OUTLIVE program raises $70,000 to fight cancer

Published: Monday, February 21, 2011

Tennessee Basketball leads program to advance care for cancer patients and families

Supporters of OUTLIVE: Tennessee Basketball Fights to Beat Cancer donated $70,000 to benefit cancer patients and their families at The University of Tennessee Medical Center Cancer Institute. Tennessee Men’s Basketball Coach Bruce Pearl and Brandy Pearl led the efforts in promoting the program. University of Tennessee men’s athletic director Mike Hamilton presented the check for OUTLIVE to representatives of the Cancer Institute during halftime of the Georgia vs. Tennessee basketball game at Thompson-Boling Arena. The check brings the three-year total for the OUTLIVE campaign to more than $330,000.

“Once again I’m just incredibly thankful to everyone who supported OUTLIVE in its third year,” Coach Pearl said. “There’s not a word that better describes Tennessee Basketball’s battle against cancer than OUTLIVE. I am so proud of this community, the University of Tennessee Medical Center and its Cancer Institute. Together, we are making a tremendous difference and outliving cancer.”

Special guests joining Hamilton on the court to accept the check included Dr. John L. Bell, director of the UT Medical Center Cancer Institute, and several of his fellow Cancer Institute physicians. The story of former Vol basketball star Chris Lofton served as the inspiration for the OUTLIVE program. Following the 2007-2008 season, Lofton announced he had fought and beaten testicular cancer. Moved by Lofton’s battle with cancer, UT Athletics and Tennessee Men’s Basketball created the OUTLIVE program in 2009.

Coach Pearl and Tennessee Basketball have set a goal to raise $1 million in five years through OUTLIVE to directly benefit patients and their families battling cancer in the Knoxville and East Tennessee region through the expansion, renovation and construction of the facilities and programs at the UT Medical Center Cancer Institute.

“On behalf of The University of Tennessee Medical Center and the Cancer Institute, I would like to personally thank Coach Bruce Pearl, his wife Brandy and the entire UT Men’s Basketball and Athletics program for their vision, dedication and support for OUTLIVE,” Dr. Bell said. “In addition to expanding our programs and facilities at the Cancer Institute, OUTLIVE allows us to spread the message about the importance of early detection for all types of cancer. Until we have the research and technologies that allow us to prevent cancer, early detection will remain the basis for long-term survival and cure. We are grateful for everyone’s help and commitment to OUTLIVE.”

The check presentation coincided with the “white-out” at Thompson-Boling Arena for cancer awareness, created by the majority of fans in the sold-out arena wearing their OUTLIVE t-shirts. The t-shirts will remain available for purchase for a limited time at www.utoutlive.org. For more information about OUTLIVE or to make a donation, visit www.utoutlive.org or call the UT Medical Center Office of Development at 865.305.6611.

Sponsors of OUTLIVE: Tennessee Basketball Fights to Beat Cancer include UT Athletics and Tennessee Basketball, Walgreens, Alumni Hall, Food City, Bacon & Co., Tennessee Official Team Shop, The Vol Network, WVLT-VOLUNTEER TV, the Knoxville News-Sentinel, The Sports Animal and Lamar Outdoor Advertising.

The Cancer Institute at The University of Tennessee Medical Center serves as the region’s only comprehensive cancer service that meets its patients’ needs in one location. Each year, the physicians, nurses and specialists at the UT Medical Center Cancer Institute diagnose and treat approximately 2,000 new cases of cancer and record more than 50,000 patient visits. The Cancer Institute provides access to numerous cancer specialists along with advanced technology and treatment options for cancer patients. Patients also are offered the opportunity to participate in an array of oncology clinical trials.