Our Story & Our Mission

Our Mission

MIB Agents Is A Leading Pediatric Osteosarcoma Nonprofit Dedicated To Making It Better For Our Community Of Patients, Families, Medical Professionals, Researchers, And Industry Partners Through Programs, Education, And Research.
Supporting Doctors, Researchers, and the Medical Community
FACTOR Osteosarcoma Conference

FACTOR brings together the leading researchers, clinicians, surgeons, together with patient families and OsteoWarriors to Make It Better for those battling this disease.

Annual OutSmarting Osteosarcoma Grant

Each year a grant of $100,000 is awarded to a project that will focus on moving research forward for osteosarcoma patients.

Osteosarcoma Resources for you to give to patients

Browse our extensive list of osteosarcoma resources from MIB Agents and our partner organizations.

OsteoBites Weekly Webinar

OsteoBites is a weekly webinar and podcast where we invite Osteosarcoma Experts and OsteoWarriors to share their research, hope, and innovation.

Supporting Kids and Young Adults with Osteosarcoma
Gamer Agents

Agent GAMERS game with their fellow OsteoWarriors and OsteoSiblings.

Ambassador Agents

Ambassador Agents are certified peer visitors who provide hope, understanding, and resources.

Warrior Mail

OsteoWarriors receive monthly letters of hope and cheer from MIB Agent Writers around the world.

Missions

When an OsteoWarrior transitions to hospice care, MIB Agents provides an experience or an item of comfort and entertainment.

HQ at FACTOR Osteosarcoma Conference

The OsteoWarriors HQ (headquarters) brings kids and young adults who have a connection to osteosarcoma together and It. Is. Awesome!

Vision

A world with less toxic, more effective treatments and a cure for osteosarcoma.

Values

We are devoted to creating and instilling hope with and for our inclusive and collaborative osteosarcoma community. We do this through mutual trust, transparency and compassion.

2010

Ann Graham, President & Founder
In 2010 at age 43 while training for a marathon, persistent pain in her left leg turned out to be osteosarcoma, bone cancer. Ann was treated in the pediatric cancer center at Memorial Sloan Kettering in NYC. She was awed and inspired by the courage and cheerfulness of the kids she was treated with. Since Ann completed treatment, her mission has been to Make It Better (MIB) for children battling osteosarcoma.

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2012

Alyssa Divers
The first mission was in 2012 for Ann’s fellow osteosarcoma patient, Alyssa Divers. Alyssa was a dancer who faced limb salvage surgery with grace and bravery. Alyssa continued to dance in spite of the titanium which now took the place of her bones. After a recurrence was discovered, Alyssa’s leg was amputated and she was put on a clinical trial, which failed. When Hospice was called in, Ann and her team of friends and family (the first Agents) arranged a three day experience in NYC for Alyssa and her family. Together, they enjoyed a luxurious hotel (The Surrey), backstage at The Rockettes, Mary Poppins on Broadway, American Girl Doll Store and experience, and the Nutcracker at Lincoln Center with VIP Passes. Two weeks later on December 31, 2012, she passed from this life. 

The missions kept coming, and so MIB Agents was founded.

2013-2015

  • MIB Agents continues to carry out missions.
  • Advocacy on Capitol Hill for pediatric cancer.
  • Expanded scope to include childhood cancer awareness and support with viral videos like “Just Keep Dancing” and programs like our iTunes gift card delivery at Memorial Sloan Kettering.
  • Agent writers & Prayer Agents begin.
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2016

  • MIB Agents officially earns 501(c)3 status!
  • The spark is ignited for FACTOR.
  • Agent writers continue, and the beginning of Gamer & Prayer agents keeps the ball rolling.

Animations by  Adam J. Osiecki on LottieFiles

2017

  • The family fund began and had 11 families.
  • Awarded first OutSmarting Osteosarcoma Grant of $100,000 to Joshua Schiffman, MD.
  • First annual FACTOR Osteosarcoma Conference.
  • Inaugural OsteoWariors Headquarters at FACTOR '17.
  • Scientific Advisory Board established.
  • Earned the Guidestar Bronze Seal of Transparency,
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2018

  • Warrior Mail became a monthly program.
  • MIB Agents/Hyundai Hope On Wheels Osteosarcoma Thought Leaders Conference.
  • MIB FACTOR '18 Osteosarcoma Conference.
  • OutSmarting $100,000 grant awarded to Matteo Trucco, MD.
  • Guidestar gold status earned.

2019

  • Released the 1st edition of Osteosarcoma: From Our Families To Yours.
  • Developed Testing & Research Directory.
  • 'Healing Hearts' and Ambassador Agents officially began.
  • Guidestar platinum status earned.
  • Began Ambassador Agent Program.
  • OutSmarting $100,000 grant given to Alex Huang, MD, PhD.
  • Partnered with Osteosarcoma Project, Count Me In, The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard
  • MIB Factor '19 Osteosarcoma Conference
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2020

  • Released the 2nd edition of Osteosarcoma From Our Families To Yours along with Chinese and Spanish translations.
  • The Junior Board and Grief Workshops established.
  • OsteoBites began.
  • Outsmarting $100,000 grant awarded to Andrew J. Livingston, MD, PhD.
  • MIB FACTOR Conference ‘20 February.
  • 36 active family funds continue to help move forward the mission of MIB.

Join us to make it better for kids fighting osteosarcoma

Your donation positively impacts the life of a child fighting cancer. You help us Make It Better by supporting our patient programs, our educational resources, and our research funding.

800-1,000

Cases of osteosarcoma are
diagnosed annually

$1,550,000

MIB Agents has raised for
osteosarcoma research since 2017

40

Years without any new
treatments for osteosarcoma