Kate McMullen Foundation

Kate McMullen

The Kate McMullen Foundation and website was set up in 2005 by my sister, Katie, as soon as she was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. She was 25 years-old. At the time, her intention was to use the funds generated by her friends and family to support research on lung cancer and her website was used to communicate to her friends and family while she was in treatment. Katie lived with the hope that she could be cured.

Katie was the youngest of nine children in a large family with many personalities, ages, and stations in life. We all did something with her—whether it was to lift her up from one end of the room to another or to keep her diet on track. However, looking back, she was preparing all of us by leaving a large journal to keep us going on, just in case the miracle we were convinced would arrive did not.

Katie’s goal was to keep up her current busy life and to share her experience with others. Her journals had many followers, and the fundraising benefits are still crowded and successful. Although the board is younger than most boards, they are a group of outstanding friends of Katie’s that are confident they will make a difference to pursue her desire which was to provide funds for additional research, awareness for the disease and hope to other families.

-Meg McMullen Collins

The Kate McMullen Foundation partnered with Uniting Against Lung Cancer to co-fund research grants in 2007 and 2009.

Find out more about Kate and the Kate McMullen Foundation.