Carilion receives $1M gift for cancer program

Roanoke real estate developer Maury Strauss has donated $1 million in honor of his late wife to support the expansion of Carilion Clinic’s cancer program, Carilion announced Tuesday.

Sheila Strauss died of bladder cancer in 2016; the couple were married 65 years. Maury Strauss is the founder of Strauss Development Corp.

“We are so grateful to Maury for the opportunity to honor Sheila’s memory as we continue to advance cancer care for our region,” Carilion President and CEO Nancy Howell Agee said in a statement. “The thousands of patients in our region diagnosed each year with cancer deserve access to the latest, most advanced care right here.”

Since 1979, Carilion’s oncology program has been accredited by the Commission on Cancer. Carilion provides cancer care from diagnosis and treatment to rehabilitation for adult and pediatric patients in partnership with Blue Ridge Cancer Care. Carilion also participates in research and clinical trials.

Carilion’s current cancer center is operating at capacity. The health system has seen a 40% increase in patient volume over the past 10 years and the system treated more than 2,000 new cancer patients in 2021.

When Sheila Strauss received her diagnosis, the Strausses traveled out of state so that she could participate in a clinical trial. Maury Strauss seeks to expand the number and scope of locally available clinical trials through his gift.

“Health care is one of the most important things in any community, and what Carilion has done to advance care in the Roanoke Valley is remarkable,” Strauss said in a statement. “I want to see that continue for generations to come.”