The Michels Family Foundation is donating $15 million to the Medical College of Wisconsin to support the research of rare cancers.
Leaders of the foundation, which is overseen by the family that runs Brownsville-based Michels Corp., announced Friday it would establish the Michels Rare Cancers Research Laboratories at the Medical College of Wisconsin Cancer Center.
It is the largest donation ever made to the MCW Cancer Center and supports an ongoing effort to discover treatments for rare cancers that affect fewer than 15 out of 100,000 people each year, according to the National Cancer Institute.
The gift is made in honor of Sophie Michels, who at 11 years old was diagnosed with a rare pediatric brain cancer and is now a junior in college and long-term cancer survivor. Sophie is the daughter of Tim Michels, co-owner of Michels Corp., an energy and infrastructure construction company headquartered in Brownsville with an office in Milwaukee.
“Like so many other families facing a cancer diagnosis, we were fearful and seeking answers,” said Tim Michels. “Our daughter was blessed to receive life-saving treatment. Our contribution is aimed at making sure more Wisconsin families have access to the life-saving treatments they need by funding cutting-edge research so desperately needed for the study of rare cancers.”
MCW in its announcement said rare cancers do not attract the same level of government and private funding directed at more common cancers.
“We classify these cancers as rare, but the reality is that, when taken as a whole, rare cancers account for about 25% of all cancers,” said Dr. Gustavo Leone, the Dr. Glenn R. and Nancy A. Linnerson Endowed Chair in Cancer Research and director of the MCW Cancer Center. “Diagnosing these cancers is more difficult, which can lead to delayed treatments and poorer outcomes for patients. This generous gift elevates the MCW Cancer Center as a hub for major cancer discoveries and a source of innovative therapies for patients in Wisconsin and beyond.”
The gift supports the study of choroid plexus carcinoma and other rare cancers. The choroid plexus is a structure in the brain where malignant tumors can occur in children and adults but are more likely in the first year of life.
“Academic health systems that practice evidence-based care are a vital source of medical discovery. The importance and significance of the Michels family choosing to invest in Milwaukee – their community – leads to southeastern Wisconsin being an even more meaningful hub of impactful cancer research,” said Dr. John Raymond, president and CEO of MCW. “Our philanthropic partnerships advance this critical work. Cancer is one of our biggest challenges, and we are truly grateful to the Michels family for their support.”
