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Philly Fights Cancer: Round 6
cancer research.

This event has raised more than $40 million since
2015 and has helped lead to 12 Food and Drug
Administration approvals for new cancer treatments,
according to press materials.

Abramson, a cancer survivor, died in April 2020
at the age of 84. She spent time as a Philadelphia
public school teacher who championed education
locally and in Israel and was one of the region’s most
influential philanthropists along with her husband,
Leonard, the former CEO of US Healthcare.

At the time it was made, in 1997, the $100 million
the Abramsons donated for what would become
Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center was “the
single largest contribution for cancer research to a
National Cancer Institute-designated comprehen-
sive cancer center … and one of the largest gifts ever
made to a university,” according to a news release. ■
Nancy and Richard Wolfson and their children • Dr. Robert Vonderheide and Dr. Susan Domchek • Aaron and Arielle Kaplowitz • Amos Lee • The Roots
40 JUNE 15, 2023 | JEWISH EXPONENT
Photos courtesy of Philly Fights Cancer
Philly Fights Cancer: Round 6: An Evening with
Philadelphia Legends occurred on May 20 at the
Fillmore and raised $6 million for Penn Medicine’s
Abramson Cancer Center.

The event, which included performances by The
Roots, Daryl Hall, Kathy Sledge and Amos Lee,
honored the life and legacy of Madlyn Abramson,
who co-founded Philly Fights Cancer and whose
philanthropic endeavors centered around funding