Laughing out loud for a cause

When you combine laughter with a shared goal, great things can be accomplished. At Comedy Against Cancer in Marshfield, Wisconsin, that idea came to life.

The comedic fundraiser gathered nearly 315 cancer advocates, survivors, and fighters for a night of laughs, survivorship, and support. PreventionGenetics, part of Exact Sciences, contributed $5,000 as an event sponsor. Over $30,000 in donations benefited Marshfield Clinic Health System’s Cattails Place, which provides a home away from home for cancer patients who travel 40 miles or more to receive care.

Leading the night as emcee was Christina Zaleski, Exact Sciences’ director of genetic counseling, who is also a breast cancer survivor and awareness advocate. Zaleski was joined by her team, the Hakuna Ma Tatas, a group of her closest supporters who have been by her side since her diagnosis in 2022.

Christina and the Hakuna Ma Tatas raised more than $3,100, funding that will help bring more accurate and advanced breast cancer technology to Marshfield Clinic Health System. The team, made up of breast cancer survivors, friends, family and Exact Sciences colleagues, has raised almost $200,000 for breast cancer research in the three years they have been active.  

“It was incredible to see so many people from Exact Sciences at the event who are living our company’s purpose of helping to eradicate cancer,” says Zaleski. “It was clear that we live in a community of cancer fighters and together we really can make a difference.”