In the summer of 2018, I was diagnosed with a bone marrow disease, called aplastic anemia. Aplastic anemia is an extremely rare auto-immune disease that, in simple terms, causes your body to stop producing blood cells needed for every day life. This includes red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. Essentially, my life was put on hold for the time being. The options were to live the remainder of my life getting weekly blood products, which would never fix the issue, or get a bone marrow transplant.

In a (with no other way to put this) extremely fortunate series of events, I was notified that my brother was a perfect match for the transplant, was able to get a room at Memorial Sloan Kettering to receive care from the best doctors and nurses in the world, and get the process started in just a few weeks from the diagnosis. In an act of incredible kindness, I was notified by my direct reports (Dan Costello, Patrick Putman and Mark Veach), that CIBC leadership quickly made the decision to keep my job waiting for me, despite me having no real life work experience at the time. This gave me an incredible amount of determination that propelled me to focus on the battle ahead, and ultimately win the fight.

When I look back on this experience, I attribute much of my recovery to both the wonderful staff at Sloan Kettering for the expert care, and CIBC for keeping my job and allowing me to focus on my health. I am lucky enough to be healthy and a contributor to this institution. The story of Terry Fox is mind blowing to me to this day. If you have not taken the time to read the story, I encourage you to do so as it is an unbelievable display of determination and drive. I am seeking to raise $2,500 to support CIBC in an effort to raise money for MSK research through the Terry Fox Foundation.

Thank you,

Chris

100% of every dollar you give supports new research directed by Dr. Renier Brentjens at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK). Dr. Brentjens’ lab focuses on immunotherapy research to treat acute and chronic leukemias.

"No matter how promising the research or how inspired the scientists, nothing can happen without the resources to fund the work. We now have many reasons to feel hopeful about using T cells in the treatment of many kinds of cancer, and we wouldn't be where we are without the support from organizations like The Terry Fox Run." ~ Dr. Renier Brentjens

CANCER IS NEVER STRAIGHTFORWARD
Cancer touches too many lives and hits too close to home, so I am doing what I can to stop this terrible disease. I am committed to raising money to help fund Dr. Brentjens’ research at MSK, and I need your help. Please make any size donation to join me in this fight!

SUPPORT LIFESAVING RESEARCH
None of Dr. Brentjens’ research would have been possible without the resources from donors like you. Since the Terry Fox Run for cancer research in New York City began more than two decades ago, over $3 million has been raised. Just a reminder: 100% of your gift goes to research. Be a part of the fight in ending cancer, donate today!