SAN ANTONIO - If you recently drove through the medical center past UT Health San Antonio's Cancer Center, you might have noticed the building looks a little bit different on the side.
"The University of Texas Board of Regents has authorized that the new name of the cancer center, forever and always, will be the Mays Cancer Center at UT Health," said UT Health San Antonio President Dr. William Henrich.
A $25 million donation builds on the Mays Family Foundation's earlier gift of $5 million back in 2015. Its legacy gift to UT Health San Antonio's Cancer Center now tops at $30M.
"Most of us are cancer survivors, more than once, and I think when something touches your life you want to help others whose lives have been touched too," said Kathryn Mays Johnson.
The gift is expected to improve the quality of care, innovate new research, help with investment in new drug discoveries, and help to train future health care leaders.
Combined contributions will help set up an endowment to support faculty recruitment and retention.
"Here at the Mays Cancer Center will come more breakthroughs, more cures, more lives changed forever," said University of Texas System Chancellor William McRaven.
The announcement of this gift falls of the eve of the go-live date of the affiliation between UT Health San Antonio Cancer Center and Houston's MD Anderson Cancer Center.
"An affiliation that will facilitate care delivery across all clinical domains," Henrich said.
The Mays family has also supported MC Anderson Cancer Center.
The total contributions between the two institutions adds up to more than $50 million.