Couple joins the cancer fight with Massey gift
Jen and Win Sheridan are all too familiar with the fight against cancer. Their lives have been deeply touched by the disease several times, inspiring the couple to commit $60,000 to the Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center.
“Both of our mothers fought cancer,” Win Sheridan said. “My mother is a survivor, but unfortunately, when Jen was only 18, her mother lost her battle. Experiencing those two very different outcomes to this vicious disease makes it clear how much we still need to learn about how to fight it.”
Win Sheridan, who also lost an uncle to cancer, was introduced to Massey through associates of Apex Systems Inc., the company he co-founded and for which he serves as co-CEO. Impressed with Massey’s role as a leader in treating everyone, regardless of ability to afford care, with world-class, research-based treatments, he decided to accept a position on the Massey Advisory Board and later took an active role in the Research for Life Campaign. Recently, he and Jen made a $50,000 gift toward the Cabell Foundation Challenge to support Massey’s new research space in the VCU School of Medicine’s McGlothlin Medical Education Center, scheduled for completion in spring 2013.
“The more I have learned about the innovative research and collaborative work taking place at Massey, the more I want to be a part of it. I know Jen’s mother and my uncle would be proud to have their legacy live on in this way,” he said.
The Sheridans’ investment in the Research for Life Campaign comes in addition to a $10,000 renewal of their commitment to the Massey Club, Massey’s leadership annual giving society.
“Scientific research is a long-term investment, no doubt about it,” Win Sheridan said. “But the flexibility of the annual fund to meet immediate needs and respond to opportunities is equally crucial.”
The Sheridans’ Massey Club gift was made in honor of Win’s mother, Sally Sheridan, and their Research for Life commitment was made in memory of his uncle, Michael Casey, and Jen’s mother, Sherry Millard.
“We believe in Massey’s mission of eliminating suffering caused by cancer. Our hope is that our daughter won’t have to witness her loved ones fight this disease the way we have,” Jen Sheridan said.
To learn more about the Cabell Foundation Challenge, the Research for Life Campaign or the Massey Club, please visit masseycancercenter.org or call Lee Boykin, director of major gifts, at (804) 827-0600.