CEO Lyndsay Springer: A Dedicated Advocate for Lymphoma Research and Diversity in Cancer Research

Last week, the Chike Springer Foundation kicked off its Veterans Initiative with the Fight Lymphoma Dinner Party. The event was held at the Capitol View at 400 in Washington D.C., and we were fortunate to hear from our CEO and founder, Lyndsay Springer. Lyndsay is making a difference in the fight against lymphoma, and using her late husband's legacy to help others affected by the disease. She is the CEO and founder of the Chike Springer Foundation, established to advance lymphoma research and make it more diverse.

"Unfortunately, there are large gaps and issues of equity in cancer research. Some of the statistically under-represented groups in Lymphoma include: Military / Veterans, Adolescent and Young Adults, and people of color. Chike intersected all three of those groups and these groups are the groups we focus on. "

Lyndsay Springer is a dedicated advocate for lymphoma patients, survivors, their families, and caregivers. She plays an active role in highlighting inspiring stories and is committed to raising funds for lymphoma research. Since its inception, the Chike Springer Foundation has invested $30,000 into a junior researcher, Dr. Luis Malpica, who has since secured almost $1 Million in funding to advance his research on lymphoma in under-researched populations in Latin America.

"Since being named the Chike Springer Legacy Scholar in 2021, Dr. Malpica has secured close to $1 million dollars in grant and research funding for his continued work. These investments and mentorship programs set into motion more actions that help these projects get in front of more people, and the results are exponential. $30k to $1 million."

The Fight Lymphoma Dinner Party kicked off her next initiative to bring more support resources to VA hospitals and Military Treatment Facilities. The Chike Springer Foundation will also co-sponsor research that analyzes lymphoma prevalence in the Military / Veteran population and sponsor an additional project with the Lymphoma Research Foundation focused on lymphoma treatment in the Military population.

Through her tireless efforts, Lyndsay is positively impacting the fight against lymphoma, and we are so grateful for her dedication.

Read the Full Transcript

First, Chike. Many people said he had an old soul, wise beyond his years. If one word could sum him up it would be purpose. Chike always looked for meaning. The why? Why is this happening? Why him? And through that, being who he was. He needed purpose. He couldn't just HAVE cancer no, not enough. He had to think of ways to use his story to advocate for others and to improve upon.

Chike was hilarious.He was just the force of positive energy. He could do perfect impressions of anyone and could learn just about anything after being shown how to do it once. He loved being part of a team. Whether in the Army or the Senate staff, he found great meaning in all things that he was doing. He used to joke about being an inspirational speaker. He used to YouTube inspirational music and speak over it for me...yea. Any time I had excuses, he would tell me, “Don't be so soft. You can do better.” And for whatever reason, this tough love is somehow exactly what I needed, and we figured out a way to keep going together, keep achieving. He really was incredible. When he was diagnosed with a rare form of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, in 2019, he was studying for the MCAT. He wanted to be an orthopedic surgeon inspired by his own experience tearing both his patellas in grade school. Again, purpose. He loved using his own story to fuel his passion and help others in similar ways. He was an amazing storyteller. A lot better than me! Something that he would always speak about was things...the way that he spoke inspired you and made you want to learn more.

Chike did almost a year of constant treatment where he tried over seven different treatment regimens. You heard about some of the gaps that exist in lymphoma research, and that's what Chike’s treatment plan was based on. Clinical research. But clinical research of who? Who contributes to that picture? Who, who paints that data that informs the treatment plan? Unfortunately, there are large gaps and issues of equity in cancer research. Some of the statistically underrepresented groups in lymphoma include Military/Veterans, Adolescent and Young Adults (AYAs), and People of Color. Chike intersected all three of those groups, and those are the groups that we focus on as an organization.

Our mission is to enable better treatment options for lymphoma patients and promote diversity in cancer research with the vision of saving thousands of lives through improved treatment outcomes. In our first two years, we’ve invested $30,000 to sponsor Dr. Luis Castillo Malpica’s work

as part of the Lymphoma Research Foundation's Lymphoma Scientific Research Mentoring Program. At the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Dr. Malpica, considered a junior investigator, investigates treatment options for a rare form of lymphoma that occurs primarily in Latin America and the Caribbean. Since being named the Chike Springer Legacy Scholar in 2021, Dr. Malpica has secured close to $1 million in grants and research funding for his continued work. These small investments and mentorship programs set in motion more actions that help these projects get in front of more people, and their results are exponential. $30,000 to $1 million. Tonight, we're kicking off our Military /Veterans Initiative. Again, we're working with our partners who plan on bringing more support resources to VA hospitals, Military treatment facilities, and additionally, we're trying to co-sponsor research that analyzes lymphoma in Military/Veteran population compared to the average population.

Finally, our goal is to sponsor yet another project with the Lymphoma Research Foundation focused on lymphoma treatment in the Military population. Together with your help, I know we can get there. As unlucky as we felt sometimes, Chike was always grateful for what we have. We really did have great care and support from all the amazing people from Walter Reed. Thank you for being here tonight.

But Chike was the guy who should have made it. He was strong, smart, determined. That guy never gave up. He cared deeply for people and loved taking care of others. He was the person that was supposed to make it. Nothing ever phased him. And he believed in his whole heart that he would survive. In his last two weeks, he lost about 30 pounds. He barely looked like himself. His last day he was so weak, but he was determined to walk into the hospital, trying yet another new treatment. I remember he was so sick and his body couldn’t handle it anymore. Chike was young, healthy, he was Black, and he served his country. He should have had his whole life ahead of him. Cancer can happen to anyone, and it doesn’t care how hard you try to beat it. Chike was so much more than a number, a patient, a statistic. Thank you for letting me share his story tonight. I know Chike would be proud. He’d probably tell me to do even more. And probably to hurry up as well.

This started with our story, but it continues with yours. With the patients, the doctors, nurses, scientists, caregivers, family, friends, and supporters. It's hard work. It's uncomfortable work, but it's necessary to find more cures for more people. I wanted to play a song that Chike loved, it was actually from a video of General Martin Dempsey singing at his retirement ceremony. Chike thought it was such an honorable way to say goodbye and often started many mornings playing the video on our downstairs TV - against my wishes.

I want to thank you all again for being here to honor his story and to provide hope to the survivors still fighting today.

We're just getting started.