Wealth advisors and top investment firms pledged more $500,000 to help develop a new test that will make it easier for breast cancer detection sooner.
These donations were made at Forbes-SHOOK Top Woman Wealth Advisors Summit in Palm Beach, Fla. on May 23-25.
SHOOK Research, Susan G. Komen Foundation, Forbes and Forbes led the fundraising effort. Forbes is the publisher of Forbes-SHOOK top advisor rankings.
According to the American Society of Clinical Oncology, breast cancer is the leading cause of death in the United States for women. Heart disease is second. Breast cancer survival rates are 90%. However, the 5-year survival rate for metastatic breast carcinoma is just 29%. Metastasis is when cancer cells are spread from the site they were first formed to other parts of your body. This makes it very difficult to eradicate.
Top financial advisors in Palm Beach have pledged money to fund a liquid biopsy which detects cancer cells in bloodstream. Early detection and treatment are essential in the fight against breast cancer. Susan G. Komen Foundation stated that it has funded over 530 metastatic research projects as well as more than 50 clinical trials.
“Losing a parent or a loved one to cancer is a devastating experience that will change your life forever. R.J. said that it gave me a new meaning in my life and made me commit to raising money to cure cancer. Shook stated.
R.J. Shook stated. “If this test is successful, then why should anyone die from breast cancer?”
Shook co-founded the research company with Liz, his wife and chief operating officer. Liz Shook shared her personal story after losing her aunt to breast-cancer and her mother, who is a twice-survivor of breast cancer, passed away.
My mother called me while I was still in college to inform me that she had found a lump in her breast and that she has breast cancer. Liz Shook agreed. The world was shattered.
Forbes/SHOOK conference attendees also heard Pam Kohl’s story about being diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 57.
Kohl underwent a lumpectomy and received radiation treatment. She remained on endocrine therapy for five more years. Kohl was not related to any family members and her tumor analysis showed that there was a low chance of it recurrence.
Kohl was declared free from cancer in 2014. Kohl was later diagnosed with metastatic breast carcinoma two years later. Kohl is currently receiving an oral chemotherapy drug and endocrine treatment. Kohl, director of the Komen Metastatic Breast Cancer Collaborative Research Initiative, said that five years have passed and she still feels optimistic.
Shook’s company is an active supporter of philanthropic causes. They raised a record $1.4million for Make-A-Wish and more than $1million towards the Children’s Cancer Research Fund.
R.J. Shook and Liz Shook’s son, Jeremy (high school student in Boca Raton), led the St. Jude campaign. The money will go to treat brain cancer patients.
Shook stated, “One of our goals it to create greater awareness in the financial sector about the importance philanthropy.” “Generous donations save lives, and make the world better,” Shook said.
SHOOK Research honors exceptional financial advisors. It relies on a long due diligence process that includes meeting with advisors personally to identify the best. Forbes publishes the rankings.
The Susan G. Komen Foundation is the largest non-profit dedicated to fighting breast cancer. In 1982, the foundation was established to fulfill a promise Nancy G. Brinker made to her dying sister Susan Komen.
Susan G. Komen’s investments in research, community outreach and programs in over 60 countries have surpassed $2.9 billion to date. Komen attributes its achievements to helping reduce the number of breast cancer deaths between 1989 and 2019.