H Foundation’s 24th Annual Goombay Bash Accelerates Basic Science Cancer Research
Goombay organizers and attendees celebrate nearly $1.2 million raised at this year’s Goombay Bash
A festive crowd of more than 1,000 supporters and friends of The H Foundation came together on Saturday, July 25, at the 24th Annual Goombay Bash, a Caribbean-themed festival celebrating efforts to find a cure for cancer.
The event, held at the Aon Grand Ballroom at Navy Pier in Chicago, raised nearly $1.2 million in support of basic science cancer research at the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University.
The H Foundation is the nation’s leading supporter of breakthrough basic science cancer research. For twenty-four years, the foundation has been a resolute philanthropic partner and champion of the Lurie Cancer Center, actively committed to making a difference in the fight against cancer.
Leonidas Platanias, MD, PhD, director of Lurie Cancer Center and the Jesse, Sara, Andrew, Abigail, Benjamin, and Elizabeth Lurie Professor of Oncology, thanked all at the Goombay Bash for supporting The H Foundation and its high-impact, longstanding partnership with Northwestern.
“The H Foundation is a very unique research supporter—a grassroots foundation that over 24 years has done so much. They have given us millions of dollars in philanthropic support, and this support has led to advanced research that became clinical trials and has ultimately saved lives. There are people alive today because of this research, and there will be many more in the future,” Dr. Platanias said.
“The H Foundation is the only foundation in the country that supports what we call basic science research, which is the research that identifies how cancer cells grow, and that is exactly what you need for big breakthroughs—to understand deep inside the cancer and to beat it. Philanthropic funds from The H Foundation have leveraged approximately $300 million in federal grant awards to Lurie Cancer Center. This is the extraordinary difference The H Foundation is making at Northwestern on a daily basis, and we never take this for granted,” Dr. Platanias continued.
The event was hosted by Chicago journalists Andrea Darlas and Tanja Babich. Highlights of the event included their moving Q&A with celebrity guest of honor Gary Sinise, humanitarian, Chicago-area native, award-winning actor, and founder of the Gary Sinise Foundation.
Sinise spoke of his years growing up in Highland Park, his 50 years with the Steppenwolf Theater, and his role as Lieutenant Dan Taylor, a disabled Vietnam War veteran in the Oscar-winning film Forrest Gump, and how the role changed his life. Sinise has worked to support and help thousands of veterans and first responders across five decades.
At the Goombay Bash, Sinise also took time to share the journey of his beloved late son Mac, who passed away from a rare cancer, chordoma, in 2024 at age 33. He and his son shared a love of music as fellow musicians, often playing together and supporting our nation’s heroes.
Sinise also read an excerpt from his new book Graceful Warrior: The True Story of a Son, a Father, and a Family Who Carried Each Other Through. The book is due out November 10, 2026, which would have been Mac’s 36th birthday. When asked about the book’s title and why he is sharing his personal story, Sinise talked about Mac.
“Mac was a graceful warrior. He fought hard, and he did it with such grace and such beauty. We all have a graceful warrior inside of us or someone we know who has inspired us or motivated us by how they faced their own challenges. That is the way we help each other in this life,” said Gary Sinise in closing out his Q & A.
The H Foundation also generously gifted a copy of Gary’s forthcoming book to all Goombay Bash attendees.
Honoring Cancer Champions
As the evening continued, H Foundation advocate and respected lighting industry leader Rick Seidman, president and CEO of Quoizel Lighting, was awarded the Rick Wiedemer Guiding Light Award. Laura Orrico, TV/film actress and model and owner of Laura Orrico Public Relations, served as the distinguished 2026 Goombay Bash Honorary Chair and shared her own deeply personal experience of supporting her husband, Ryan C. Cosgrove, through cancer and losing him to the disease in 2015.
The H Foundation was founded by a group of friends as a tribute to their friend Pam Herts, who lost her battle with breast cancer in February 2001 at the age of 31. The H Foundation and its thousands of supporters continue on as a fundraising movement that is committed to the message and experience that “Cancer is Personal to Us.” With the success of the 2026 Goombay Bash, the foundation raised a total of more than $16 million for Lurie Cancer Center through its events and fundraising outreach.
A special video sharing personal stories of those in the midst of cancer battles, enhanced with a live music and dance performance, was a highlight of the evening and filled the room with what the H Foundation family calls “the Goombay Spirit.”
“This is what the Goombay Spirit is all about: a room full of people choosing to rise together for something bigger than any one of us,” said John Rot, president of The H Foundation.
The 25th anniversary of The H Foundation will be celebrated at the Goombay Bash on Saturday, July 24, 2027, at Navy Pier.
For more information about supporting Lurie Cancer Center, please contact Nicole Langert at nicole.langert@northwestern.edu or 312-503-1656.