Dr. Olson, the White House is calling!
HHH fundraising logo designed by my niece, Anne Ferguson
Last week, I had a virtual conversation with Dr. Jim Olson and Margo Fowkes, two of the most brilliant and caring individuals on the planet. As a part of my book launch, we addressed the heartaches and hopes in the pediatric cancer world, a place the three of us know all too well.
Jim is an oncologist at Seattle Children’s Hospital, a principal investigator at Seattle Children’s Research Institute, and a professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington. On a personal level, Jim was one of Hannah’s doctors, the lead researcher on her clinical trial, and the recipient of our Hannah’s Hopeful Hearts fundraising.
In addition to being the founder and president of OnTarget Consulting, Margo Fowkes created Salt Water, an online community that provides a safe harbor for those who are grieving the death of someone dear to them. Margo started Salt Water in 2014 after the death of her son, Jimmy, who died of the same brain tumor as Hannah.
I had been looking forward to this conversation for months. It was an amazing discussion until we were rudely interrupted by zoom trolls or “bots.” We managed to restart the talk with a new zoom meeting, but I was so disappointed that that had happened to us, and that we had lost some important listeners in the process. (I have since learned to not publicly share zoom links and passwords, but rather to invite people who would like to participate to receive a personal invitation from me with the log in information.) But as always, Dr. Olson carried on his informative talk that evening with grace and calm; me, not as well. Jim’s perfect comment to the security breach was: “It’s nothing compared to living through childhood cancer.” So true.
I had intended to share a recording of our conversation, but given what transpired, I decided to summarize Jim’s comments and answers that were too important to not be shared.
1) After 20 years at Fred Hutch, Jim has moved his research practice to Seattle Children’s Research Institute where the number of labs and scientists is growing dramatically. This growth greatly expands the progress and outlook for children diagnosed with cancer.
2) Originating in Jim’s lab, Tumor Paint – the magical scorpion-derived compound that lights up cancer cells so that surgeons can differentiate malignancy from healthy tissue - has been evaluated in approximately 200 patients in five human clinical trials. Data from the current “pivotal” clinical trial will be submitted to the FDA for an approval decision.
3) Jim described innovative ideas being generated in his lab, including a “Tumor Glue” that could potentially bind cancer cells, making surgical excision easier and more thorough.
4) After 30 years as a pediatric oncologist, Jim recently concluded his clinical practice, soon to focus his attention on research, advisory, and “passing the torch” to up-and-coming physicians and scientists.
5) Jim beautifully explained how pediatric cancers are fundamentally different than adult cancers, hence the need for different studies. When asked about the disparity of federal dollars going to childhood cancer research vs adult cancer research, he explained that pediatric research is a relatively young field. He anticipates that the federal share of money will change with the tremendous growth in childhood cancer research. (I found this information to be new and very helpful.)
6) And in further good news, Jim has been tapped by President Biden to advise the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy on strategy that hopefully will reduce all cancer deaths by 50% in the next 25 years. (Jim told me that his initial phone call with them on Friday was “awesome!”)
With the onset of the pandemic, there has been a shift in fundraising for research. Two years ago, Jim began an Optimizer’s Club to keep concerned individuals informed of his lab’s work as well as to serve as a vehicle for regular giving. Families can give a monthly or annual donation, while receiving periodic updates from the lab.
If you are interested in becoming an Optimizer, go to this website: https://give.seattlechildrens.org/give/308469/#!/donation/checkout.
Because this donation site is not directly linked to the Optimizer’s club, the donor should also send an email to Jim’s assistant: Jason.leubner@seattlechildrens.org to ensure that they are included on the mailing list for future gifts. Thank you to my friends and family members who are already part of the Optimizer’s club!
Love, Reba