What began as a family’s hope to honor their beloved son has grown into a community-driven movement to advance pediatric cancer research. Through the Drew Poet Foundation, supporters across the country are helping fund treatment advancements at Atrium Health Levine Children’s Hospital — ensuring Drew’s legacy continues to inspire hope for children and families impacted by cancer.
The youngest of three brothers, Drew Poet was an athletic and outgoing 14-year-old when he began experiencing unexplained back pain. He spent more than a year searching for answers before moving to Charlotte, N.C., where an MRI and additional testing ultimately confirmed a diagnosis of metastatic Ewing sarcoma. After a courageous 16-month battle, Drew passed away on April 20, 2019. He was 17 years old.
In the face of loss, Drew’s family was determined to honor his wishes: to celebrate his life, keep his memory alive, and do whatever possible to help find better treatments — and ultimately a cure — for the disease. From those wishes, the Drew Poet Foundation was born.
Over the past two years, the Drew Poet Foundation has dedicated its support to Levine Children’s, where Drew received care, donating $134,000 to cancer research. This generosity is now fueling a multi-year study led by Kaitlyn Smith, PhD, which aims to identify early markers of treatment response, metastatic potential, and relapse in pediatric sarcoma patients. Her work emphasizes Ewing sarcoma, along with osteosarcoma and rhabdomyosarcoma — rare childhood cancers that have seen little improvement in survival outcomes for decades.
The research leverages a unique biological sample and data repository at Levine Children’s that collects tumor tissue, blood, and other specimens from pediatric cancer patients throughout their treatment journey. This longitudinal approach allows researchers to study how tumor subpopulations and immune responses evolve over time and across metastatic sites, offering insights that could lead to more effective, personalized therapies in the future.
Generosity in Action
In December 2025, Drew’s family and friends returned to Charlotte to see firsthand how their support is making a difference. During the visit, they reconnected with members of Drew’s care team and met the researchers advancing this work. It was a meaningful day of remembrance, gratitude, and renewed hope for future treatment advancements.
Much of the Drew Poet Foundation’s support comes from golf outings, including a long-standing tournament in Michigan (left) hosted by the parents of Drew’s best friend. Last year, the Foundation also held its inaugural tournament in Texas (right), where the Poet family now lives.
Through their generosity, the Drew Poet Foundation is helping move pediatric cancer research forward. Atrium Health Foundation is profoundly grateful for this partnership and for the hope it brings to children and families across our community.