B+ Foundation: Funding Progress in Childhood Cancer Research with ‘Be Positive’ Determination

Doctors said Andrew might not live through the day. He spent the next five and a half months fighting for his life, enduring nearly 50 operations, four strokes, a fungal infection, and a brain aneurysm, before drawing his last breath in his sister’s arms.
 
“The world is a little dimmer with Andrew not in it,” said his father, Joe McDonough, President of The B+ Foundation. “I’ve come to accept that. I can’t change that. What I can do is help other families and honor Andrew along the way.”

Joe left behind a successful career in corporate marketing to lead The Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation opens in a new tab. B+ was Andrew’s blood type, and Andrew exuded positivity in everything he did, so “Be Positive” became a central theme for the foundation.

From hot dog sale to granting millions for cancer research

Initially headquartered out of the McDonoughs’ home in Delaware, the foundation’s first fundraiser was a hot dog sale at a regional department store.

“I walked out of there with $170, jumping up and down, feeling so excited!” Joe recalled.
 
Joe’s not selling hot dogs anymore. In 2024, The Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation raised nearly $12 million.

Right from the beginning, Joe drew on his depth of experience working at JPMorgan Chase and other companies to draw up a strategic plan for The B+ Foundation. He set out ambitious goals for increasing revenue year by year, raising funds from community events like its annual B+ 5K Run/Walk opens in a new tab, individual donors, school-based events, and corporate sponsorships from all over the country.

It didn’t take long for COG to pop up on the foundation’s radar. Whatever Joe learned about promising research to improve treatments, outcomes, and the long-term health and wellness of kids with cancer, there always seemed to be a COG connection.
 
“With very few exceptions, there’s nothing that happens in childhood cancer research that COG isn’t involved in,” Joe said.

​ Since 2007, The B+ Foundation has raised tens of millions of dollars, awarding more than 250 grants supporting research on a broad array of childhood cancers and promising treatments like immunotherapy, which harnesses a patient’s own immune system to destroy cancer cells.

Seeing and supporting efforts others overlook

The B+ Foundation directs many of its funds to improving care and outcomes, but they also support other important aspects of research, like data science and survivorship. When first approached about supporting COG’s Statistics and Data Center, Joe wasn’t sure it fit the foundation’s focus on cutting-edge, collaborative research. 

“I balked at that initially, because early on, I was thinking in the mindset of research as biology,” Joe said. 

Then he learned what key players biostatisticians are in all of COG’s research, and how they make vital contributions to the initial design of a study, data monitoring, and analyzing outcomes.

​That’s when Joe realized that supporting the work of biostatisticians “kind of opens the floodgates, so more research can be conducted.”

The B+ Foundation supports aspects of long-term survival that often don’t jump to mind for kids and families, like ways young people can preserve their ability to have children, themselves, someday.
 
“When your child is first diagnosed with cancer, you’re probably not thinking about fertility preservation — especially when they’re little,” Joe said. “You’re worried your child is going to die.”
 
Many children who survive cancer become infertile as a result of chemotherapy or radiation. When Joe learned that technology exists to preserve children’s fertility — even those who haven’t gone through puberty yet — he saw an opportunity to help young cancer survivors lead happy and fulfilling lives as they grow up.
 
The Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation Fertility Preservation Program opens in a new tab at Nemours Children’s Health in Wilmington, Delaware, talks to kids, teens, and their families about the risks and benefits of options like freezing eggs or ovarian tissue, sperm or testicular tissue, or moving ovaries away from radiation. The program covers the costs of preservation to lessen the burden for families. 

“Our kids lose so much of their childhood. We want to make sure that they don’t lose the option of having this important part of adulthood,” Joe said.
 
The foundation also supports programs that help siblings deal with the psychosocial strains of adapting to their brother or sister’s diagnosis. It leads advocacy efforts to raise awareness and funding for childhood cancer research. And it’s become the largest provider of financial assistance to families of kids with cancer in the United States, supporting nearly 4,000 families in 2024 alone.

Always learning and seeking new ways to make an impact

Joe regularly attends COG conferences to stay up-to-date on promising research opportunities. Over the years, he’s also learned a lot from Dr. Peter Adamson, MD opens in a new tab, COG Chair from 2011 to 2020, about trends in cancer research and obstacles scientists often face as they try to make research happen.

“Peter once shared a concern that we could lose brilliant young investigators if we don’t do everything we can to make it attractive for them to dedicate their lives to pediatric oncology versus another specialty,” Joe said.

​That conversation led the foundation to establish the COG’s Dr. Peter Adamson Young Investigator Award, granted annually to up-and-coming researchers. The funding helps researchers do the preliminary research that’s often needed before they can secure a larger grant for an actual trial. 

“We have brilliant doctors, brilliant investigators,” Joe said. “It’s in our best interest that they’re able to focus on that work rather than fundraising. We need to keep them focused on what they do best.”

Joe regularly turns to Dr. Adamson, COG Chair Dr. Doug Hawkins, MD opens in a new tab, and other members of The B+ Foundation’s Scientific Advisory Board for guidance on the best opportunities to propel research forward. And he jumps at every chance to encourage others to support COG.

“I have never once doubted the return on our investment when we fund COG research,” Joe said. “I hope other charities consider COG as a partner as they try to make a bigger impact.”