Michels Family and Michels Family Foundation Donates $15 Million for Rare Cancers Research

Gift Honors Sophie Michels, a Long-term Cancer Survivor

MILWAUKEE, March 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Just 11 when she was first diagnosed with a rare pediatric brain cancer, Sophie Michels is now a junior in college and a long-term cancer survivor. In her honor, Tim and Barbara Michels, Sophie's parents, and the Michels Family Foundation at Michels Corporation are donating $15 million to establish the Michels Rare Cancers Research Laboratories at the Medical College of Wisconsin Cancer Center to accelerate research and advance innovative cancer treatments.

The gift was announced by Tim Michels and his family along with leaders from the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW), Children's Wisconsin and Froedtert Health on Friday, March 25.

"Like so many other families facing a cancer diagnosis, we were fearful and seeking answers," said Tim Michels, co-owner of Michels Corp., an international energy and infrastructure construction company headquartered in Wisconsin. "Our daughter was blessed to receive life-saving treatment. Our contribution is aimed at making sure more Wisconsin families have access to the life-saving treatments they need by funding cutting-edge research so desperately needed for the study of rare cancers."

The contribution is the largest donation ever made to the MCW Cancer Center and fuels an intense effort to discover treatments into rare cancers that affect fewer than 15 out of 100,000 people each year according to the National Cancer Institute

"We classify these cancers as rare, but the reality is that, when taken as a whole, rare cancers account for about 25 percent of all cancers," said Dr. Gustavo Leone, the Dr. Glenn R. and Nancy A. Linnerson Endowed Chair in Cancer Research and director of the MCW Cancer Center.

Dr. John Raymond, the president and CEO of MCW, stressed the vital role that philanthropy can play in advancing research and clinical care.

"Academic health systems that practice evidence-based care are a vital source of medical discovery. The importance and significance of the Michels family choosing to invest in Milwaukee - their community - leads to southeastern Wisconsin being an even more meaningful hub of impactful cancer research," said Raymond. "Our philanthropic partnerships advance this critical work. Cancer is one of our biggest challenges, and we are truly grateful to the Michels family for their support."

SOURCE Medical College of Wisconsin