2024 Gala VIP Scavenger Hunt
1. Thao Tang Thi Thanh – Regional Program Manager
Max Schooling provides families with assistance to keep children in school while a parent is undergoing cancer treatment. Since launching in Malaysia in February of 2014, Max Schooling has assisted __________ students. As a result, 69 students have successfully completed school, and 23 students are currently attending a college or university.
455
2. Wilma Comenat – Vice President, Development
On April 29th, The Max Foundation will host its first U.S.-based Chai for Cancer event in Seattle. This initiative brings together donors and supporters of cancer patients over a cup of chai, aiming to raise funds for a wide range of patient-focused services. In what city did this campaign originate?
Mumbai
3. Bryan Murphy Eustis – Vice President, Program Strategy & Partnerships
Cancer and other critical illnesses can be successfully treated, but only if patients are properly diagnosed. The Max Foundation, in collaboration with Cepheid, provides diagnostic machines and test kits to hospitals with limited resources, providing rapid and accurate results. In 2023, we supported _____ countries with access to critical diagnostics.
40
4. Michael Wrigglesworth – Vice President, Program Operations
The Max Foundation has developed its own in-house, proprietary, real-time, patient management system called _________________. This platform is a custom database that is accessed by partner physicians, as well as program staff of The Max Foundation located all over the world and allows us to track each patient’s treatment lifecycle and better provide one-on-one, holistic support.
Patient Access Tracking System™ (PATS)
5. Cathy Scheepers – Region Head for Africa and The Middle East
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women. Approximately 2.2 million cases occur each year worldwide, with about 700,000 deaths annually and 55% of those in low- and middle-income countries. In November of 2023, The Max Foundation announced that three patients had started treatment for advanced breast cancer due to recent expansion of our programming in what country?
Mozambique
6. Pat Garcia-Gonzalez – Chief Executive Officer
The five-year strategic plan of The Max Foundation has three objectives: treat more patients, amplify our voice, and sustain our work. The strategic plan is guiding us to open new countries, expand into new disease areas, and expand our diagnostics program. To handle the volume of work, we must hire staff. How many staff members will Max have this year?
100
7. Dr. Karen Meliksetyan – Yeolyan Hematology and Oncology Center, Armenia
The Max Foundation was founded in 1997 in honor of Maximiliano “Max” Rivarola, who passed away from a rare type of blood cancer called chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Over the past 27 years, our programming has expanded to provide treatment for not only CML but 13 cancers and chronic illnesses. In 2023, thanks to a new partnership with BeiGene, treatment for an additional type of blood cancer, ______, was launched in Armenia.
chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)
8. Alicia Annamalay – Director of Program Strategy & Partnerships
For the last 27 years, The Max Foundation has pioneered practical, scalable, high-quality solutions to bring life-extending treatments and patient-centered health care to more than 100,000 people living with cancer and critical illness in low- and middle-income countries. For the first time, our mission has now extended to the United States, where we have received countless requests from patients, families, and caregivers to help overcome health system barriers preventing patients from timely access to quality health and psychosocial care. Our new patient navigation program, Max GPS, is a U.S.-based program aimed at improving health equity in cancer care by assisting patients, families, and caregivers with identifying and accessing lifesaving resources. This program launched in July of 2023 with a pilot in ___________ State.
Washington
9. Geoff Cook – Vice President, Communications
The Max Foundation and our 2024 Maximize Life Gala Presenting Partner, Tanner Pharma Group, have partnered to create an innovative distribution model to deliver oncology products to patients in need. In 2023, there were 221 Max shipments made from their Charlotte, North Carolina, and Lörrach, Germany warehouses to 58 countries. Another 384 shipments were made to 67 countries from what additional European warehouse location?
Cham, Switzerland
10. Viji Venkatesh – Region Head for South Asia
Friends of Max is a recognized support arm of The Max Foundation in India, providing regular face-to-face meetings for patients with CML (chronic myeloid leukemia) and GIST (gastrointestinal stromal tumor) on lifelong therapy. Friends of Max has ________ city chapters spread across the country.
20
11. Mariana Rubi Gonzalez – Program Coordinator for Mexico
Improving access to treatment and health outcomes for people living with cancer in low-resource countries is about more than the availability of medicine. For patients who require frequent, long-term treatment and live far from the hospital, transportation is a major access barrier and can disrupt treatment plans and outcomes. Our Last Mile program aims to eliminate this barrier by providing support through monetary grants for travel to and from the clinic or home delivery of medication. Currently operating in 14 Max countries, ___________________ is the 2nd most supported country with 107 patients helped there in Q4 of 2023.
Venezuela
12. Dr. Fisihatsion Tadesse – Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia
Physicians are an essential part of providing access to life-extending medication. They volunteer their time and expertise to help people living with cancer in low- and middle-income countries. This work wouldn’t be possible without their generosity and desire to help people no one else is. How many physicians is The Max Foundation currently partnered with?
505