• UCLA Health
  • myUCLAhealth
  • School of Medicine
U Magazine

U Magazine

U Magazine
  • Home
  • Current Issue
  • Centennial Campaign for UCLA Issue
  • Browse U Magazine
  • Letters to the Editor
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • UCLA Health
  • myUCLAhealth
  • School of Medicine

U Magazine

Browse U Magazine

  1. Home
  2. Browse U Magazine
Share this
Friends

High School Seniors Honor Loved Ones with Cakes for Cancer

  Laurie Davis Grey & Richard and May Ziman
 

Ruby Garland (left) and Abby Nathanson.
Photo: Audra Nathanson

Facing the death of a loved one is never easy, and for Marymount High School senior Abby Nathanson, losing her beloved aunt Jodi to non-small-cell lung cancer was very difficult. After 18 months of fighting the disease, Jodi, known for her love of creating sweet treats and for her warrior-like attitude and determination to beat one of the deadliest cancers in the world, lost her life at the age of 53, leaving behind a son and daughter.

To cope with the loss, Abby Nathanson decided that the best way to honor her aunt’s memory was to continue her aunt’s passion of baking cakes. Nathanson founded Cakes for Cancer and donates proceeds from the sale of the cakes to the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center (JCCC) to benefit lung-cancer research.

“I watched my aunt go through the cancer fight for more than a year, and I don’t want other people to go through that,” said Nathanson. “My hope is that all the money raised will help doctors find a cure for this horrible disease.”

Nathanson asked her friend Ruby Garland to help launch Cakes for Cancer by starting a club at their high school to recruit fellow students. The teenagers were amazed when 116 girls volunteered. “When Abby told me about the fundraiser, I immediately wanted to help,” said Garland, vice president of the Cakes for Cancer school club. “I’ve experienced a similar loss of a family member to bone cancer.”

Most of the cakes have a variety of designs on them and the slogan Cakes for Cancer written on the top with frosting. The teens sell the cakes at school or the Pacific Palisades Farmers Market. In less than a year, the girls raised more than $10,000.

Nathanson’s passion for her fundraiser has grown stronger in the past few months, following her grandmother’s late-stage lung-cancer diagnosis. “My grandmother’s heart-wrenching diagnosis emphasizes the importance of funding cancer research, so that doctors can find a cure,” Nathanson said.

The money raised from Cakes for Cancer helps fund early experimental research and ideas that might not otherwise be supported through traditional sources. Nathanson, Garland and the Cakes for Cancer club are making a difference — or, as they say, “Baking a Difference!”

For more information, contact Margaret Steele at: (310) 794-5244


Previous
Switzer Prize Will Recognize Excellence in Research
Next
Gifts


YOU ARE VIEWING

Spring 2017

Spring 2017
E-Brochure
Printable PDF
IN THIS ISSUE
  • Forward Thinking
  • Experimental Implant Returns Hand Movement to Quadriplegic
  • An Alternative Theory of Tumor Metastasis
  • Different Types of Autism-spectrum Disorders Share Abnormal Pattern of Brain Cells
  • Combating the Cellular Damage of Aging
  • Researchers Uncover How to Prevent Calcification of Heart Tissue
  • Giving a Jump-start to the Brain
  • UCLA Researchers Develop Open-source Program for Analyzing Thyroid Health
  • Cutting-edge Model of Heart Helps Scientists Study New Therapies
  • Affordability, Eligibility Biggest Barriers for Californians without Insurance
  • Genetic Factors Control Regenerative Properties of Blood-forming Stem Cells
  • Brain-wave Measurements Predict Response to Antidepressants
  • CARE for the HIV Community
  • Inspired to Serve
  • Gut Feeling
  • On Track
  • First Responders
  • Awards & Honors
  • In Memoriam
  • Reflections: Shirah Vollmer, MD ’86 (RES ’90, FEL ’91)
  • The Power of Faith in Healing
  • Honoring the Philanthropy of the Manoukians
  • UCLA Neurology Celebrates the Silton Family’s Philanthropy and the Inaugural Silton Chair Holder
  • Cardiovascular Leadership Sponsors Symposium, Educates the Community
  • Honoring Hope and Courage
  • Party on the Pier Benefits Children
  • UCLA Cancer Researcher Recognized for Exceptional Advancements
  • UCLA Health System Board Meeting Delves into Precision Health
  • Chairs of Distinction: UCLA Neurologists Named as Wilstein Chairs
  • UCLA Launches UCLA National Clinician Scholars Program
  • Celebrating UCLA’s Leaders of Tomorrow Scholars
  • Class of ’76 Alumni Celebrate 40th Reunion, Raise Money for Medical Scholarships
  • Running for Research
  • Switzer Prize Will Recognize Excellence in Research
  • High School Seniors Honor Loved Ones with Cakes for Cancer
  • Gifts
  • In Memoriam
  • A Memorable Healer and a Challenging Case
Like Us on Facebook Follow Us on Twitter Subscribe to Our Videos on YouTube Follow us on Instagram Connect with Us on LinkedIn Follow us on Pinterest
UCLA Health hospitals ranked best hospitals by U.S. News & World Report
  • UCLA Health
  • Find a Doctor
  • School of Medicine
  • School of Nursing
  • UCLA Campus
  • Directory
  • Newsroom
  • Subscribe
  • Patient Stories
  • Giving
  • Careers
  • Volunteer
  • International Services
  • Privacy Practices
  • Nondiscrimination
  • Billing
  • Health Plans
  • Emergency
  • Report Broken Links
  • Terms of Use
  • 1-310-825-2631
  • Maps & Directions
  • Contact Us
  • Your Feedback
  • Report Misconduct
  • Get Social
  • Sitemap
Like Us on Facebook Follow Us on Twitter Subscribe to Our Videos on YouTube Follow us on Instagram Connect with Us on LinkedIn Follow us on Pinterest

Sign in to myUCLAhealth

Learn more about myUCLAhealth