Dr. Hadiyah Nicole Green founded the Ora Lee Smith Cancer Research Foundation in honor of her late aunt, Ora Lee Smith. This foundation is on a mission to change the way cancer is treated and reduce cancer-patient suffering by providing care that is accessible, affordable, and effective.
Approximately 14.1 million new people are diagnosed with cancer each year, and 8.8 million people worldwide die from it. This war on cancer is not about statistics: it’s personal for me.
At 22 years old, I became the primary caregiver to my aunt and uncle, Ora Lee Smith and General Lee Smith, who were the only parents I knew. My aunt told me she would rather die than experience the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation. My uncle went to the brink of death, experiencing a 150-pound weight loss, long-term diarrhea, and skin disfiguration. I witnessed the horrors of both cancer and cancer treatments, and I knew there had to be a better way.
In memory of my loved ones, I developed a cancer treatment without side effects and founded a nonprofit foundation to keep that treatment affordable and accessible for all.
What continues to motivate me are the cries for help when someone receives a terrifying diagnosis or when they’re told “there is nothing else we can do.” With the technology I developed, there is something we can do— and with your support, we can begin human trials and save lives.
