Notes from Our Co-Chairs

Over the years, Tara and I have reflected on how we can make a meaningful difference in the fight against cancer. Like so many families, we have been touched by this disease, and those experiences have shaped our desire to give back and support others navigating similar journeys.

We are honored to serve as Co-Chairs of the 2026 Discovery Ball in Nashville, benefiting the American Cancer Society—an organization whose mission to save lives, celebrate lives, and lead the fight for a world without cancer deeply resonates with us.

This year’s Discovery Ball, hosted at 1 Hotel Nashville, and themed as the ‘Journey to a Cure,’ (the “Shoe Ball”) holds special meaning to us. Shoes are a simple yet powerful expression of individuality, personality, and joy—qualities that are so vividly embodied by children. By embracing this theme, we hope to capture a sense of childlike wonder while shining a light on the unique journeys of pediatric cancer patients and the resilience they show every day.

Together, we are inspired by the work of the American Cancer Society, from advancing groundbreaking research to providing critical resources for patients and families when they need it most.

We are grateful to build on the incredible foundation laid by previous years’ Chairs and are committed to making this year’s Discovery Ball a meaningful and memorable evening—one that honors the strength of people facing cancer, celebrates survivorship, and brings our community together in a powerful way.

We invite you to join us in supporting this important cause, and we extend our sincere thanks to the sponsors and supporters who make this event possible. Your generosity fuels the mission of the American Cancer Society and brings hope to so many.

Serving as Co-Chair of this year’s American Cancer Society Gala is one of the most meaningful things I have ever said yes to.

Not because of the title.
Because of what it represents.

I have spent twenty years close to cancer. Close enough to witness what this disease takes from people. But also close enough to witness what rises within them because of it.

The resilience. The courage. The humanity.

The kind that rarely makes headlines, but changes everyone fortunate enough to witness it.

Oncology has never felt transactional to me. It has always felt deeply human. Like being trusted with the most vulnerable chapter of someone’s life. Like standing beside families in their hardest seasons and helping them hold onto hope anyway.

That kind of work changes you.

It changes what you believe people are capable of. It changes what you understand about love and time and what it means to fight for something. It recalibrates everything you thought you knew about what actually matters.

And it never leaves you.

That is why the mission of the American Cancer Society matters so deeply to me. Because research creates futures people never thought possible. Because support reminds families they do not have to carry impossible seasons alone. Because every person willing to step into this fight moves us closer to a world with more time, more hope, more life.

A future with more birthdays.
More time.
More life.

There is something powerful about a room full of people choosing to believe in that future.

There is no mission I am more honored to serve. 🤍