Defying Cancer now and far into the future

Hy Darling is an estate planning professional, so he knows the value of including charity in a will. He also knows the far-reaching impact that Dana-Farber Cancer Institute has—and the importance of advancing cancer research and care. Including Dana-Farber in his own estate plans was only natural.

Hy didn’t grow up in New England, but when he became a resident in 1972, he soon learned more about Dana-Farber and the Jimmy Fund and its impact on the community, locally and across the nation. “Donors have provided the hospital with great staff and specialized equipment, and Dana-Farber also has great ties to other institutions,” he says. “It’s what makes it unique.”

Like many others, Hy’s own life has been changed by cancer, giving him extra motivation for including Dana-Farber in his will. “My father died of prostate cancer and my mother died of breast cancer,” he shares. “I am convinced if they’d been able to go to Dana-Farber for treatment they would have lived a lot longer.”

“My dad ran a mom-and-pop store and my mom was a nurse, so our family did not have much money,” he continues. “But my parents were involved in many organizations and causes. They always took us to charity events and talked to us about giving. We learned by their doing. And now I have kids of my own who understand that it is important to give back.”

Hy’s message as an estate planning professional and as a caring donor is one and the same: “It’s important to invest in the future. And it is easy to include a charity in your will. Dana-Farber is doing great work. It’s up to us to do even better for the future.”

Join Hy and add Dana-Farber to your own estate plans in support of The Dana-Farber Campaign, our ambitious, multi-year fundraising effort to prevent, treat, and defy cancer. The Dana-Farber Campaign will accelerate the Institute’s strategic priorities by supporting revolutionary science, extraordinary care, and exceptional expertise. As a community, we have the power to create a more hopeful, cancer-free future—in Boston and around the world. Together, we can defy cancer at every turn. Learn more about The Dana-Farber Campaign at DefyCancer.org.