A Moment with CURE’s Founder, Dr. Abdel Ragab

A Moment with CURE’s Founder,
Dr. Abdel Ragab

When Dr. Abdel Ragab started CURE Childhood Cancer in Atlanta 41 years ago, his mission was two-fold. He wanted to raise money for pediatric cancer research, and he wanted cancer patients and their families to have a support group. Today, with CURE funding millions of dollars in research and helping thousands of families throughout Georgia, Dr. Ragab says he is “stunned” at CURE’s growth and success.

“It’s like you put a seed in the ground and it’s now a huge tree,” said Dr. Ragab. “I think that shows the dedication of all the people who work there.”

Dr. Ragab retired from pediatric oncology in 1993. We talked with him recently about CURE, its humble beginnings and the advances in children’s cancer treatments today.

You say when you came to Atlanta and Emory back in 1975, there was a major need for an organization like CURE Childhood Cancer.

“It was critical that we started CURE, because universities are always lacking in funds. Emory at that time was not what you see today. We needed a new microscope to differentiate different types of leukemia, and they didn’t have the funds.”

“CURE started in 1975, and by 1976 we had $6,000. That’s how we bought the microscope. My office was at Grady Hospital at the time and of course it was difficult to go from one office to the next (at Emory). So, the CURE group came up with funds to have a trailer put in at Emory. In that trailer we had a research lab and we had our offices.”

Who were the people who helped raise money for CURE in those early days?

“I would recruit them from our patients’ families. I felt a little bad about that because they were going through a rough time with their kids, and they had to juggle their jobs as well. The Atlanta Alumnae Chapter of the Tri Delta Sorority was also very instrumental in collecting funds. They all did an excellent job.”

What are your thoughts on treatments for pediatric cancer today and the future of treatment?

“My belief is that all childhood cancers are of genetic origin…not to say they are inherited from the parents, although that is always a possibility. But that it has to do with genes and oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes. Destroying these oncogenes is the key. Surgery, chemotherapy and radiation got us this far, but at great cost to the patient. The future lies in manipulating the genetic code, which is proceeding, but very slowly. One day we will look at the present treatment and say ‘How barbaric…’ I hope.”

What’s your reaction to CURE’s growth since you started it in 1975?

“Kristin Connor (CURE’s Executive Director) called and told me that CURE had collected over five million dollars this (fiscal) year. CURE has done a fantastic job and I think there should be a great celebration for that. I think more money should be spent locally, but you never know where the next breakthrough will come from.”

Tenacious John vs. the Hurricane

After Hurricane Matthew ripped through the Caribbean and moved toward the east coast of the United States, some residents of coastal Georgia had a decision to make. Should they hunker down and stay put or flee their homes until the storm moved out into the ocean? For most the decision was made clear when Georgia Governor Nathan Deal ordered everyone east of Interstate 95 to evacuate.

Faced with this, what would you do? Would you defy reason, logic, and the law to stay behind, or would you pack whatever you could carry and hit the crowded interstate headed west?

If you are five-year-old Tenacious John, you would lie in bed, snuggle your stuffed angelfish and ride out the storm. He is just that tough.

Unfortunately, despite the Governor’s mandate and the storm headed their way, John was unable to leave. You see, John has neuroblastoma – a childhood cancer that develops from immature nerve cells found in several areas of the body. Fresh off of surgery to remove a tumor on his adrenal gland, John was immobile and relatively unconcerned about the storm outside. In fact, John never even bothered to wake up during the entire hurricane, even when two tornado warnings forced his caregivers to wheel his bed into the hallway.

While the hurricane was raging around them, his mother, Ashley said they could hear the wind and rain, but the building made them feel safe. Some water that leaked in around a few windows was their only exposure to the elements. The entire family stayed together in the hospital, and one of their biggest challenges was keeping John’s two-year-old brother entertained during the ordeal. Ashley is extremely thankful for the dedicated staff at Memorial University Medical Center who stayed with them and other patients who couldn’t leave.

Ironically, weeks before the surgery John decided that the doctors were going to use “wind medicine” to blow out the tumor. Little did he know that the wind would be outside the hospital and not in the operating room.

Although the storm is now gone, John still has a long way to go. He will have more chemotherapy, a stem cell transplant, and radiation before he is through with cancer. Brave and hopeful, nothing can stop the boy who slept through one of the roughest storms in Savannah’s history. John beat the hurricane, and in a little while he will laugh in the face of cancer, too.

See what CURE is doing to ensure more tenacious kids like John can weather their storms.

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