Team Tony

Team Tony is running to honor and celebrate Tony Loftman and to perpetuate his wish to help others who are battling head and neck cancer. When faced with numerous challenges throughout his illness, Tony remained steadfast in his hope that his doctors would learn things from the course of his disease and corresponding treatments that they could use to help others.

He always said his suffering would be worth it if others could benefit from his experiences. No one who knew Tony was surprised that he felt this way as Tony always put others first.

On September 22, 2020, Tony lost his sixteen-year fight with oral cancer. He was extraordinarily brave and remarkably gracious even when faced with unfathomable pain and the most stressful of circumstances during his illness. Tony loved and admired Dr. Urken, and we are forever grateful to Dr. Urken for the amazing compassion and care that he provided to Tony.

Dr. Urken’s medical expertise not only extended Tony’s life, but it also greatly improved the quality of it. We are proud to run with THANC and to support the worthwhile causes of head and neck cancer research, physician education, and patient outreach.

If you cannot join our team, please consider a donation. You will make a difference, whether you donate $5 or $500.

You can make a lasting impact on cancer research—and ultimately improve patient care. Each day 328 people are diagnosed with head & neck cancer and 144 people are diagnosed with thyroid cancer. As a result, the number of lives that we touch daily continues to grow while we strive to meet our threefold mission to advance research, educate physicians and provide information for patients and family members. However, our work is far from over and we need your generosity to better serve our dynamic community. Thank you for your support.