Edwin Wong is the Founder of the Eradicate Cancer Foundation.
Also calls himself the Chief Protagonist & Head Cheerleader.
Ed lost 5 family members in rapid succession over a number of years recently. His eldest brother #1, Fred (esophageal-stomach); his younger brother #4, Stan (lung); his sister-in-law, Christine (breast); his beloved wife, Victoria (lung); and his older brother #2, Al (lymphoma and colorectal). All, when diagnosed, had metastasized Stage 4 terminal cancer. Sadly, all passed between 6 weeks to 6 months upon discovery of cancer.
In all of the above cases, there were no outward early warning signs. All appeared to be in generally good physical health until each personally decided to do a medical checkup.
Ed’s wife, Vicky, and brother Stan both passed from lung cancer. Vicky was once a heavy smoker, while Stan was a never-smoker. Vicky was of German ancestry. Stan was Chinese. Both were very intelligent, good athletes, and were of the same age.
So many questions. Wishing to have known more and sooner. So much more to learn and to do on the cancer front. Also thinking others should know, be aware of, or otherwise benefit from the aftermath of this personal ordeal.
Over the past 3+ years, while working concurrently on multiple estates for his wife, his siblings, and his mother, Ed decided to dedicate himself and direct whatever resources were available to establishing the Eradicate Cancer Foundation. Now launched, it is done in fond memory of his family and as a legacy. Too late for his wife and siblings, but hopefully helpful to others.
The Eradicate Cancer Foundation is a personal commitment to doing some lasting good, arising from personal tragedy, for those still living out there. Engage separately and together, we can all strive for a cancer-free world.
I digress, but dreaming big, especially about an inexpensive portable diagnostic tool such as a breathalyzer for early lung cancer detection, similar to a pregnancy test kit available at the local pharmacy. My inspiration and hope come from a person named Chester Gould. Against forewarning by his employer and despite becoming a laughing stock of Chicago, he illustrated in his comic strip Detective Dick Tracy communicating with police headquarters using a small two-way radio worn on his wrist. That was in 1946, a seemingly outlandish concept then. Fast forward 70+ years later, the smartwatch is an affordable, common item today. Along the same line and vision, we are keen to support the development of such handy early detection diagnostic tools for cancer.
In response, we established the Eradicate Cancer Foundation to financially support initiatives aimed at a crucial, critical stage of the cancer spectrum – at the very beginning!
At the Eradicate Cancer Foundation, we want to be nimble, targeted, and results-driven in support of the above Mission. We want to expend our funding wisely for the greatest impact towards eradicating cancer.
To launch quickly and maximize the effectiveness of resources, our Eradicate Cancer Foundation operates as a Fund within the Aqueduct Foundation, one of Canada’s largest public foundations. Aqueduct Foundation disperses over $100 million annually to charities across Canada on behalf of donor-advised funds of which we are one.
Having experienced the effects of cancer firsthand, multiple times in rapid succession over recent years – with all 5 family members only diagnosed at terminal stage – we felt compelled to act. We asked ourselves two simple but persistent questions:
There is a critical need for greater public awareness & knowledge about the root causes of cancer – including early warning signs, contributing factors, risk reduction – to better inform personal decision-making about consumer choice. Better education, awareness, and personal behavior could avert cancer or otherwise prolong if not save lives.
There is an urgent need for a handy, affordable, simple, and reliable diagnostic tools for early cancer detection – easy-to-use, readily available for use near or at home by any individual. With easy & quick access to sound advance warning results, this could prompt earlier personal attention or medical intervention.
