Category Cancer Patient Stories

Grateful patient hosts Jimmy FundRaiser to celebrate 20 years of survivorship

January 18, 2022

Andrea McGrath moved to Boston after completing graduate school in the late 1990s, unaware at the time of how important it would be to be in the Longwood area, close to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Unlike many other patients who would…

Continue

Runner, sister gives back to Dana-Farber through B.A.A. 5K

December 21, 2021

Jenny Thurber grew up with a dedication to giving back, and as she got older and more people in her life were diagnosed with cancer, her volunteering and philanthropy efforts focused more and more on cancer research and care. But…

Continue

Full-circle moment for granddaughter and nurse

December 3, 2021

Meredith Bertoni, a Clinical Research Coordinator at Dana-Farber working in the Center for Prevention of Progression for Hematologic Malignancies, is also the proud granddaughter of the late Al Wahlers, whom she called “Dah” before he passed away in 2020 at…

Continue

Mother and daughter use yoga to keep mom strong, healthy during cancer treatment

November 18, 2021

To recognize Lung Cancer Awareness Month, we spoke with Barbara Ackerman, a Dana-Farber Cancer Institute patient, and her daughter, Jessica. Barbara is currently undergoing treatment at Dana-Farber for stage IV lung cancer. Barbara, can you tell us a bit about…

Continue

Having fun—and giving back—in Aniketh’s memory

November 17, 2021

Whenever Ramakrishna Chivukula and Soujanya Mallapragada asked their son Aniketh how his day at school was, the answer was always an enthusiastic “FUN!” Despite being in treatment for a pediatric brain tumor’s side effects and treatment complications for seven years,…

Continue

Glioblastoma patient inspires others to move, to advance treatment for rare disease

November 8, 2021

In July 2021, Heather Walker, a fun-loving wife and mom of two, was diagnosed with glioblastoma, a rare and aggressive form of brain cancer, after a horrible headache landed her in the emergency room. Despite the shocking news, she immediately…

Continue

Facing uncertain future, pancreatic cancer patient defies odds

November 2, 2021

When John Byrnes first learned he was diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer, he was devastated. At age 72, he was enjoying retired life in Gloucester with Mollie, his wife of 50 years, spending their time gardening, enjoying the local…

Continue