2020 Fundraising

A Letter From Our National Team Captain

Welcome to the Team ACCelerate 2020 page!
If you are here you probably have some personal connection to Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma. I’m truly sorry for that. However, I’m so glad you are here. Want to know why? Because by being here, you are taking the first necessary step to finding better treatments and ultimately a cure for ACC.

Unfortunately when it comes to rare cancers like ACC, it’s incumbent upon the families, friends, loved ones and even the patients to get involved in order to make change happen. What does that mean? For patients, that means taking part in research studies whenever possible. For families, friends, loved ones and even survivors it means getting involved in fundraising to provide researchers with the necessary resources to explore innovative ideas that lead to better outcomes, hopefully even a cure for patients from superior treatment options.

I once heard an oncologist say to a crowd, “Rare cancer isn’t rare if you are a family impacted by it”, and that is so true. My daughter, Lauryn was diagnosed with ACC of the parotid gland in 2017 at the age of 14. I have always vowed I would do anything for my children. And now, that’s what I do, anything and everything to save my child’s life. It’s a desperate and isolating place to be when you are dealing with a disease so rare. But I won’t let that stop me, and neither should you.

Will you join me? They say many hands make light work, and I believe that with each year the more people we can get involved the easier it will be to knock down this mountain called ACC! Please take a look below for how to get involved, learn about Team ACCelerate’s progress, what we are fighting for as well as our 2020 video featuring our awesome team from 2019.

I thank you so much for your time, energy, dedication and generous donations!

Amy Heller
Team Captain, National Team ACCelerate
Founder, ACCKT | Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma Kids + Teens

2018 - $40,000
Initiated Pediatric ACC as a part of the
Make-An-IMPACT initiative at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in NYC, the first ever research into Pediatric Onset ACC.
Learn more about the study here.

2019 - $60,000
1) Continued to fund the Pediatric ACC portion of the Make-An-IMPACT initiative.
2) Allocated grant monies to Dr. Alan Ho’s ongoing ACC clinical trials and ACC research at Memorial Sloan Kettering.