Matt Cwiertny Memorial Foundation

There exists a national need to provide education and communication to improve awareness, prevention, access, and quality of cancer care to aya's. From 2013 to 2018, the mcmf donated $45,000 to the usc-children's hospital los angeles aya oncology fellowship program. The fellowship program is a novel approach to addressing the aya gap in both pediatric and adult oncology medical doctor training programs. The mcmf believes that this program will help medical doctors be experts in the field of aya oncology and improve the lives of aya's with cancer. In 2020, the mcmf donated $42,537 to the mono project at the university of Minnesota department of laboratory medicine and pathology, expanding on its $10,000 donation in 2018. Researchers at the mono project are currently partnering with industry to develop a vaccine that could potentially prevent ebv-causes diseases, such as infectious mono, ebv-associated cancers, and multiple sclerosis (ms).

Music was Matt Cwiertny's passion, love, and escape. In this spirit, the mcmf developed their quality of life outreach program, Matt's mixed tape. Beginning in february 2013, the mcmf commenced gifting ipod nanos that are pre-loaded with music generously donated by caring artists to adolescent and young adult (aya's) cancer patients (ages 15-29). The mcmf is proud to partner with ucla's daltrey/townshend teen and young adult cancer program, the teen impact program at children's hospital los angeles and mercy children's hospital in st louis for this quality of life program. From 2013 to 2015, the mcmf donated over 150 ipods, and supporting laptop computers, through the Matt's mixed tape program, for a total cost of $26,827.in 2017, the mcmf made a $6,925 cash grant to usc-norris to help establish the aya music room. The music room expands on the mcmf's quality of life outreach program, Matt's mixed tape.

In 2016, the mcmf donated 10 apple ipads to usc-norris which provided the capability to electronically document aya cancer patient medical information, including psychological survey data at the start of patient visits to usc-norris. The data allowed usc-norris aya nurses and oncologists to effectively and efficiently provide treatment for aya cancer patients. Furthering this initiative, the mcmf made a $10,000 cash grant to usc-norris in 2017. In addition, the mcmf donated macbook computers valued at $3,956 for use in the aya cancer patient database generation program.