A gift of hope

Ed and Linda Whitacre

A $1 million gift from Ed and Linda Whitacre will support the pilot cancer therapeutic clinical trials program at the Cancer Therapy & Research Center (CTRC) as well as fund an education and awareness campaign to highlight the clinical trials and expertise available to patients battling cancer.

Increasing the number of clinical trials for cancer patients in San Antonio and South Texas, and raising awareness among patients and physicians of new innovative therapies are among the central goals in the CTRC’s strategic plan.

Ian M. Thompson Jr., M.D., director of the CTRC, said the gift is critically important for the CTRC to ensure delivery of the cancer center’s responsibilities to patients in San Antonio and South Texas as the region’s only National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center.

“We are deeply grateful to Linda and Ed Whitacre for their generosity in helping us provide the most advanced new therapies for our patients and ensuring that every single patient in San Antonio and South Texas is aware of these unique opportunities,” he said. “Their gift will accelerate the development of new cancer cures through the work of our extensive teams of scientists and physicians, the same ones who treat our patients every single day at the CTRC.”