It’s an ambitious goal. Yet, with over 65 artists donating their time and talents, Kristin Heaton Peabody’s huge goal of raising $1.1 million has a huge, enthusiastic groundswell of support behind it.

Works from those 65 enthusiastic artists are part of a silent auction at Austin’s Davis Gallery September 23 from 6:30 to 9 pm.

Monies raised at the silent auction are destined to fund an advanced and groundbreaking trial that could change the future of cancer treatment.

Peabody, the well-known co-owner of Austin’s Hiatus Spa + Retreat, has stage 4 metastatic head and neck cancer. (Listen to her story here.)

As happens with others dealing with this and other rare forms of cancer, she is no longer a candidate for conventional treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation, but there is hope for a cure.

And that’s where the fundraising comes in. By raising $1.1 million, Peabody and nine other patients will be selected to participate in the groundbreaking trial.

Jan Heaton, Peabody’s mom and popular Austin-based artist, has asked her artist friends to help make this possible by creating original mandalas, which will be sold at Saturday’s silent auction.

Heaton will also be signing limited edition art prints of three 16 x 16 mandalas at the event.

Can’t attend Saturday? Then consider donating to the Peabody Fund’s Cancer Vaccine Project to jumpstart this personalized vaccine clinical trial at Moores Cancer Center, University of California/San Diego.

As we said, it’s an ambitious goal. But it is achievable. Within 15 days of launching August 15, $105,000 was raised in this first step to save the lives of many who today are without hope.