1 in 4
cancer diagnoses is a rare cancer. Robert’s was one of them.
Rare cancers stay under-researched and underfunded. We fund the early, high-risk research that large funders pass over.
In loving memory of Robert McKinnon · 1947–2022
Plant back what was lost.
Roots
He arranged flowers for New York for over 30 years.
Born in Belize in 1947, Robert came to New York as a teenager, trained in floral design at the New York Botanical Garden, designed for Spitz & Peck, and in 2002 opened Fresh Cut Flowers in Hell’s Kitchen.
In 2022 he died of duodenal cancer. His wife Paula and son Michael started this garden so the next family finds more hope — and more help.
Read Robert’s story →The cancer you’ve never heard of.
Duodenal cancer starts in the first part of the small intestine. It is rare, and its research budget matches. Families who face it find few answers.
We back the early ideas big funders skip — including drug repurposing: testing medicines that already exist against cancers that have been left behind.
Our mission & impact →Fund
Seed grants for overlooked, early-stage research.
Expose
Awareness for the diseases left in the shadows.
Gather
A community for families facing a rare diagnosis.
Every gift grows.
Pick a stage. Dedicate it to someone you love. Monthly donors join The Garden Club.
$25
The Seed
Awareness materials for a newly diagnosed family.
$100
The Bloom
Funds an hour of lab time.
$500
The Garden
Plants a memorial in Robert’s name.
$1,000
The Legacy
Drives progress on a funded research project.
The Garden Club — give monthly and watch your garden grow all year.
Join monthly