Tanked up for a cure: Senior pup helps raise funds for LOWVELO
October 26, 2023
There are so many unique ways to fundraise for LOWVELO, but for Kathy Lubin and her family, their senior pup, Tank, just seemed like the obvious choice. Lubin describes Tank as calm and loving with everyone he meets. And he’s met a lot of people this year. Over the past several months, Tank has been all over town bringing awareness to cancer research, LOWVELO and his human’s team, Tanked up for a Cure.
We talked with Lubin about what makes this pup so special and how he’s helped raise funds for lifesaving cancer research.
Tell us about Tank. What makes him such an awesome companion?
Tank inspired the name for our team and our team logo on our hats. He emanates love. Someone we love deeply, a 63 year old relative, was
fighting hard against a rare cancer this year when we made our logo and committed to ride. He is the first one who received our team hat. He is our first warrior. When we think of how Tank instinctively knows when someone needs extra affection, he became the perfect mascot. Tank is a senior dog now, yet he gives love to people we meet every single day. He is very special to us and to many others.
You and Tank are raising funds for LOWVELO 2023. Can you tell us about all the ways you’ve been getting out and spreading the word?
Tank’s Instagram was the first method we used. He has almost 1000 followers on six continents. Sadly, quite a few of our followers or someone they love, have been impacted by cancer. Many of them have become our warriors and have a team hat now so they remember we fight with them and we ride for them. Our warriors are toddlers to grandparents, from coast to coast and in between, battling (or having battled) almost every type of cancer.
We also entered Tank in Wagoween downtown in October. He dressed as Albert Einstein with a rolling laboratory called Tanked Up for a Cure. We spread the word and talked about LOWVELO to anyone who was interested. Our local newspaper even ran a blurb about it.
Do you have a personal connection with cancer that’s motivating your work?
Yes, sadly, our family has had loved ones who have passed away from cancer and who have battled cancer, and we have many friends from all aspects of our lives who have been impacted by cancer.
Our oldest daughter started collecting ponytails for Wigs for Kids in third grade and collected over 400 by the time she graduated from high school. Both of our daughters donated four ponytails themselves. She also volunteered on the pediatric oncology wing at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center in college for several years and during her gap years and then she worked at St. Jude. Our son volunteered at the American Cancer Society and helped with our local Relay for Life event. Our youngest has a January birthday and, instead of gifts for her birthday parties, she did fundraisers for St. Jude, the Ronald McDonald House and for a local teacher battling cancer who lost her benefits. Our children know my husband and I both lost a parent to cancer, and it has always been a charity we have supported and cared about deeply. They have always been involved in memory of our parents.
Why do you think being part of LOWVELO is so important?
Being part of LOWVELO is important to us because we are fairly new to this area, and we want to support our local hospital where all of our physicians are affiliated. We feel grateful every day to live in the Lowcountry and to have such an exceptional hospital as MUSC here. The Hollings Cancer Center is innovative and groundbreaking and working hard every day to beat cancer, and we want to help contribute in some small way.
