Axis Painting
Axis, by Callan Spence, is the creation of a young artist who faced a rare cancer with unshakable courage – and kept creating.
Callan grew up visiting Cordillera Ranch, a place filled with memories of the outdoors and meaning for his family. They lived in the community and were a part of the club before work took them to Austin. Callan’s father, Chas Spence, has been best friends with Cordillera Ranch President Charlie Hill since their days as college roommates and fraternity brothers at the University of Texas, though any stories from those years remain strictly classified.
In January 2022, Callan, then a 16-year-old high school junior, was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer known as synovial sarcoma. The tumor was large and intertwined with vital organs, requiring a highly specialized team of surgeons at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) to even evaluate the challenge of treatment and removal.
The weekend before undergoing major and complex surgery that summer in Philadelphia, Callan asked to come to Cordillera Ranch for a few days of golf, laughter, and time together in the beautiful Hill Country. It was a place that had always held deep meaning for the Spence family and had long served as a source of comfort and connection. After a successful surgery and recovery at CHOP, Callan was declared NED (No Evidence of Disease).
Art and Perseverance
Callan spent his early years refining his nationally recognized artistic talent, and he graduated high school while enduring intense chemotherapy and radiation. He later enrolled at the University of Texas at Austin, where he currently studies in the College of Fine Arts.
In November 2023, Charlie was searching for the right piece of artwork to anchor the new dining venue under construction at the Club. Knowing Callan’s impressive portfolio of paintings, drawings, and sculptures, along with his deep connection to Cordillera Ranch, Callan was naturally the perfect fit to create the centerpiece for the restaurant. He completed the piece in March 2024 after dedicating countless hours to its creation, a work that now beautifully complements the Axis dining room.
Callan is now thriving in life and at the University of Texas, and his painting, ‘Axis’, now hangs in the Club dining room as a powerful symbol of strength, talent, and perseverance.
In January 2022, Callan, then a 16-year-old high school junior, was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer known as synovial sarcoma. The tumor was large and intertwined with vital organs, requiring a highly specialized team of surgeons at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) to even evaluate the challenge of treatment and removal.
The weekend before undergoing major and complex surgery that summer in Philadelphia, Callan asked to come to Cordillera Ranch for a few days of golf, laughter, and time together in the beautiful Hill Country. It was a place that had always held deep meaning for the Spence family and had long served as a source of comfort and connection. After a successful surgery and recovery at CHOP, Callan was declared NED (No Evidence of Disease).
Art and Perseverance
Callan spent his early years refining his nationally recognized artistic talent, and he graduated high school while enduring intense chemotherapy and radiation. He later enrolled at the University of Texas at Austin, where he currently studies in the College of Fine Arts.
In November 2023, Charlie was searching for the right piece of artwork to anchor the new dining venue under construction at the Club. Knowing Callan’s impressive portfolio of paintings, drawings, and sculptures, along with his deep connection to Cordillera Ranch, Callan was naturally the perfect fit to create the centerpiece for the restaurant. He completed the piece in March 2024 after dedicating countless hours to its creation, a work that now beautifully complements the Axis dining room.
Callan is now thriving in life and at the University of Texas, and his painting, ‘Axis’, now hangs in the Club dining room as a powerful symbol of strength, talent, and perseverance.
Supporting Synovial Sarcoma Research
Thrown into a completely foreign and overwhelming world by their son’s diagnosis, Chas and Laura Spence quickly realized how little research and few resources existed for this disease. Synovia sarcoma is exceptionally rare, and affects approximately 1 to 2 individuals per million annually, leaving many patients and families without clear answers or paths forward.
Driven by relentless persistence to cure Callan and change this reality, Chas and Laura founded the Spence Family Synovial Sarcoma Foundation in December 2022. Their goal was simple: to ensure other families would have better support, better information, and a greater pathway to NED if they faced the same diagnosis.
The Foundation’s mission is to improve outcomes for people with synovial sarcoma by supporting research, expanding clinical resources, and fostering a strong patient and caregiver community. Working closely with world-renowned teams at CHOP and Penn Medicine, the Foundation has raised over $2 million to fund critical efforts, including clinical trials, innovative surgical imaging such as TumorGlow®, and the creation of the first national Synovial Sarcoma Registry and Biorepository. The Registry allows patients to participate and contribute critical information so researchers and clinicians can better understand how synovial sarcoma develops, progresses, and responds to treatment.
In a twist of fate, a couple of years later, when one of Callan's routine checkups revealed more tumors, the surgeons turned to TumorGlow® to successfully remove them, helping Callan achieve NED for a second time.
Thrown into a completely foreign and overwhelming world by their son’s diagnosis, Chas and Laura Spence quickly realized how little research and few resources existed for this disease. Synovia sarcoma is exceptionally rare, and affects approximately 1 to 2 individuals per million annually, leaving many patients and families without clear answers or paths forward.
Driven by relentless persistence to cure Callan and change this reality, Chas and Laura founded the Spence Family Synovial Sarcoma Foundation in December 2022. Their goal was simple: to ensure other families would have better support, better information, and a greater pathway to NED if they faced the same diagnosis.
The Foundation’s mission is to improve outcomes for people with synovial sarcoma by supporting research, expanding clinical resources, and fostering a strong patient and caregiver community. Working closely with world-renowned teams at CHOP and Penn Medicine, the Foundation has raised over $2 million to fund critical efforts, including clinical trials, innovative surgical imaging such as TumorGlow®, and the creation of the first national Synovial Sarcoma Registry and Biorepository. The Registry allows patients to participate and contribute critical information so researchers and clinicians can better understand how synovial sarcoma develops, progresses, and responds to treatment.
In a twist of fate, a couple of years later, when one of Callan's routine checkups revealed more tumors, the surgeons turned to TumorGlow® to successfully remove them, helping Callan achieve NED for a second time.
Learn More
If Callan’s story and Axis inspire you to support families and research efforts in synovial sarcoma, we invite you to learn more about the Synovial Sarcoma Foundation and consider making a contribution.
To learn more about the foundation, please visit synovialsarcoma.org
To give a gift, please visit synovialsarcoma.org/donate/
If Callan’s story and Axis inspire you to support families and research efforts in synovial sarcoma, we invite you to learn more about the Synovial Sarcoma Foundation and consider making a contribution.
To learn more about the foundation, please visit synovialsarcoma.org
To give a gift, please visit synovialsarcoma.org/donate/