MrBeast and LeBron James Team Up With Stand Up To Cancer for Pediatric Cancer Campaign
Beast Philanthropy, Amgen, and St. Baldrick's Foundation unite to fund a new SU2C Pediatric Cancer Dream Team.
Beast Philanthropy, the charitable organization founded by YouTube creator Jimmy Donaldson, known as MrBeast, has partnered with Stand Up To Cancer, Amgen, and St. Baldrick's Childhood Cancer Research Foundation to launch a pediatric cancer awareness and fundraising campaign, with NBA star LeBron James and his foundation also joining the effort. The campaign launched with the premiere of a video titled 'I Helped 100 Kids Fight Cancer' on MrBeast's YouTube channel, which has more than 500 million subscribers, and is aimed at raising funds and awareness for an upcoming SU2C Pediatric Cancer Dream Team — a collaborative research initiative that will bring together scientists from multiple institutions and disciplines to work toward improved outcomes for children, adolescents, and young adults with cancer.
'Every year, more than 105,000 kids around the world lose their lives to cancer, and we're working to change that,' said Donaldson. 'Behind every life saved is an army of doctors, researchers, volunteers, and organizations — like Stand Up To Cancer, which raises awareness and funds research to detect and treat cancers, and St. Baldrick's, where heroes and volunteers shave their heads in solidarity with kids fighting cancer — as well as companies like Amgen, who are developing the next generation of cancer treatments. Together, every step brings us a little closer to a world without cancer.'
Founded in 2008 by women in leadership positions in the entertainment and media industries, Stand Up To Cancer funds innovative cancer research with the aspiration to cure all patients. SU2C's Dream Team model brings together top doctors and researchers from different institutions and disciplines to speed up the pace at which new treatments get to patients who need them.
'Every two minutes, a child is diagnosed with cancer somewhere in the world. We couldn't be more grateful to Jimmy, Beast Philanthropy, and his global community of followers for this remarkable effort on behalf of children who need new hope, new progress, and new ways to help them survive and thrive,' said Julian Adams, PhD, President and CEO of SU2C.
The video follows MrBeast as he personally fulfills the wishes of 100 extraordinary children and young adults who have faced or are facing cancer and highlights the importance of research that brings hope to the millions of families worldwide whose lives have been touched by this disease.
'Most people don't realize cancer is the number one disease killer of kids in the U.S. Each and every child deserves a chance to grow up, and the research we'll fund through this campaign can help make that happen,' said Katie Couric, SU2C Co-founder and media entrepreneur. 'I'm SO impressed that MrBeast is using this enormous reach, which rivals major live television events, to ask people all over the world to do something that will benefit children and families whose lives have been upended by this terrible disease.'
MrBeast and SU2C are teaming up on this campaign with Amgen, a leading global biotechnology company based in California that discovers, develops, manufactures, and delivers innovative medicines to fight some of the world's toughest diseases.
'The greatest advances in medicine happen when exceptional science is matched with the commitment to move it forward,' said Robert A. Bradway, chairman and chief executive officer at Amgen. 'By combining the unique reach of partners like Beast Philanthropy and Stand Up To Cancer with investments in innovative research, we have an opportunity to accelerate discoveries that can improve outcomes for children and families around the world living with the most serious diseases.'
St. Baldrick's Childhood Cancer Research Foundation, the largest charity funder of childhood cancer research grants in the U.S., is partnering with SU2C on the new Pediatric Cancer Dream Team.
'Kids with cancer can't wait for progress,' said St. Baldrick's Childhood Cancer Research Foundation Chief Executive Officer Kathleen Ruddy. 'Our previous investment with Stand Up in a Pediatric Cancer Dream Team demonstrated the power of collaboration and innovation by combining immunotherapy and genomics for children facing the hardest-to-treat cancers. We're excited to build on that momentum by joining forces with SU2C, Beast Philanthropy, and Amgen to launch the next Pediatric Cancer Dream Team and continue driving progress toward better treatments and more cures.
'We're also deeply grateful to MrBeast for using his extraordinary platform to shine a global spotlight on childhood cancer and help bring this urgent cause to millions of people around the world,' Ruddy added.
MrBeast and NBA star LeBron James surprised six local St. Baldrick's Honored Kids and other pediatric cancer survivors at the LeBron James Family Foundation's I PROMISE School in Akron, Ohio, with the experience of a lifetime – sharing the court and shooting hoops with the legend himself. The group cheered on MrBeast and LeBron in a head-to-head shoot-out.
LeBron then gave MrBeast the keys to his Foundation's House Three Thirty, a one-of-a-kind destination designed to bring the community together and big dreams to life in Akron. There, MrBeast and the kids engaged in fun-filled activities, finishing up with an inspiring tour of the world's only LeBron James museum and a memorable family meal at Buckets.
'It means a lot to me and my Foundation to be a part of uplifting these amazing kids and giving them a day to just have fun,' said LeBron James. 'It was an honor to share the court with them, and even better to share our space and create incredible memories alongside their families. We just wanted them to know they are real life superheroes.'
The video also features children attending the premiere of the live-action Moana, where they meet Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, who plays the demigod Maui; cooking alongside renowned chef and cookbook author Christina Tosi; attending a Stray Kids performance, as well as a meet-and-greet with the band; and, for one young athlete sidelined from contact sports during treatment, catching a football thrown by one of his NFL idols from the Pittsburgh Steelers.
MrBeast visited children being treated for cancer at Children's Hospital Los Angeles and helped one of them ring the bell signaling the successful end of treatment. He also met with Dr. Alan S. Wayne, pediatrician-in-chief at the hospital, about the need for more cancer research and the importance of giving hope to children with cancer.
For the 100th wish, one child didn't ask for a wish for himself, but to help other cancer patients by encouraging people to donate blood. To honor his wish, MrBeast brought together the community in his hometown of Greenville, North Carolina, for a blood drive with one goal: help save 1,000 lives. Doctor Mike, board certified family medicine physician and most followed Doctor online, co-hosted the blood drive with MrBeast.
In attendance at the blood drive was Emily Whitehead, a 21-year-old childhood cancer survivor who was the first child in the world to receive a pioneering cell therapy that reprogrammed her own immune cells to fight her cancer when she was just six years old. She and her parents established the Emily Whitehead Foundation, which raises awareness of cell therapies around the world, supports cancer and rare disease patients and their caregivers, and advocates for greater and equitable access to advanced therapies.
'I'm proud that through our partnership with Stand Up To Cancer, we are pushing the impact of our advocacy for advanced therapies even further,' Emily said. 'Cancer affects kids all over the world, so I'm excited to see the support we will generate through a global platform like MrBeast's as we seek to increase access to these life-saving cures.'
'As someone whose life was changed by cancer,' said three-time cancer survivor, TEDx speaker, and patient advocate William Yank, who also lends his voice to the project and attended the Greenville blood drive, 'I know every breakthrough begins with hope and people who choose to invest in the future of patients they've never met. Every child deserves the chance to dream beyond a diagnosis. Seeing organizations come together to support research gives families something invaluable: the belief that tomorrow can be different from today.'
'Research is how we turn hope into something real for patients, but it requires rigor, persistence, and an unwavering commitment to getting the science right,' added Jay Bradner, M.D., EVP of Research and Development, AI and Data at Amgen. 'The progress we've seen in pediatric cancer is the result of decades of collaborative discovery research. At Amgen, we are committed to advancing cancer research, because every breakthrough brings us closer to changing what's possible for children and families facing cancer.'
'There is no question that science can achieve more breakthroughs against cancer,' said Dr. Adams. 'The question is how quickly we can make them happen. The future is brighter than many people realize, but only if we continue investing in it. Every breakthrough begins as an idea in a laboratory, and funding is what transforms those ideas.
'No kid should have to deal with cancer and hopefully, by supporting the SU2C Pediatric Cancer Dream Team, we can help stop it,' Donaldson said.
To join the cause and support the new SU2C Pediatric Cancer Dream Team, visit www.StandUpToCancer.org/MrBeast.
About Beast Philanthropy
Beast Philanthropy is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2020 by Jimmy Donaldson, known globally as MrBeast. Leveraging his combined audience of more than 1 billion followers, the organization uses the power of social media to raise funds and drive real-world change. Since its launch, Beast Philanthropy has provided over 48 million meals and funded critical infrastructure projects for underserved communities worldwide. With a mission to inspire a generation to care more and take action, Beast Philanthropy is making kindness go viral. Part of the MrBeast family, Beast Philanthropy is headquartered in Greenville, North Carolina. www.beastphilanthropy.org.
About Stand Up To Cancer
Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) raises awareness and funds research to detect and treat cancers with the aspiration to cure all patients. SU2C is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization and was initially launched as a division of the Entertainment Industry Foundation. Established in 2008 by media and entertainment leaders, SU2C utilizes these communities' resources to engage the public in supporting a new, collaborative model of cancer research, to increase awareness about cancer prevention, and to highlight progress being made in the fight against the disease. As of April 2025, more than 3,100 scientists representing more than 210 institutions are involved in SU2C-funded research projects.
Since 2009, SU2C has allocated $65 million for team science and individual research grants to bring more treatments and therapies to pediatric cancer research.
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is SU2C's scientific partner. A Scientific Advisory Committee, led by William G. Nelson, M.D., Ph.D., conducts rigorous competitive review processes to identify the best research proposals to recommend for funding, oversee grants administration, and provide expert review of research progress.
Current members of the SU2C Founders and Advisors Committee (FAC) include Katie Couric, Sherry Lansing, Kathleen Lobb, Lisa Paulsen, Rusty Robertson, Sue Schwartz, Pamela Oas Williams, and Ellen Ziffren. The late Laura Ziskin and the late Noreen Fraser are also co-founders. Julian Adams, Ph.D., serves as SU2C's president and CEO.
About Amgen
Amgen discovers, develops, manufactures and delivers innovative medicines to fight some of the world's toughest diseases. Harnessing the best of biology and technology, Amgen reaches millions of patients with its medicines.
More than 45 years ago, Amgen helped establish the biotechnology industry at its U.S. headquarters in Thousand Oaks, California, and it remains at the cutting edge of innovation, using technology and human genetic data to push beyond what is known today. Amgen is advancing a broad and deep pipeline and portfolio of medicines to treat cancer, inflammatory conditions, rare diseases, heart disease and obesity and obesity-related conditions.
Amgen has been consistently recognized for innovation and workplace culture, including honors from Fast Company and Forbes. Amgen is one of the 30 companies that comprise the Dow Jones Industrial Average, and it is also part of the Nasdaq-100 Index, which includes the largest and most innovative non-financial companies listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market based on market capitalization.
About St. Baldrick's Childhood Cancer Research Foundation
Every 2 minutes, a child somewhere in the world is diagnosed with cancer. In the U.S., 1 in 5 will not survive. The St. Baldrick's Foundation, the largest charity funder of childhood cancer research grants, has awarded more than $371 million to researchers to Conquer Kids' Cancer. When you give to St. Baldrick's, you don't just give to one hospital – you support every institution with the expertise to treat kids with cancer across the U.S. St. Baldrick's ensures that children fighting cancer now — and those diagnosed in the future — will have access to the most cutting-edge treatment, by supporting every stage of research, from new ideas in the lab to the training of the next generation of researchers, to lifesaving clinical trials. St. Baldrick's has played a role in virtually every advancement in the field over the past 25 years and remains essential in advancing progress and fostering innovation in childhood cancer research. Visit StBaldricks.org.
About LeBron James Family Foundation
With a commitment to redefining community and building stronger families, The LeBron James Family Foundation invests its time, resources and passion into creating generational change for kids and families through a focus on education and co-curricular educational initiatives. With its foundational I PROMISE Program, LJFF serves more than 2,500 students and their entire families by providing them with the fundamental resources, wraparound supports and family programming they need for success in school and beyond. In 2018, the Foundation built all of its family-first programming and academic interventions into the groundbreaking I PROMISE School that has created a new model for urban, public education. The Foundation has layered in additional resources including higher education and family supports at the I PROMISE Institute, transitional housing at the I PROMISE Village, long-term affordable housing at I PROMISE Housing, job training and financial health programming at House Three Thirty, and medical and behavioral health services at I PROMISE HealthQuarters. These life-changing resources, combined with the Foundation's 'We Are Family' philosophy, are re-defining what a family and community looks like.
