John passed away in August of 2014 after being treated for metastatic colon cancer over a period of four years at MCW/Froedtert Hospital Cancer Center. He wanted us to continue the Triumph Fund and especially our main fundraising event, the Honoring the Lorax Dinner.

   "It is not only for what we do that we are held responsible,  but also for what we do not do."
Moliere

I.  ORIGIN:   

The Triumph Fund was established by John and Janis Hovel of Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, along with their daughters, Lauren and Jenna.  They each believe that triumph over cancer is achievable if funding is available for the tireless scientists and researchers who have devoted their professional lives to this pursuit. They each recognize the commitment of the Medical College of Wisconsin to achieving this goal. 

III.  SUPPORTING CANCER CLINICAL TRIALS: 

For more information on the use of the donated funds, please see the Recap of Past Events tab.

Who We Are

II.  USE OF FUNDS RAISED: 

Developing Today the Standard of Care for Tomorrow

The funds raised are being used by the Medical College of Wisconsin under the direction of James P. Thomas, M.D., Ph.D.; Director, Clinical Investigation, MCW Cancer Center, and The Triumph Fund.  

The Triumph Fund is proud to partner with the Medical College of Wisconsin and Froedtert Hospital to assist it in raising funds for its Cancer Center's Clinical Trials Office ("CTO").  In 2012, the College established the CTO to provide a centralized program of scientific, clinical, and financial support to the cancer research community at MCW, Froedtert Hospital, and its other partners.  

In October 2013, the College opened the Nicholas Family Foundation Translational Research Unit ("TRU").  The space in the TRU is devoted to early-phase investigator initiated cancer research trials. The College and Froedtert currently participate in more clinical trials than any other health care system in eastern Wisconsin.

Clinical trials are a key component of cancer research and may allow eligible patients to benefit from the latest treatments.  As Dr. James P. Thomas stated in the 2012 Froedtert Clinical Cancer Center Special Report:  "Trials give eligible patients the opportunity to receive the most promising new therapies, including medications that might be available long before they have approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration."  That is, as Dr. Thomas further explained in that special report, "[w]hen patients have exhausted standard treatment options, we often can provide them with additional possibilities through clinical trials."   For more on clinical trials, please see our website, Triumph Funding, and click on the Musings tab.

The CTO is the springboard through which MCW intends to obtain the National Cancer Institute's prestigious Comprehensive Cancer Center designation.  This classification recognizes facilities dedicated to research in the development of comprehensive, novel, and increasingly effective approaches to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of ALL TYPES OF CANCER.  

NCI Website
 
The designation of an institution as an NCI Cancer Center is of significant importance not only to patients, but to the community as well.  The NCI grant funding that accompanies such a designation increases the amount of research the center can undertake, draws scientific and biomedical resources to the community, and in turn, helps patients in need of these new treatments.  

"Anybody who has been seriously engaged in scientific work of any kind realizes that over the entrance to the gates of the temple of science are written the words: Ye must have faith." 
Max Planck 

 
       "You have not lived until you have done something for  someone who can never repay you.” 
                                                                                   John Bunyan ts

promoting innovative cancer research

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