MD Anderson’s Boot Walk to End Cancer® raises more than $2 million at 10th anniversary event

HOUSTON, NOV. 18, 2025 ― The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center celebrated the 10^th anniversary of its Boot Walk to End Cancer^® on Saturday, Nov. 15. The fundraising walk raised more than $2 million for cancer patient programs, research, prevention and education at MD Anderson. A record-breaking 11,000 participants took part in the walk at Helix Park in the Texas Medical Center, with nearly 1,500 virtual participants walking in 44 states and 22 countries around the world.

“It takes everyone coming together to end cancer, and the Boot Walk is one way our community and employees can show their support for our patients and their loved ones,” said Peter WT Pisters, M.D., president of MD Anderson. “Over the past decade, Boot Walk funds have contributed to vital programs across all cancer types for cancer patients everywhere.”

During the walk, local entertainers cheered on participants by performing cultural dances, acrobatics and music representing Houston’s community. At the post-walk celebration, attendees enjoyed live music, refreshments, games and activities provided by event sponsors. MD Anderson’s mobile mammography van offered mammograms, and the institution’s blood bank coach was onsite to collect blood donations. Additionally, MD Anderson health ambassadors shared cancer education and prevention information at giant inflatable exhibits of the breast and brain.

Karen Ball, a colorectal cancer survivor and MD Anderson patient, served as this year’s event chair alongside committee members Drew Perrin, Jenee Bobbora, Maria Boyce, Rachel Cruz Auwarter, Estella Lopez, Binsu Oommen, Dorothy Paterson, Delia Stroud, Jim Stroud and Christine Turcotte.

“I’ve participated since the very first Boot Walk in 2016, and it’s an experience unlike any other,” Ball said. “The Boot Walk serves as a powerful reminder that no one facing cancer has to walk alone.”

Thanks to generous Boot Walk sponsors, 100% of donations raised by participants go directly to support MD Anderson’s mission to end cancer. Since the first event in 2016, Boot Walk has raised more than $17 million for over 30 MD Anderson programs in critical cancer research, education, prevention and patient care. MD Anderson extends special thanks to this year’s diamond sponsor, Walmart; platinum sponsors, Houston Dynamo and Dash, Mustang Cat and York Construction; event sponsors Third Coast Bank, USI Insurance Services and Summit Industrial; and media partners Audacy (The Bull, Mix 96.5), Clear Channel, The Houston Chronicle and OUTFRONT Media.

Milestone event follows announcement of historic philanthropic campaign
This year’s Boot Walk serves as the first major fundraising event since the announcement of MD Anderson’s historic $2.5 billion comprehensive philanthropic campaign, Only Possible Here, The Campaign to End Cancer, which publicly launched Wednesday, Nov. 12. Every dollar raised by Boot Walk participants contributes to this bold initiative to transform cancer care, fuel research and expand access to life-saving treatment.

Boot Walk fundraising will continue through Sunday, Nov. 30. Teams that raise $25,000 or more and individuals who raise $10,000 or more can designate the funds they raise to a specific MD Anderson mission-related program or project of their choice. To donate, visit MDAnderson.org/BootWalk.