(July 27, 2008)—Austin consultant Mike Dewey, 48, has a plan to eliminate breast cancer; he’s offering $1 billion to the person who discovers the cure.
He doesn’t actually have $1 billion, but says he’ll come up with the cash if someone comes up with the cure.
He says he’s motivated by his wife's battle with breast cancer and the knowledge that his daughters are at increased risk for the disease.
Dewey says he's raised about $22 million in pledges and about $90,000 in actual donations through his nonprofit foundation, but he’s unfazed by the fact that he's still quite a bit short of $1 billion and some experts are critical of his idea.
He's certain the money will roll in if there's a cure.
Arthur Caplan, chairman of the department of medical ethics at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, said Dewey's plan seems naïve, but Dewey isn't alone in feeling some impatience with the pace of research.
Dr. David Euhus, a surgical oncologist at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, says he has noticed that those making grants are willing to take bolder steps because they're "getting a little frustrated" by the slow pace of traditional research.
Dewey says some people think his idea is wacky, but that others are intrigued.
Australian businessman and investor Toby Davidson said he has pledged $1 million to the foundation after meeting Dewey last year.
He says he hopes to be writing that check one day.
Dewey's wife, Barbara, has been cancer-free since surgery after her diagnosis in 2000, six years before Dewey founded his nonprofit Dewey Foundation.
Dewey Foundation Web Site
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