Dominic Gentile DVM Sarcoma Research

A short video from our family accompanies the picture above which expresses our heartfelt feelings about Dominic and why we started this research fund. You can watch by clicking where it says play.

Dominic Gentile, DVM 1993-2021

Dominic lived an incredible life and was an inspiration to many. He was a role model for his younger brother, Nick, and younger sister, Jamie, who both loved and admired him. He made lifelong friends everywhere he went, and they provided incredible support for him throughout his illness. We are forever grateful for their compassion. We have been amazed at the number of people who have told us stories of how he touched their lives. He accomplished so much within his short life. In 2021 alone, he graduated, practiced veterinary medicine for several months, and married the love of his life, his wife Alex. Those events shone brightly through his illness. Tragically, we lost Dominic on October 29, 2021.

Our son, Dominic, was diagnosed with metastatic Ewing’s Sarcoma when he was 25 years old. Ewing’s Sarcoma is a very rare cancer of the bone and soft tissue. There are approximately 200-300 new diagnoses each year, mostly in children and adolescents. Unfortunately, Dominic’s disease was metastatic at diagnosis, so his survival rate was about 30%. Because the disease is so aggressive, the primary treatment is highly intensive. It has not changed much during the past several decades. It consists of multiple cytotoxic chemotherapy drugs given together, surgical resection when able, and often radiation therapy. Dominic had all three.

He received outstanding care at the University of Iowa Holden Cancer Center, a designated Sarcoma Center of Excellence. For this reason, we are helping fund research there. The hope is that the research will both improve outcomes for patients and decrease side effects of treatment with the goal of finding a cure for Ewing’s Sarcoma.  The research study, led by Dr. David Gordon MD PhD, is working toward clinical trials with new drugs that target the cancer cells directly. Dr. Gordon has a brief “Thank View” video link here: Watch Video .

On October 21, 2023, we held the first annual Dominic Gentile Memorial Golf Outing.  Through the generosity of those involved, we were able to raise $22k of net proceeds that were donated to the research fund.  With this addition, we reached our goal for the year, putting us at a grand total of $136,263 for 2023. The Dominic Gentile DVM Sarcoma Research Fund is now a permanent endowment!

Through this charity, we honor the strength Dominic showed throughout his fight, as he never gave up and did it with remarkable courage and grace. He was, and is, an inspiration to many. Our goal for 2024 is to raise $25,000. We will be announcing the date of this year’s golf outing in the near future. Thank you in advance for any donations. Your support represents the best in human compassion, and we see it as a statement of Dominic’s effect on those whose lives he touched.

We love and miss him dearly.

Jim and Maureen Gentile

If you are interested in making a recurring donation, please follow this link. Contact Taylor.Reyhons@foriowa.org if you have questions. 

NOTICE: The University of Iowa Center for Advancement is an operational name for the State University of Iowa Foundation, an independent, Iowa nonprofit corporation organized as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, publicly supported charitable entity working to advance the University of Iowa. Please review its full disclosure statement.

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