Ian’s Friends Foundation Host Annual Symposium

Ian’s Friends Foundation is the heroic story of how one family and a world of friends created a worldwide impact against brain cancer. This important nonprofit’s mission is to help treat and cure pediatric brain tumors, the No. 1 cause of death from disease of children. Ian’s Friends Foundation is focused on the immediate need to develop groundbreaking therapeutic methodologies to treat and cure pediatric brain tumors.

For Cheryl and Phil Yagoda, it began as a highly personal story that inspired them to help other families with children and founded the non-profit. Cheryl shared, “Our son, Ian, was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor at age 2. Quickly we learned that there needed to be more research in this area as we spoke to and visited doctors around the country. The lack of progress was due to a lack of funding. So rather than wait, we started Ian’s Friends Foundation with hopes of being able to fund and find a cure.”

To date, IFF has been responsible for raising more than $30 million that has gone towards pediatric brain tumor research. As of the end of 2023, they have funded 50 projects at 26 universities/hospitals worldwide. They focus on funding novel, innovative, out-of-the-box ideas and projects and support these projects that because of their novel nature would not get the money needed and therefore never come to fruition. Once these funded ideas show promise, additional follow-on funding is given and/or grants are awarded, sometimes even from prestigious institutes like the National Institute of Health (NIH).

Phil Yagoda, co-founder of IFF said, “I implore anyone to receive a call from a parent in need, one searching for an answer and praying for a cure. I have been on both sides of that call … I beg everyone to get behind trying to find a cure for the No. 1 cause of death from disease in children under the age of 20.”

Cheryl added, “IFF funds research and we are often contacted by parents who find us through word of mouth or the Internet. When we meet them, they become part of our family. Having been in their spot searching for help, we try and drop everything to assist them getting to the best and brightest of our contacts immediately. IFF also started its own biorepository which helps to provide tissue and cell lines to doctors to help aid their research. The foundation is great at overcoming roadblocks and obstacles that affect research outcomes rather than just going around them.”

Additionally, the Yagodas and IFF created a unique yearly symposium, focusing on forcing and funding collaborations between doctors and institutions. On Sept. 20-21, the Foundation sponsored a WhatIFF Symposium. A select group was invited to attend based upon national recognition for their expertise and impressive contributions to the investigation and/or care of childhood brain tumors. This meeting was a two-day “Shark-Tank style” symposium. After spending five minutes presenting ideas, the other attendees had the chance to ask questions and provide feedback. The top three ideas to receive votes received up to $100,000 each from IFF. The doctors and researchers in attendance were so appreciative of this symposium as it allows them to collaborate and work on new ideas to really “move the needle.”

According to Tobey MacDonald, MD, director of pediatric neuron-oncology, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, “Most projects in the laboratory never see the light of day into human clinical trials, the vast majority, probably 99 percent, it is an amazing, awesome story. It shows the power of support of IFF for how we can get things done from ideas to clinical trials.”

Cheryl added, “Ian’s Friends Foundation’s goal is to cure pediatric brain tumors and cancer now. The current funding mechanisms appear too slow to get us to that goal in real-time. We are hoping to break down research barriers and support ideas and collaborations that otherwise may be considered too risky, to accelerate our objective of finding new treatments and cures for pediatric brain tumors.

Additionally, so many individuals have been so key in ensuring the success of IFF. Two, though, who had the foresight and courage to help IFF get to where it is today are Billi and Bernie Marcus. IFF is a foundation, but it’s run like a business. We are very involved and stay involved with our projects trying to ensure their success.”

Although Cheryl runs the foundation, she is also a parent who just wants to ensure they find a cure. IFF has created a team environment between all the researchers involved. This team approach ensures that any IFF-funded person who needs and seeks the help of another IFF researcher has it. They are indebted to their team of supporters and volunteers and the foundation goes beyond providing just a check, they do all the contract work, have put together joint ventures between institutions, helped institutions hire researchers, and have been a necessary funding gap to help fund projects.

The fall event, 2024, is in Atlanta and Los Angeles with the east coast and west coast represented. The Los Angeles event is on Nov. 2 at the 1 Hotel in West Hollywood – chaired by Sydney and Joey Meller who brought the concept of IFF to L.A. after their daughter, Charley, was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2018. From day one though, Swiss watchmaker Audemars Piguet has been involved trying to ensure kids do not lose time.

The ATL Evening of Inspiration will be held Nov. 23 at the Intercontinental Buckhead. A week before the event, bidders can view the silent auction which will go live, and it promises to be an evening to remember and make a difference. For details of the events and to bid, visit www.iansfriendsfoundation.org.