JEGS Foundation celebrates five years of fighting cancer
DELAWARE, Ohio (March 10) -- The annual ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals holds special significance for the entire JEGS Racing team, and not just because this is one of the biggest races in the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. Five years ago, the entire Coughlin family used this high-profile race to launch the JEGS Foundation "Racing for Cancer Research" program, which has since raised millions of dollars for the Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute at The Ohio State University.
It was at Gainesville Raceway that JEGS first rolled out a mobile cancer screening center that tested fans, racers, and crew personnel free-of-charge with an emphasis on the fact that early detection of all forms of cancer is the best pathway to surviving the disease.
The Coughlins were speaking from experience. Family patriarch Jeg Coughlin Sr. successfully beat bladder cancer. His son John endured a family tragedy when his mother-in-law Grace Davis succumbed to brain cancer. Another son, Troy, watched his mother-in-law Jo Anne Motyka battle leukemia. Mike's wife Kriss lost her father Jack Neff to brain cancer when she was 17-years old. Like Jeg Sr., Team JEGS chef Nicky Morse is a cancer survivor, having successfully combated Hodgkin's disease.
"It's a cause that strikes at the heart of many American families, and certainly we're not exempt from that," Coughlin Sr. said. "Finding a cure is possible and through our involvement with The James Hospital and Solove Institute we've witnessed some remarkable victories that wouldn't have been possible a decade or two ago. Tremendous progress is being made and we're thrilled to be a part of it all."
The Jeg Coughlin Chair in Childhood Cancer Developmental Therapeutics was established in 2005 to support a internationally-acclaimed scholar who researches and develops therapies in the field of childhood cancer.
In the drag racing world, JEGS Foundation stickers have become commonplace on racecars in both the professional and sportsman ranks. Many drivers routinely donate their winnings to the JEGS Foundation, and there are a handful of annual races built specifically around raising funds for the project.
"The fact so many of our fellow racers have opened their hearts and their wallets to help us support cancer research is humbling and uplifting," reigning Div. 3 champion Mike Coughlin said. "The drag racing community is really a big family. For as hard as we race one another on the track, we're twice as passionate about helping out in times of need. Everyone knows someone who has dealt with cancer so it's easy to relate to what we're trying to do here."
If you have been diagnosed with cancer or are caring for someone with cancer and would like information on the latest technology and treatments available, please contact:
The James Cancer Hospital Solove Research Institute
JEGS Foundation for Cancer Research or 800-293-5066
