Michael cuccione imagined a world without childhood cancer
Foundation established by dedicated childhood cancer crusader inspires new goal for innovative cancer treatments
A new drive to develop a cutting-edge cancer treatment means the extraordinary vision of Michael Cuccione will live on – along with potentially countless children.
The Michael Cuccione Foundation, which sparked a movement and helped raise $25 million over 25 years for childhood cancer research, is embarking on a new campaign. The effort aims to raise $10.5 million and bring together “the brightest minds in cancer research” to advance a groundbreaking immunotherapy – CAR T-cell therapy – for use on solid tumours.
an Extraordinary LIFE
Michael Cuccione was just nine years old when he got a diagnosis that no family ever wants to receive: Hodgkin’s Disease. He underwent six months of chemotherapy. During his time in the hospital, he met other kids with cancer, even sharing a room with a baby who had been born with the disease.
“Michael couldn’t believe babies were born with cancer. He wanted to do something,” recalls Gloria Cuccione, Michael’s mother and executive director for the foundation.
In his fourth month of treatment, Michael contracted viral meningitis and had to go into isolation. He asked his father, Domenic, to bring him his keyboard, and he started writing songs. He wanted to put a CD out and raise money for cancer research. Michael’s cancer went into remission, then later returned. Through these battles, he recorded and released a CD of his music called Make a Difference, raising $130,000 by age 11.
“We went to BC Children’s Hospital, and they said, ‘What do you want to do with the money, Mike?’ And he said, ‘I want to fund young researchers for childhood cancer, or we’re not going to have them in the future.’ And they just about fell off their chairs,” says Gloria.
As his performances and appearances multiplied, he quickly became a local celebrity, raising awareness for childhood cancers. He was wise beyond his years, comfortably speaking to huge crowds all over the world with little preparation.
“I’d say, ‘Honey, you don’t want to
write a few words down?’ And he’d say, ‘Nomom, it’s all right here. All in my heart.’ And he’d blow your mind with what he’d say,” says Gloria. “He got a standing ovation from over 7,000 people who couldn’t believe this young boy, who had such an empathy for children with this disease.”
In the six years before he passed away, Michael raised $2.5 million toward two lifetime endowments for young scientists to pursue their passion for cancer research.
In the aftermath, the family realized a permanent research program was needed to keep advancing childhood cancer treatments. They committed to raising $10 million over 10 years but raised it in five, establishing the Michael Cuccione Childhood Cancer Research Program
(MCCCRP) at the Research Institute at BC Children’s Hospital.
Since then, the program has been a centre of excellence for researching and testing new treatments. This includes CAR T-cell therapy, which the foundation brought to B.C. patients in 2018 by helping fund the hospital’s participation in Cureworks, a collaboration between leading academic children’s hospitals around the world, focused on improving care for children with hard-to-treat cancers.
Today there are children in B.C. thriving thanks to this life-saving treatment, without which they would have been sent home with no hope. This clinical trial is now available at BC Children’s Hospital at no cost to the families.