Annie Mac Evans, my incredible cousin, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) on February 10, 2016. She was only 25 years old. She was immediately referred to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and on February 11, she had her first appointment with her mother, father, and future husband by her side. They were so grateful for…
Though 2020 was a year unlike one seen in recent times, with many challenges and losses, there were still many things to celebrate in our Jimmy Fund community. Take 9-year-old Grace from Dedham, Mass., for example. Throughout last year, Grace created 1,250 handmade masks, raising $2,600 for the Jimmy Fund and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. In…
Barrett Rollins, MD, PhD, started working at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in 1983 and hasn’t left since. After joining the staff in 1989, Dr. Rollins became the Institute’s first Chief Scientific Officer in 2004, marking a pinnacle point in his career as well as in Dana-Farber’s history. “It was the best job I could’ve ever imagined….
A long, winding road full of obstacles is a familiar sight for Cathy Troisi, a Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge (DFMC) runner and team member since 1995 (pictured above at the 2019 Boston Marathon®). She was thrown another twist in 2020, when her 26th Boston Marathon® went virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Cathy’s marathon-length running career goes back…
As any mother would, Linda Darbyshire always thought the world of her incredible daughter, Amy. Linda and her husband, Jack, adopted Amy from China when she was just 6 months old. Only a few short weeks after arriving in China to meet their newborn, Linda and Jack lost their Cape Cod home in a fire….
Lu Kleppinger, of Vienna, Va., has loved every minute of the past few years. She’s been busy volunteering, traveling with her husband, Tony Sabló, and spending time with her beloved toy poodle, Maia. Lu describes this time as the most joyful of her life and she says it is all possible because of Dana-Farber Cancer…
When Rob Hale, president and CEO of Granite Telecommunications, was providing U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida with a tour of the company’s headquarters in Quincy, Mass., Nelson noticed the many plaques and displays of the company’s philanthropic commitment to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. As the tour reached the headquarters’ gym space, Hale issued a friendly…
Upon learning she had brain cancer in early 2016, Connie Etheridge immediately thought, “Thank goodness it’s me, and not my children.” Then, three months later, her son Trevor, 23, found out he too had brain cancer. It was a devastating double diagnosis, but the Etheridges have been by each other’s side through check-ups, radiation, and…
Often referred to as an “Ambassador of Hope” Wendy O’Neil joins 51 other Dana-Farber patients as a 2017 Jimmy Fund Walk Hero in the Boston Marathon® Jimmy Fund Walk presented by Hyundai. As a Jimmy Fund Walk Hero, Wendy’s picture will appear on the mile-markers that line the Boston Marathon course to inspire participants to…
By Jim Donovan It’s not easy to talk about losing a friend to cancer. Several years ago, my good friend from college died of prostate cancer. I never imagined that years later, I would be touched by cancer again. This time, even closer to home. In 2013, my brother John, a successful entrepreneur, was diagnosed…