Cush it to the Limit is a federally recognized 501(c)3 non-profit, whose mission is to accelerate treatment options and ultimately find a cure for rare T-Cell Lymphomas (TCLs) and other blood cancers. With the hard work of our dedicated partners and the support of our unpaid staff, we see to it that the money donated serves a direct and tangible purpose to overcoming these diseases.

 

How We Got Started

Cush it to the Limit was founded by Ben “Big Cat” Cushing and friends in 2017. Ben was a freshman at Washington State University when he was diagnosed with hepatosplenic T-cell lymphoma (HSTCL), one of the rarest and most aggressive forms of lymphoma that typically affects young people in their second or third decade of life. Ben left school to embark on a short, courageous fight to conquer his cancer. With the heartbreaking knowledge that HSTCL received very little research attention, and therefore funding, he and friends launched CITTL. Ben’s mission was clear from the start, he wanted to make sure that the next kid with a similar diagnosis would have more targeted treatment options than he had. Despite multiple rounds of debilitating chemotherapy, it became clear that Ben’s lymphoma was not curable. He died 9-months after receiving his diagnosis.

We continue Ben’s fight. Our fundraising efforts started with Ben in 2017 when bright green wristbands were sold by Ben and his friends in both their home community of Sammamish, WA and in their respective universities. But our mission quickly expanded to social media and to hosting fun, community minded events. Our first fundraiser was held at MOD Pizza in Sammamish, WA where we were inspired to see that generous people would turn out for a cause they cared about. It wasn’t long before we were running additional fundraising events and planning our first Cush it to the Limit Golf Tournament, now in its 5th year. As of today, CITTL has raised over three hundred thousand dollars for cancer research.

 

Who we work with

Since the founding of Cush it to the Limit, we have partnered with UW Medicine and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle, WA to fund research in t-cell lymphoma (TCL) and other rare blood cancers. Our initial point of contact at the UW/Fred Hutch was Dr. Andrei Shustov, one of the leading authorities on T-Cell Lymphoma and the hematologist for our founder, Ben Cushing. Shustov left UW and SCCA in 2022 but we continue to deepen our partnership with the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. In 2022, The Hutch merged with Seattle Cancer Care Alliance to bring research and clinical care under one umbrella organization. The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center unites innovative research and patient care to prevent and treat cancer and infectious disease. The Hutch and it’s integral relationship with UW Medicine is one of the world's leading integrated health systems.