ANDREW’S STORY

“I was diagnosed at the age of 19 with a rare kidney cancer known as HLRCC, which currently has no known cure. I established Driven to Cure, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, to help others and raise awareness for rare kidney cancers.”

—Andrew Lee, Founder, Driven To Cure

Andrew Lee’s personal documentary filmed by Tommy Lee of Crustless Media

My Diagnosis

I was diagnosed at Massachusetts General Hospital on May 15th, 2015 at the end of my freshman year at the University of New Hampshire. I was told that my Stage 4 rare kidney cancer known as HLRCC would not respond to any of the approved cancer treatments available today.

Fortunately, the doctors at Mass General Hospital referred me to the National Cancer Institutes at NIH, where researchers have had some success with an experimental treatment program for my type of cancer. I was number 42 in my first trial treatment program. The doctors at NCI/NIH have had success prolonging my life so I have been able to continue to participate in the next generation of new trial drugs, some of which I have been the first to try as a volunteer.

In April of 2017, I qualified for a new HLRCC trial at the Yale Smilow Cancer Center. In 2018, I moved to another new trial at the Georgetown Lombardi Cancer Center in close collaboration with NCI/NIH and Yale. At the beginning of 2019, I am back at NCI/NIH volunteering in my 8th trial. Without the incredible collaboration between National Cancer Institute at NIH, the Yale Smilow Cancer Center, and the Georgetown Lombardi Cancer Center, I would not be alive today.

Turning a negative into a positive

After being diagnosed at the age of 19 with a rare kidney cancer known as HLRCC, which currently has no known cure, I established Driven to Cure, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization to help others.

I created Driven to Cure to join two of my biggest passions, cars and cancer awareness, and to serve something far greater than myself. According to the American Cancer Society, kidney cancer affects 31,000 Americans annually, killing 11,900 of them. I was told at the time of my diagnosis that I might survive a year or more. I have chosen to fight this horrible disease and to help others in this process. Driven to Cure’s goal is to bring awareness and additional research funding to find a cure soon for rare kidney cancer diseases, including the development of the next generation of drugs to help others.

Driven To Cure: The Next Chapter

After 7+ clinical trials, Andrew died peacefully on April 21, 2019, surrounded by those he loved. Andrew fought an incredible battle and helped many others in the process. Andrew was succeeded by his father Bruce, who took over as Driven To Cure’s President and CEO in 2019. Bruce spent the next four years growing the organization into a leading global provider of resources about HLRCC and other rare kidney cancers. Heartbreakingly, Bruce lost his own battle with cancer in December of 2022.

Today, others—including Sarah Lee Andrew’s Mother and Bruce’s wife—are continuing the fight and expanding upon the work Andrew and Bruce started. Since its founding in 2016, Driven to cure has donated more than 1,100,000.00 to the NIH Foundation, the UCLA Foundation and other leading institutions focused on finding a cure for HLRCC and other rare kidney cancers.

To view additional tributes to Andrew, please click here.