A Letter from NBA Champion Matt Barnes
In November of 2007, my mom was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer in four separate areas. Just 26 days later, she passed away. Cancer took my very best friend. While nothing can ever replace the void, I vowed to keep her memory alive and help families fight back.
In that moment, Athletes Vs. Cancer (AVC) was born.
Such a huge loss makes it easy to focus on your own devastating pain. Eventually, I couldn’t help but think of families who are still in the fight of their lives. I didn’t want them to bear the same pain and suffering that my family endured.
I decided to act. I began hosting free health clinics, renting mobile screening units, and providing clinics for early detection. Five years later, I added yet another layer and provided financial support to help families pay for funerals, hospice care, surgeries, medications, and more.
The economic impact that cancer survivors endure is crippling. We should never tell a child, “You’ve just won the battle of a lifetime but now, your family doesn’t have the money to send you to college.” AVC is the light at the end of the tunnel. We are a Foundation that not only brings smiles to families but we also support cancer survivors in pursuing their dreams.
We’ve achieved a lot but there is more to do.
Athletes Vs. Cancer is always ready to take the court.