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Patient Champions

ACC patients are the driving force behind all ACCRF-supported research.

We are grateful to the ACC patient community for the numerous ways they contribute, including (but not limited to) submitting names for the ACC Physicians List, participating in clinical trials, and donating their time, funds and tumor specimens. Listed below are a few ACC patients that we wish to highlight for their extensive contributions to ACCRF. We feel honored to have known, worked and befriended these amazing people.

Irwin and Joan Jacobs have been cornerstones of ACCRF’s progress. Without their dedicated support and guidance, ACC research would not have grown into such a significant field that has provided countless patients with justifiable hope for better treatments.
Irwin and Joan Jacobs

Irwin and Joan Jacobs have been cornerstones of ACCRF’s progress. Without their dedicated support and guidance, ACC research would not have grown into such a significant field that has provided countless patients with justifiable hope for better treatments.

Gabe Grunewald (left) with ACCRF Founder Marnie Kaufman in 2018
Gabe Grunewald

It takes determination to become a world-class athlete. It takes determination to face an ACC diagnosis and manage the disease over a decade. And it takes determination to share your painful and glorious journey in a very public way. Amazingly, Gabe Grunewald mustered the determination to handle all three efforts at the same time.

Pinney Family 2018
Ella Pinney and Family

A young mother diagnosed with ACC might be forgiven for blocking out the world and focusing on only her immediate family. Ella Pinney refused to shrink within her own world.

Patient Champion Kara Gelb
Kara Gelb

As one of the original members of ACCRF’s Board of Directors, Kara Gelb helped set the tone and direction of the foundation. She combined a keen, results-oriented mind with a velvety ability to put people at ease in coming to useful solutions.

Doherty & Palus Families
The Doherty & Palus Families

Golf can be a good walk for a good cause. This is the lesson to be learned from the Doherty and Palus families, whose ACCRF Golf Tournaments have raised more than $75,000 for adenoid cystic carcinoma research in just two years.

Featured Champion: Dan Dubé
Dan Dubé

Dan Dubé is remembered as the vibrant, committed and empathetic champion of the ACC patient community that, more than anyone, he helped build.