Ricky Rubio, of the Minnesota Timberwolves, lost his 56-year-old, nonsmoking mother to lung cancer in May 2016.
In 2016 Ricky teamed up with A Breath of Hope Lung Foundation to increase funding for lung cancer research, raise awareness about lung cancer and support cancer patients and their families, all honoring his mother, Tona Vives.
For the next two years, Ricky Rubio would use his platform and name recognition to raise money for A Breath of Hope Lung Foundation through social media, attending events and fundraisers and media appearances. In the end, close to $75,000 was raised in donations from his fans and followers.
At this level of giving, Ricky qualified to have a national research award named after his mother. In loving memory of Ricky Rubio’s mother, A Breath of Hope was pleased to announce the Tona Vives Research Award. Learn more about A Breath of Hope Lung Foundation’s (ABOH) Named Research Grants.
In 2017, following a vigorous vetting of submitted research proposals, a $150,000 lung cancer research fellowship was awarded to two young researchers targeting female sex hormones to improve anti-tumor immunity. Find information about Dr. Laura Stabile, PhD and Dr. Timothy Burns, MD, PhD of the University of Pittsburgh, and their most recent progress report.