Introducing the Cookes: a family of Cancer Champions

By Cancer Foundation on August 9 / 2017

No doubt you’ve felt it before: when cancer strikes close to home, you would do anything for the ones you love.

And that’s exactly what the Cooke family is doing.

After a recent brain cancer diagnosis in their family, the Cookes got involved with the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation so they could support and enhance cancer programs and research—for all families in the region facing cancer.

Following a talk by Dr. Xinni Song presented at the Cancer Foundation this past Spring, Mark Cooke was so inspired by the impact of local clinical trials that he made a leading gift at the Foundation’s Cancer Champions Breakfast in May to help ensure more trials can be offered to patients with brain and every type of cancer.

Mark’s passion soon inspired his son Ivan.

Together, and with the support of Mark’s company, M-ROC, they joined forces to work with the wonderful volunteers of South Ottawa Race Day, a fundraising event in support of local families facing a brain cancer diagnosis. It’s a day when we race not towards the finish line, but towards innovative brain cancer research and clinical trials in our community. Which is why this year, thanks to the Cooke family and M-ROC plus committed champions, South Ottawa Race Day will return on October 15th as the Race for Research.

And most recently, daughter and sister Kristen Cooke put her passion for music to good use. On July 11th, her family, friends, and community gathered for her fundraising recital, Oboe for ORCF. She featured classical music, bits of history, and explanations about her instrument, the oboe. More than 150 people attended, helping Kristen raise more than $6000 for local cancer care!

The Cookes are truly an inspirational family who are driving change in the cancer care community. Thank you for being our Cancer Champions!