Raising Funding For Blood Cancer & GvHD Research

about us

Who We Are

The mission of the Meredith A. Cowden Foundation is to increase the number of leukemia survivors, to raise awareness of the blood cancers and help people living with the treatment of them, to improve the post-transplant quality of life for bone marrow transplant recipients, and to support the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

The Meredith A. Cowden Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that was formed in 2007. We are headquartered in Akron, Ohio

Why We Are Important

Every year approximately 30,000 patients undergo a bone marrow or stem cell transplant. Approximately 50% survive. There are currently 100,000 survivors in the US. Of the remaining survivors, approximately 75% are diagnosed with Graft vs. Host Disease (GvHD).

GvHD is a complication of the transplant. It can be an acute or chronic condition that occurs when the new immune system (graft) created by the bone marrow transplant attacks the organs and tissues of the patient (host.) Sadly, it can be fatal if not controlled and currently there is no cure. It affects both adults and children.

The treatment for GvHD is a series of immunosuppressant drugs, which in and of themselves have significant side effects and do long-term damage to the patient’s body. For example, a very common side effect is cataracts (regardless of a patient’s age).

What We Do

Every year since 2010, the Foundation has sponsored the National GvHD Symposium. The Symposium Planning Committee, consisting of physicians from the Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute, UH Seidman Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins Medical Center, Moffitt Cancer Center, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and the National Institutes of Health recruits research doctors to make presentations to clinicians to educate them about the latest research and procedures to treat chronic GvHD. In addition, we invite speakers to make presentations to patients, their caregivers and families. These presentations are to provide advice and help in coping with the trials and tribulations of living with GvHD. The 2017 conference was held in Columbus, Ohio with over 200 people attending. The 2019 symposium was held in Cleveland, Ohio. Because of Covid-19, the 2021 GvHD Symposium will consist of a series of three virtual conferences on July 30, October 8, and January of 2022 (date to be determined).

In addition, we provide grants to organizations such as the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, the National Bone Marrow Transplant LINK (nbmtLINK), the Blood and Marrow Transplant InfoNet (BMTInfoNet) and others. Prior to 2010, we provided funding for research to several major research hospitals.

How We Fund Our Activities

Our main fundraiser is a gourmet wine dinner, which we have named “Six Courses for a Cure.” This event has been very successful and well received by our supporters. The 2018 fundraiser netted more than $35,000.