UPDATE: Thank you so very much to everyone who has supported this fundraising effort. I'm humbled to know so many generous people. Getting to $50K in 3 weeks has been amazing. I still have 2 weeks to go before I leave, so I've upped my goal to $75,000. Please help me reach an even higher (metaphorical) peak!

I've spent nearly 20 years  focused on pediatric cancer - it has truly been the defining mission of my life. The past two decades have seen remarkable advances in the development of new cancer therapeutics, but sadly, very few of those have made there way to children. As a physician-scientist working in the biopharmaceutical industry, the approval of a new medicine for a childhood cancer represents the highest possible peak that I could reach. It is why I started Day One Biopharmaceuticals nearly 4 years ago, and reaching that peak is what motivates me to this very day.

This peak is, of course, metaphorical, and somewhat abstract. Which is why I recently accepted the challenge to raise funds to support Fred Hutch’s Climb to Fight Cancer. Embarking on this remarkable trek to Everest Base Camp with a team of dedicated professionals will allow me to complement my metaphorical journey with a literal one. Hiking the trails and ascending to over 18,000 feet is part of the challenge. The other part is galvanizing support and raising funds to support the ongoing pediatric oncology research at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

I am climbing to raise vital funds for Fred Hutch’s lifesaving research. I am climbing in honor of my friends with cancer, my friends and family members who have died of cancer, the childhood cancer patients I used to care for as a pediatric oncologist, and in honor those patients who I hope this research will serve in the future.

You can help by donating to my climb, which will accelerate the quest for cures.

Fred Hutch has made some of the world’s most important medical advances — from developing bone marrow transplantation as a cure for leukemia, to pioneering powerful therapies that harness the immune system to fight cancer, to leading national and international initiatives that enable earlier cancer diagnoses and more effective treatments. This leading-edge research depends on private contributions that fuel novel studies, which have the power to make a profound difference. I am proud to have Fred Hutch as my "hometown" cancer center, and I am proud to raise money to support the pediatric oncology research conducted by the remarkable factulty within their pediatric oncology program.

Please click the “Donate” button and give generously to the Climb to Fight Cancer. Any amount you can give makes a difference to people and families facing deadly diseases. Your gift is 100 percent tax deductible and will fund extraordinary research, lifesaving discoveries, and cures. Please, if you work for an employer who provides matching funds for your donations, ensure that you submit a request for a corporate match.

If you make a donation in the amount of $500 or more, I will place a Tibetan prayer flag with your message at the base of Mt. Everest (and send you a picture of it). If you make a donation in the amount of $1000 or more, I will not only do that but I will "take you with me" by taking a picture of you with me and taking a photo of "you" at the base of Mt. Everest. And if you make a donation in the amount of $2500 or more I will do both of those things and bring a piece of Everest back for you. 

Thank you for your generous support now, your support in the past, and your support as I train for and undertake this remarkable trek.

Sam Blackman