Our Story
“As Tara always wisely reminded us, research will cure cancer. Just as Tara left a lasting impression on everyone who had the privilege to know her, the research being done in her name will have lasting effects far into the future.”
- Robert H. Vonderheide, MD, DPHIL
Director, Abramson Cancer Center
The mission of the Tara Miller Melanoma Foundation is to raise funds to support research of effective treatment methods and ultimately a cure for melanoma.
“What I really want to do with this foundation is to help fund the research that will get us past just buying time and will hopefully provide a lifetime to melanoma patients.”
— Tara Miller, 2014
The History of Our Foundation
The Tara Miller Melanoma Foundation was founded by Tara Miller in 2014.
Tara, a brilliant, generous, young attorney was diagnosed with melanoma in July of 2013 at only 28 years old. When she was first diagnosed, Tara quickly realized the odds were alarming for melanoma and patients were truly living day to day to see what new treatment might be available soon.
As Tara was faced with impossible decisions and weighing treatment options, she decided to start this foundation because she never wanted someone else to be faced with these decisions. Tara knew the money raised through the foundation’s flagship event, the “Make the Best of it Bash,” and other fundraising efforts, likely would not fund new research in time to make a difference for her, but she explained that “hopefully one day we will get to see the money raised by this foundation making a difference in someone else’s fight against this terrible disease.”
We have the power to make cancer powerless and perhaps even end it, but it takes research – and that requires funding. Cancer has taken some of the best among us and it is time for us to stand up and fight back.
- Tara Miller, citing a quote from Stand Up to Cancer
Every Dollar In Goes Out
Since 2014, the Tara Miller Melanoma Foundation has funded over $6.4 million to melanoma research.
To accomplish Tara’s goal of changing the odds for melanoma patients, we have partnered with Dr. Lynn Schuchter (Tara’s doctor) at the University of Pennsylvania, along with the team at Melanoma Research Alliance (MRA) to review and select ground breaking and game-changing research to fund.
Continuing Tara’s Legacy
Tara L. Miller, Esq., the founder of the Tara Miller Melanoma Foundation, tragically lost her battle with melanoma on October 14, 2014, at only 29 years old.
However, it is not only the loss of her life that this Foundation remembers and honors, it is the extraordinary life that she led and the incredible legacy that she left behind that this Foundation now proudly represents. It is a legacy hallmarked by unimaginable strength and positivity and an infectious love for life combined with unmatched humor and wit. Tara’s motto of “making the best of it” and “finding the silver lining” in every situation inspired everyone whose lives she touched. We celebrate Tara’s spirit and attitude each year at the annual Make the Best of it Bash, the Foundation’s premiere fundraising event.
Tara made it very clear that, despite her outcome, she wanted us to tirelessly work towards fulfilling her mission of funding the research to find better treatment options and ultimately a cure for melanoma. Her passion, love and selflessness continue to have a deep and profound effect on everyone who hears her story – there is truly no greater legacy she could have left behind. The best way to remember Tara and to honor her legacy is to continue her fight, and that is what we continue to do with this Foundation.
The Miller family at the 1st Annual Make the Best of It Bash in 2014.