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PHOTO BY BOYD HARRIS Ralph, who founded the private investment firm Relational Investors, had been diagnosed with metastatic head and neck cancer. He had lost 40 pounds during his initial treatment with chemotherapy and radiation, and was unable to complete the full regimen. In search of another option, Ralph and Fernanda turned to immunotherapy, which could be delivered without the severe side effects of traditional treatments. It was during that time, feeling much better, that Ralph hosted the concert at the Belly Up. Ralph's immunotherapy required stem cells that could not be produced in San Diego. He and Fernanda had young children at the time, but Ralph had to travel to the National Institutes of Health in Washington, D.C., for treatment. "We didn't want other families to have to go through that," says Fernanda, and the money raised that night at the Belly Up was earmarked for the creation of the Advanced Cell erapy Lab at UC San Diego so the cells needed for immunotherapy could be generated here in San Diego. Ralph knew he, himself, might not benefit from the work, and sadly he died the following year. His efforts, however, continue full speed. In 2021, the Immunotherapy Foundation merged with Padres Pedal the Cause, a cycling challenge created in 2013 by Amy and Bill Koman that raises money for early-phase cancer research in San Diego. Both organizations were forced to go virtual because of Covid, and, with overlapping missions, they joined forces to form Curebound, whose goal is to accelerate cures in our lifetime so that coming generations do not hear the words "you have cancer" as a death sentence, as it often still is today. Curebound supports cancer research in five areas: prevention and diagnostic tools, novel approaches and new therapeutic platforms, immunotherapy and personalized vaccines, cancer equities and disparities, and pediatric cancers. Most significant regarding the kind of collaboration that leads to the leaps in treatment imagined by the Whitworths, Curebound works closely with six major research institutions in San Diego: the Moores Cancer Center at UC San Diego Health, the Salk Institute for Biological Sturdies, the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, Rady Children's Hospital, the La Jolla Institute for Immunology, and Scripps Research. So far, Curebound has awarded 123 grants totaling more than $37 million in cancer research, and the vast majority involve at least two of the institutions mentioned. "I love the idea of collaboration. Bringing minds together can accomplish so much more," says Fernanda. To make sure the organization's work continues, Curebound recently created the Whitworth Legacy Circle, named in honor of Ralph and led by Fernanda, to encourage like-minded philanthropists to include Curebound in their estate planning. "If someone lets us know we're in their estate plan, it's like being elevated to the level of family member," says Dani Dawson, chief development officer at Curebound. "We say thank you whatever the amount, and make sure they see the impact of their support." In terms of fundraising, Curebound will also be hosting their third annual Concert for the Cures benefit this spring, a major event that the last two years has featured Ed Sheeran and Alicia Keys and has raised $8.5 million for cancer research. "Ralph knew music was a uniting force that brings people together in a powerful way," says Fernanda, who knows well the battle against cancer is ongoing and that the patients themselves are the ones on the front line. Fernanda's mother died of breast cancer at the age of 42. She was diagnosed at 27 and underwent a double mastectomy. at was in Brazil, 30 years ago, where her mother also participated in a clinical trial that involved four women. e trial was called off when one of the women died, but it is that experimental treatment Fernanda believes gave her mother an extra ten years. "It is a process of trial and error," says Fernanda, but one that has proven to be invaluable in its long-term results. curebound.org << Fernanda and Ralph Whitworth ranchandcoast.com 42 DECEMBER 2024 RANCH & COAST MAGAZINE