“He might have died,” Hirshberg said of her husband, “but I wasn’t done. It was a battle, and I wasn’t done.”
Initially contacting UCLA to inquire about which program she could help financially in the field of pancreatic cancer research, Hirshberg was told that no such facility did in fact, even exist.
“I initially thought that I would donate $10,000,” she said. “When I was told they didn’t have a program I said, ‘You will have a program now’.”
Seventeen years later and Hirshberg’s interest in helping to find a cure has become of her every being.
After researching various medical institutions, she established a pancreatic cancer research laboratory at UCLA in her husband’s name, as well as the Ronald S. Hirshberg Chair in Translational Research, making the university home to one of the premier pancreatic cancer programs in the country.
Her $10,000 donation quickly grew to $5 million.
“It’s in steps, so I don’t see it!” Hirshberg joked, adding with a smile that she found herself able to donate such a sum and now she can think of nothing else but seeing it through.
“I’m waiting for the end where we can offer a patient a long life,” Hirshberg said, explaining that the businesses she and her husband built together, enabled her to start her philanthropic work.
The laboratory continues to be instrumental in the pancreatic cancer research field, with advanced clinical trials of a saliva early-detection test for pancreatic cancer and countless published studies aiding in the development of anti-cancer drugs, amongst a long list of achievements.
The Hirshberg Foundation is internationally recognized, Hirshberg herself is constantly invited to attend international symposiums and research gatherings.
One of the foundation’s major accomplishments is the establishment of the Seed Grant Program, which enables contenders to vie for research grants of $60,000 each.
This year, the foundation received a record 65 applications.
“We will fund the top 10-15 percent of them,” Hirshberg explained, an effort that will require more than $500,000.
For this initiative, the foundation conducts various fundraising activities – the biggest one being the LA Cancer Challenge, an annual sports event that attracts around 4,000 participants.
Taking place on the weekend before Halloween at the VA Grounds, the event is aimed at all abilities, with a 5k, 10k, and kids run. This year they hope to raise $750,000.
“For many families, it’s critical for the healing process,” said Hirshberg’s daughter, Lisa Manheim, race director of the challenge and executive director of the foundation.
The event is not just about raising money, but also focuses on people getting together as a group to remember those who have lost their lives to cancer, Manheim added.
“It’s one day of honoring their loved ones,” she said, of “people fighting, not standing still.”
Many families run as teams, as do groups of friends and colleagues, but people can sign up as individuals too. There is always a Halloween theme, making the event a whole lot of fun.
The statistics of people with and lives lost to pancreatic cancer are staggering.
According to the National Cancer Institute, 46,420 Americans will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer this year. 39,590 will lose their lives.
With diabetes on the increase and obesity also on the rise, Hirshberg said that she expects the numbers to continue to grow until early detection methods are in place and a cure is found.
The number of young people with the disease is alarming. Hirshberg said that the cancer usually catches sufferers completely unaware. Her foundation offers between $150,000 and $200,000 in grants to help families without insurance seek out proper treatment and care.
“I know what patients need,” Hirshberg said. Counseling, support and therapy programs all fall under the umbrella of the foundation.
Hirshberg is tireless in her efforts.
“To be part of the cure, to be part of the answers,” is her ambition and driving force.
To take part in the LA Cancer Challenge on Sunday Oct. 26, go to www.lacancerchallenge.org.
For more information about the Hirshberg Foundation, go to www.pancreatic.org.
