On Wednesday, June 19, at the Eagles Club at the intersection of Beaumont Road and Wisconsin Street in Prairie du Chien, Tom Stram and Dan Moris, two of the three emcees for the 49th Eagles Heart and Cancer Telethon, and members of the telethon committee presented donation checks to representatives from the University of Wisconsin, Gundersen Health Systems and Mayo Clinic.
Stram announced the 2024 edition of the telethon raised $37,550. Throughout tis lifespan, the telethon has raised more than $1 million for cancer and heart research.
“We’re a small town, but we have a lot of people putting in time behind the scenes and we reach out to a lot of people across the country and on the internet to promote it,” Chad Abram, a state officer with the Eagles Club, said.
The University of Wisconsin Cardiovascular Research, UW-Carbone Cancer Research Center, Gundersen Cancer Research Center and Mayo Clinic Heart Research Center will each receive 25 percent of the money accrued by the event.
“That makes 50/50 for heart and cancer research,” said Steam, “and 100 percent of what we raise goes directly into research.”
“All the funds you are raising stay here. They do not go anywhere else,” said Olivia Motts, with the Gundersen Medical Foundation. “We want to make sure everyone knows that. The hard work you’re doing, the fundraising you’re doing for initiatives in our community, that will all stay here.”
One of the ways donation money can help change medical research is by funding pilot research.
“The National Health Institute is the national funder of all types of research, whether it’s heart or cancer or lung or whatever, but they’re not going to give you research funding for a great idea,” Pete Schmeling, senior director of development for the University of Wisconsin’s Department of Medicine, said. “They’re only going to approve a grant if you can show there’s something there… so it’s a catch-22; how do you get it to the point that you get to the application phase?”
Pilot research is like getting a proof of concept; it’s a way to explore new ideas, show the idea has veracity and get it to the point that it can secure federal research support and accelerate the impact.
“This grant of roughly $10,000 can help us get a $3 million research grant later,” said Schmeling, who added that donations can “move the needle” for pilot programs to become viable.
Carolyn Flock, research operations for the Mayo Clinic, said, “This event you do every year is amazing. There’s a lot of very good research coming out of this area thanks, in large part, to you guys.”
“To come to a place that supports cancer research and that the community gets so involved is really special,” said Dr. Comden Dahl, with Gundersen Health Systems.
All three organizations highlighted research areas where dollars are being spent, including new medications to prevent blood clots, precision care for cancer patients to improve patient recovery, the use of shark cells to prevent cancer and the use of artificial intelligence to help predict when a person will have a heart attack.
Schmeling added that UW’s cardiovascular unit expanded their pediatric heart transplant program, which completed its first pediatric transplant in the last year (and continue from there)? If you’d like more info on that story, here’s a link: https://www.uwhealth.org/news/uw-health-transplant-center-celebrates-first-pediatric-heart-transplant.
For the telethon and the Eagles Club, the next step is on the horizon. With the first half of 2024 cataloged in history, time, energy and planning turns to the future. Next year is the big 5-0 for the telethon, and Abram, Stram and the rest of the telethon committee have big things planned. Stay tuned and tune in.