Meet Jaime Leandro & Steve Aldrich
Jaime Leandro
The foundation is named for Jaime Leandro, who was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer in July 2019. She lived near Boston, Massachusetts with her husband Jason and their three young children, Leo, Zoe, and Eva.
Jaime began receiving standard of care chemotherapy at a prominent academic medical center. Meanwhile, a friend of a friend introduced her to Stephen Aldrich who had been fighting stage 4 adenocarcinoma of the esophagus with success due to, as Steve put it, “a comprehensive, integrative approach” that included the use of “lifestyle changes and complementary modalities along with leveraging the most personalized, cutting-edge precision therapies.”
Steve and Jaime bonded over the critical importance of disruptive innovation and the promise of personalized medicine. And their unwavering determination.
Steve and other late stage cancer patients had co-founded the innovative MyCancerDB, now Ennov1. They were preparing to launch a service that would provide personalized “N of 1” compassionate access treatments to people diagnosed with incurable cancer.
Managing that service is now the mission of the Jaime Leandro Foundation for Therapeutic Cancer Vaccines.
Throughout her life, people were drawn to Jaime, and in no time, she would have them laughing. She was warm and welcoming, down to earth, and up for anything. In high school and college, she played soccer and ran cross-country, and she developed as an artist, earning a bachelor’s degree in fine arts. A few years later, she got married and started a family. She turned her creative energies to interior design and DIY projects.
She fought cancer with uncommon bravery and resilience, hoping that her story would help others in the future, she said. Although she lost her fight on March 8, 2020 at age 41, everyone who becomes part of the Jaime Leandro Foundation for Therapeutic Cancer Vaccines helps to make her dream real and transform patients’ lives while contributing to a sea change in cancer treatment and wellness.
Steve Aldrich
Educated as an evolutionary biologist at Harvard, Steve Aldrich was a visionary entrepreneur. Early in his career he founded and led Bio Economic Research Associates, LLC (Bio ERA), a firm that provided insight into the economic and societal impacts of enabling biotechnologies.
In 2017 Steve was diagnosed with terminal metastasized (stage 4) adenocarcinoma of the esophagus. He refused to accept the palliative standard of care indicated for his diagnosis and, instead, decided to pursue integrative curative treatment independently.
At the beginning of his cancer journey, he obtained his full genomic sequencing data and used it to access personalized immunotherapy options – including a personalized neoantigen vaccine which led to his surviving and thriving for three years beyond expectations.
He quickly realized his approach to treatment could work for many other people with cancer and, true to his entrepreneurial nature, formed a team who shared his passion and vision to lay the foundation for MyCancerDB, now Ennov1.
Steve was an extraordinary man who impacted everyone he encountered, including Jaime Leandro who, at age 40, was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Steve and Jaime shared fierce optimism, determination, and a love of life. Jaime believed in Steve’s vision of bringing together the right people to create a true breakthrough in personalized medicine. Those elements have combined to form the Jaime Leandro Foundation for Therapeutic Cancer Vaccines (JLF), a nonprofit organization that Steve requested be named for Jaime.
On July 7, 2020, Steve succumbed to a severe internal reaction to chemo and radiation, not to the cancer itself. After a regrowth of his tumor, recourse had to be made to these traditional and riskier treatments. He passed away with his loving family by his side.
Losing Steve has only strengthened Ennov1’s commitment to facilitating the rapid identification of safe and effective personalized-treatment options for cancer patients. The company continues to pursue its singular vision while also contributing critical capabilities to JLF.
Steve was an intelligent, articulate, inspiring, caring, and exceptional man. As Ennov1 states in their tribute to Steve. Read it here.