The AKWB Lung Cancer Research Grant

When Vicky Wagner-Bartak was diagnosed with young-onset, EGFR-mutated lung cancer as a never-smoker in January 2026, her diagnosis came as a shock to her family. It also revealed a reality that remains largely unseen: lung cancer can affect anyone, regardless of age or smoking history.

Inspired by her mother’s experience, Vicky’s daughter Ava created the Unseen Lung Cancer Project to raise awareness and support lung cancer research. Through events at her school and in the community, Ava hopes to bring greater attention to the disease while giving other young people a way to make a difference. The name AKWB reflects the initials shared by Ava and her sisters, Ariana and Alexandra, making the grant a tribute from all three daughters to their mother.

The Wagner-Bartak family established the AKWB Lung Cancer Research Grant through Rexanna’s Foundation to support research that can improve treatment and extend the lives of people with lung cancer. They are especially grateful for the exceptional care Vicky has received at MD Anderson Cancer Center and for the scientific advances that have already given many patients more time with the people they love.

Through the Unseen Lung Cancer Project and this grant, Ava and her family hope to turn a difficult diagnosis into meaningful support for research—and help make lung cancer, and the urgent need to cure it, less unseen.