On May 29, more than 300 guests attended the 38th annual Circle 1000 Founders Celebration Brunch at the Balboa Bay Resort.
The Circle 1000 Founders’ Committee welcomed donors, friends, Hoag physicians, staff, and volunteer leaders who gathered in support of the Hoag Family Cancer Institute. This year’s celebration was a resounding success, raising over $1.3 million for the Hoag Family Cancer Institute.
In their second year as co-chairs, the mother-daughter team of Mary V. Buckingham and Lacy Robertson hosted the event, introducing this year’s keynote speaker, former professional and college football phenom Mark Herzlich.
The audience was deeply moved by Mark’s story of facing a diagnosis of Ewing’s sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer, after his junior year at Boston College. Mark drew upon his experience with teamwork to fight the disease, return to the field, and ultimately help win the 2012 Superbowl with the New York Giants.
Hoag Hospital President and CEO Robert Braithwaite also inspired guests with details about the new holder of the Grace E. Hoag Executive Medical Director Endowed Chair, Hoag Family Cancer Institute, Steven R. Grossman, MD, PhD.
An internationally recognized expert in gastrointestinal cancer, Dr. Grossman is leading HFCI’s relentless pursuit of remaining at the forefront of clinical developments, research, and most importantly, quality patient-centered care. That includes services at the Cancer and Digestive Hospital and Outpatient Pavilion opening on Hoag’s Sun Family Campus in Irvine in 2026, which will include the West Coast’s first cancer-dedicated 24-hour care on demand center.
For more information, visit www.Hoag.org.
