The story of Antoine and Charissa
Photo credit: Samantha Fong
From grief to hope
Charissa, mother to a three-year-old son, passed away in early 2026 at just 40 years old, following an impossible 18-month battle with glioblastoma (GBM), a highly aggressive form of brain cancer. Her husband Antoine was left with a question shared by many grieving families: how can something so painful be turned into something useful?
He answered by launching a fundraising campaign. In just a few weeks, it raised 103,000 USD. He kept 50% to cover his family’s immediate needs during this difficult time and directed the other half to accelerate research at Stanford and the University of Virginia on new glioblastoma treatments.
”When I started this mission, I faced a difficult question: how do I maximize the chance of finally finding a way to stop tumour recurrence or even cure glioblastoma? The honest truth is that we still do not have a single proven route as a new standard line of treatment. What we do know is that the standard of care, blunt approaches like chemotherapy and radiation, has rarely been effective for GBM patients.”
“Another fact is that most translational work often comes from university labs. Given this, supporting non-toxic approaches from academic research labs felt right, and diversifying support across two bets rather than a single approach seems to maximize our odds.”
Two unexpected learnings along the way
Learning 1: Your support fuels more than only research
“I had the chance to communicate with the doctors of both research projects. What struck me most was how much independent, caregiver-led fundraising means to them. It is not just about the money; it is a signal that families are watching, believing, and pushing alongside them.”
Learning 2: The untapped potential of donors
“Here is a stat that surprised me: only about 3% of caregivers worldwide launch a fundraiser specifically for cancer research. So, what about the 88–90% others? Think about it this way: in the last century, family and friends gave flowers as a standard condolence gesture in most countries. What if we shifted that norm together? If more caregivers, families of patients, launched fundraiser initiatives, research could move much faster.”
The story of Antoine and Charissa shows that turning grief into action can be empowering, both for families of patients and researchers, and eventually fostering a cure.
Why this matters?
Antoine’s strategic approach, refusing to settle for outdated treatments and intentionally backing independent academic labs, is exactly why Anticancer Fund exists. When traditional research pipelines are stuck, independent funding is the spark needed to explore alternatives. By bridging the gap between motivated individuals and science, we ensure that every donation directly accelerates the breakthroughs patients so urgently need.