About
Living life to the fullest. Making every day all that it can be.
Worthy goals for each of us and Wyatt's wish for everyone.
The Wyatt N. Smith Endowed Programming Fund,
established in memory of Wyatt’s unwavering passion for embracing life fully
despite facing stage 4 cancer, is supporting a peer mentoring program that will
undoubtedly make a significant impact on the lives of young adults navigating
the challenges of GI cancers, offering them the guidance, understanding, and
support they need throughout their journey.
The Ruesch Center for the Cure of Gastrointestinal Cancers, in collaboration with the Smith Center for Healing and the Arts and Georgetown University Medical Center, is introducing a peer mentoring program tailored for young adults facing GI cancers. Your funding plays a crucial role in supporting this impactful initiative’s planning and initial outreach. This program pairs newly diagnosed cancer patients with cancer survivors who have navigated similar challenges. The mentors receive comprehensive training facilitated by the Smith Center and Georgetown University Medical Center to effectively guide and support their mentees.
This site is among the primary tools for growing the Wyatt N. Smith Fund, and 100% of donations will go towards its mission of supporting young adults impacted by colorectal and other gastrointestinal cancers. Gifts may also be sent to:
Attn: Kathryn Falato
The Ruesch Center (Wyatt N. Smith Fund)
Office of Gift Administration
2115
Wisconsin Ave. NW, Suite 500, Washington, DC 20007
It was incredibly important to Wyatt to share his story as often as possible in hopes it would help spread awareness in the medical community about the growing number of young adults impacted by colorectal cancer. He also wanted to use his voice to provide encouragement and hope to others going through a similar experience. Learn more about Wyatt’s journey in his own words.
- WJLA: Not Your Typical Colon Cancer Patient
- MedStar: A Rise in Young People Diagnosed with Colon Cancer
About Georgetown Lombardi: Since its establishment in 1970, Georgetown Lombardi has been committed to providing adults and children with cancer with the best treatment available today while developing tomorrow’s cures through cutting-edge research. As the only comprehensive cancer center in Washington, D.C, Georgetown Lombardi has made tremendous breakthroughs and advancements in cancer research and treatments, saving countless lives along the way, and holding true to Georgetown University’s guiding principle of cura personalis, “care for the whole person.”
With over 1.6 million Americans expected to be diagnosed with cancer this year and declining funding for cancer research, your support of Georgetown Lombardi is more valued than ever. Philanthropy enables the researchers at Georgetown Lombardi to advance the understanding, diagnosis, treatment, cure, and prevention of cancer through scientific discoveries in the lab and the clinic.
About the Ruesch Center: Gastrointestinal (GI) cancers are the most common and most fatal of all cancers, yet they do not receive the same advocacy support and funding as breast, lung, prostate, or skin cancers. This year, 300,000 Americans will be diagnosed with a GI cancer and more than 50% will die from it within five years.
At the Ruesch Center for the Cure of Gastrointestinal Cancers, our mission is to integrate scientific discoveries with a patient-centered philosophy to transform the standard of care with a vision of curing every person with GI cancer.
