Valley groups, Diamondbacks team up to support brain cancer research in May

PHOENIX — Several Valley organizations are teaming up to raise money for a Phoenix-based brain cancer research center during Brain Tumor Awareness Month.

The Barrow Neurological Foundation is aiming to raise funds at the Ivy Brain Tumor Center at the Barrow Neurological Institute through a series of community promotions throughout the month.

To help support the cause, Hensley Beverage Company and Cold Beers & Cheeseburgers are running a “Dine & Donate” promotion across all 17 Arizona Cold Beers & Cheeseburgers locations. Throughout May, $1 from the sale of every specialty burger or 22-ounce Michelob Ultra draft will be donated to the Ivy Center.

The restaurant is rotating its specialty burger offerings weekly:

Week 1 (May 1–10): Olé Burger — Two 1/4-pound burgers stacked with zesty jalapeño cream cheese, cheddar cheese, grilled onion and bacon jam.
Week 2 (May 11–17): Century Burger — 1/2-pound Wagyu burger topped with cheddar cheese, brown sugar bourbon mustard with Old Forester, chef’s mayo, grilled onion, crispy bacon, sliced grilled tomatoes and fresh-cut lettuce.
Week 3 (May 18–24): Oinker Burger — Two 1/4-pound burgers sandwiched with an onion ring, pepper jack cheese, rye whiskey BBQ sauce with Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Select Rye, crispy bacon, grilled onion, baconnaise sauce and pickles.
Week 4 (May 25–31): Calabrian Burger — 1/2-pound burger with spicy Calabrian peppers, Calabrian aioli, melted pepper jack cheese, grilled onion, jalapeño bacon, grilled tomato and lettuce.

Sports fans can also get in on the action on May 18, when the Arizona Diamondbacks host Brain Tumor Awareness Night at Chase Field. The team takes on the San Francisco Giants, and the Ivy Center will be recognized on the field, including throwing out the ceremonial first pitch.

Additionally, The Rick Oehme Foundation is offering a matching gift program, meaning all donations made to the Ivy Center in May will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $100,000.
Those looking to donate can find more information through the Barrow Neurological Foundation website.

Glioblastoma is the most common and most lethal brain cancer in adults. It accounts for over 250,000 new cases annually and carries a five-year survival rate of less than 5%. Medical professionals say no new drugs have been identified to treat the disease in over 25 years, and conventional clinical trials can take years to determine a treatment’s effectiveness.

The Ivy Center was founded to change that trajectory by discovering new treatments. Through its Phase 0 clinical trials, the center aims to give families answers in days, not years. In the last eight years, the team has screened more than 7,000 patients and enrolled over 700 in its trials.

“The Ivy Brain Tumor Center is committed to pioneering new standards of care that redefine possibilities in brain cancer treatment,” Dr. Nader Sanai, director of the Ivy Brain Tumor Center and director of Neurosurgical Oncology at Barrow, said in a press release.

“Our research is made possible through collaboration with generous donors like you. Together, we’re instilling a sense of hope in patients who so desperately need it.”

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