Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale recently received a $5 million gift from Mark Mazzarino to promote their cancer research efforts. Mazzarino, a retired oil executive from Illinois, moved to Scottsdale in 1980 and became a patient at the facility almost two decades later.

"The people of Mayo have been so good to me," Mazzarino told the Arizona Republic. Mazzarino, who lost his wife to cancer 45 years ago, said that he hopes the endowment will help lead Mayo researchers to a cure for cancer.

According to the Republic, the Mark Mazzarino Endowment for Medical Research will fund exclusively the Scottsdale branch of the Mayo Clinic. Officials there told the Republic that a gift that size will allow them to bring on another senior investigator to their nationally recognized cancer research program.

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For more information:

"Mayo Clinic given $5 million for research," Arizona Republic, 02/15/2005