Why my husband and I support cancer research at UT MD Anderson
July 10, 2026
Story highlights
- Wendi Kushner first became interested in supporting cancer research at UT MD Anderson after her husband, Brian, was successfully treated here for melanoma.
- She became even more interested after she was diagnosed with breast cancer — and a clinical trial at UT MD Anderson helped her become cancer-free.
- Today, Wendi and Brian Kushner are proud to support multiple lines of research at UT MD Anderson, including immunotherapy at the James P. Allison Institute™.
A good friend and breast cancer survivor once told me, “If you ever get diagnosed with cancer, go straight to UT MD Anderson.” So, when my husband, Brian, was diagnosed with stage 3 melanoma in October 2018, that’s exactly what we did.
The cancer on Brian’s scalp was so scary and deep that his Austin doctor didn’t know anyone local who could treat it. But after having surgery at UT MD Anderson, followed by two weeks of radiation therapy and a year of immunotherapy, Brian was declared cancer-free. He’s been that way ever since.
Thanks to UT MD Anderson, Brian went from having something potentially terminal to having something curable. That’s why we feel it’s our calling now to spread the word about this incredible institution and support its research programs.
Here are three more reasons we support UT MD Anderson.
I personally benefited from a Phase 2 clinical trial
I was on the last day of a bicycling trip in September when I felt a sudden, stabbing pain in my right breast. A biopsy showed the painful lump I found there was actually stage 2, high-grade, triple-positive breast cancer.
I was stunned. I get annual mammograms, lead a very healthy lifestyle and have no known risk factors.
My breast medical oncologist, Dr. Adaeze Nwosu Iheme, said that sometimes, cancer just happens, despite our best efforts to prevent it.
But UT MD Anderson still came through for us.
After conducting additional tests, Iheme and the rest of my care team — including breast surgical oncologist Dr. Taiwo Adesoye and breast radiation oncologist Dr. Melissa Mitchell — recommended a Phase 2 clinical trial with a novel HER2 targeted therapy drug in combination with endocrine therapy. It involved a new bispecific antibody called zanidatamab that was already being used successfully to treat HER2+ metastatic breast cancer, bile duct cancer and other gastric cancers. The preliminary results of the Phase 2 clinical trial were promising. So, I agreed to take part.
It turned out to be an amazing experience. I got treated like a rock star. But the best thing about the clinical trial was that the new drug actually worked for me.
I had scans not long after my second infusion, and even the ultrasound technician said, “Oh, wow. You’re having a really good reaction to this.”
Breast medical oncologist Dr. Vicente Valero, who was leading the clinical trial, agreed. He called it “a very robust response.”
And, I could tell it was true. The lump went from something I could feel quite easily to something I could barely feel at all. Eventually, it became undetectable.
By the time I finished the clinical trial, my breast was totally clear, so I could have a lumpectomy instead of a mastectomy. The pathology report showed I’d had a complete pathological response. There was no evidence of residual cancer in my breast or lymph nodes.
I was elated.
The patient experience at UT MD Anderson is second to none
Somehow, UT MD Anderson has managed to optimize the patient experience, too. Things that would normally take you a month to accomplish anywhere else — and likely involve endless phone calls and driving all over town — are done here seamlessly.
Let me give you an example. One day, I noticed that I had a blood draw, a CT scan, a bone scan and meetings with three of my doctors — all scheduled within about five minutes of each other. I was like, “How in the world am I supposed to do this?” But the receptionist at the CT scan took one look at my schedule and then laid out a game plan. I followed his advice, and somehow, it all worked out. My doctors had all my test results within an hour of their administration. How amazing is that?
If you get treated anywhere else, it’s also your job to make sure your scans get from one place to another. But here at UT MD Anderson, it’s all taken care of for you. Your case is assigned to experts, and everybody is excellent, so you don’t have to second-guess anyone’s judgment.
I cannot overemphasize how genuinely nice everyone is at UT MD Anderson, too. That’s true from the valet parking attendant who urged Brian to sit in the shade to the doctors who didn’t just point us in the right direction, but actually walked us over to where we were going. Our care teams took the time to answer every question and explain things in detail. They encouraged us to believe it would all be OK. And, as it turns out, it was.
Immunotherapy advances propel UT MD Anderson’s mission to end cancer
The immunotherapy drug Brian’s care team recommended had just been approved as an adjuvant therapy for melanoma the year before his diagnosis. If we had stuck with a local provider, though, we might not have known that.
Cancer medicine advances so quickly now that even the best general oncologist is probably seven years behind UT MD Anderson in terms of awareness of the latest treatment options and clinical trials.
So, learning that the first gift we made to UT MD Anderson back in 2020 has advanced the science of immunotherapy was thrilling — especially with the subsequent opening of the James P. Allison Institute™ in 2022. Our gift allowed a researcher to see if intratumoral therapy — that is, injecting immunotherapy directly into a tumor — could make the treatment more effective.
Dr. Allison’s particular genius wasn’t just his vision — it was also his tenacity. He was convinced that the immune system could be activated to cure disease, and it turned out he was right.
I believe immunotherapy’s impact will eventually extend way beyond cancer, into the treatment of autoimmune diseases and many other chronic conditions. We are standing on the cusp of a true revolution. Immunotherapy really is the future of cancer treatment.
Brian and I know it can help many other patients just like him — and enable advances that are only possible here at UT MD Anderson. So, we are proud to support it.
Brian went from having something potentially terminal to having something curable.
Wendi Kushner
Survivor & Caregiver