”
The Jed Ian Taxel Foundation
for Rare Cancer Research is his legacy.
A legacy that contributes to the betterment of mankind. A legacy he would want … one not defined by cancer but defined by better outcomes. This foundation is the vehicle to help others from experiencing our heartbreak … This is something we can and must do.
With gratitude and respect,
Mark Taxel, Founder, Father & CEO
Jed Ian Taxel Foundation for Rare Cancer Research