Connection
More than half the kids who come to Seattle Children’s live with serious chronic conditions they will have for the rest of their lives. Research can give them a different future. Gifts made to research provide us with not just the resources but also the inspiration to keep the relentless pursuit of cures moving forward — so no child or family is ever out of treatment options or short on hope.
Our Relentless Pursuit of Cures
More than half the kids who come to Seattle Children’s live with serious chronic conditions they will have for the rest of their lives. Research can give them a different future.
Since our first research lab opened in 2004, generous supporters have accelerated Seattle Children’s to the forefront of pediatric medical research and pediatric cancer research and treatments. Last year alone, donors contributed more than $77 million for research. Because of that history of support, we are internationally recognized for innovations in cancer therapies, genetics, neuroscience, immunology, infectious disease and bioethics. We are also recruiting and training the next generation of research and biotechnical professionals through philanthropy-funded programs such as Invent@SC, Summer Scholars and the Science Adventure Lab.
In this special edition of Connection, we focus on some of the exceptional people who pour their hearts into pediatric research. Although these individuals come from all walks of life, they share a deep passion and a common vision for a future where kids are free of chronic diseases.
One significant example is the recent $50 million gift from the William Lawrence & Blanche Hughes Foundation to support Seattle Children’s Therapeutics. The gift was made by the family of B. Wayne Hughes, a generous philanthropist with a personal mission to find a cure for childhood leukemia — a quest inspired by his youngest son, Parker, who passed away from the disease at the age of 8 in 1998.
This transformational gift will ensure that Seattle Children’s can continue research and development of revolutionary therapies for leukemia and other pediatric cancers, and potentially impact a wide spectrum of childhood diseases.
Gifts like these are deeply meaningful. All gifts, no matter the size, provide us with not just the resources but also the inspiration to keep the relentless pursuit of cures moving forward — so no child or family is ever out of treatment options or short on hope.
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Dondi Cupp SVP and Chief Development Officer, Seattle Children's |
Dr. Vittorio Gallo SVP and Chief Scientific Officer, Seattle Children’s |
Dr. Eric Tham SVP and Chief Research Operations Officer, Seattle Children’s |
Philanthropy Is Driving Life-Changing Research
Recognized across the country and around the world, Seattle Children’s Research Institute is at the forefront of pediatric medical research — and our generous community helped us get here.
Hawai‘i Family Finds Expert Cancer Team That Leaves No Stone Unturned
Just two weeks into baby Seeley’s life, her family’s peaceful existence turned upside down when she was diagnosed with high-risk leukemia. Seeley needed a bone marrow transplant to survive, but there weren’t any donor matches in the national registry. At Seattle Children’s, Seeley was enrolled in a clinical trial that allowed her mother to be her donor, even as a half-match.
Turning a New Page on Autism Research
In 2023, the autism rate among 8-year-olds in the U.S. was estimated to be 1 in 36, and the percentage of children being diagnosed continues to grow annually. Despite its prevalence, very little is known about what causes autism. Dr. Damon Page, a principal investigator at Seattle Children’s Norcliffe Foundation Center for Integrative Brain Research, is working to change that.
Clinical Trials: Bringing Kids the Best Options Faster
Following a clinical trial offered at Seattle Children’s, the Food and Drug Administration approved a next-generation, more precise medicine with lighter side effects for optic nerve gliomas — great news for situations where surgery is not feasible.
Meet Olive, who participated in this trial after her tumor returned.
On the Scene
Interested in getting involved?
“Donors have been an important part of our work. We refer to the Science Adventure Lab as a philanthropy success story because it was founded by a gift from the Purchase a Miracle fundraising campaign.”
— Dr. Amanda Jones, director, Science Education Department
“Generous donor support allows us to ask the high-risk, high-reward questions needed to eventually develop new interventions for the opioid crisis. Thank you for partnering with us to drive our work forward.”
— Dr. Brock Grill, principal investigator at Seattle Children’s