We invite you to support our visionary trailblazers, medical pioneers, and compassionate caregivers. In the last 10 years, nearly one in every four FDA-approved cancer drugs was developed in part with the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute community. Now, more than ever, progress is accelerating and successes are multiplying. We ask you to join us in our unmatched and unwavering determination to prevent, treat, and Defy Cancer.
The Dana-Farber Campaign: Defy Cancer
The Dana-Farber Campaign supports revolutionary science, extraordinary care, and exceptional expertise. Learn more about a few of the most challenging areas the Institute is tackling through stories of hope and inspiration about three key campaign priorities: Immunotherapy; Access to Care; and Prevention, Early Detection, and Interception. Hear from Dana-Farber President and CEO, Dr. Laurie H. Glimcher and others about how your support can help Defy Cancer.
The Dana-Farber Campaign supports revolutionary science, extraordinary care, and exceptional expertise. Learn more about a few of the most challenging areas the Institute is tackling through stories of hope and inspiration about three key campaign priorities: Immunotherapy; Access to Care; and Prevention, Early Detection, and Interception. Hear from Dana-Farber President and CEO, Dr. Laurie H. Glimcher and others about how your support can help Defy Cancer.
de. fy | di-’fīdefied; defyingtransitive verbto challenge; to do something consideredimpossible; to dare
A Message from Our President and CEO
We know more about cancer than ever before. More treatments are coming out of our research every day and are being delivered with outstanding compassion in our clinics and around the world. We are relentlessly determined to take what we are learning, build on it, and defeat this disease. There is no time to waste. Patients everywhere are depending on us. We ask for your support. Please join us.
Together, we will Defy Cancer.
Laurie H. Glimcher, MD President and CEO, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Richard and Susan Smith Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
A Message from Our Campaign Chair
We need to build on the incredible scientific revolution that is underway at Dana-Farber, a revolution that promises to fundamentally change the impact of cancer in our lifetimes. Now is the time, and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is the place to invest. Our community’s dedication to revolutionary science and extraordinary care is leading and changing the trajectory of treatment worldwide. I believe that, together, we will Defy Cancer. Please join us in this essential mission.
Michael R. Eisenson Chair, The Dana-Farber Campaign Trustee, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Founding Partner and Managing Director, Charlesbank Capital Partners
Our experts lead the development of new treatments and write the cancer care protocols used around the world.
Resilient—John
John Cain has defied cancer—twice. For much of his life, John’s chief focus was always work. When he began experiencing crippling pain, his computer software services company remained the top priority, even as the pain was getting worse. After almost a year, John finally went to see his doctor, who diagnosed stage III colorectal cancer. “It was a shock. I was numb. Everything just runs through your mind: your wife, your family, your children, your life,” he says. John’s doctor recommended immediate surgery, but after seeking a second opinion at Dana-Farber, he opted for radiation first to shrink the tumor,...
John Cain has defied cancer—twice.
For much of his life, John’s chief focus was always work. When he began experiencing crippling pain, his computer software services company remained the top priority, even as the pain was getting worse.
After almost a year, John finally went to see his doctor, who diagnosed stage III colorectal cancer.
“It was a shock. I was numb. Everything just runs through your mind: your wife, your family, your children, your life,” he says.
John’s doctor recommended immediate surgery, but after seeking a second opinion at Dana-Farber, he opted for radiation first to shrink the tumor, and then surgery.
After his successful treatment at Dana-Farber, John thought that phase of his life was behind him.
And then cancer struck again: this time, stage IV lymphoma. No one knew the cause, but he and his Dana-Farber team were determined to beat this cancer, too. “I was scheduled to have an eight-week course of chemotherapy, but in five weeks the cancer was gone,” says Cain.
Cancer times two has caused him to refocus his life goals on what matters most—spending time with his wife, Kathleen, their adult children and grandchildren, and growing the impact of his technology education program in his home city of Quincy, Mass., by spending more time teaching technology to young people and senior citizens.
“I am grateful to Dana-Farber,” he says. “And now, if I can do something for someone every day, that’s what I’m going to do.”
When Sidney Farber, MD, founded the Children's Cancer Research Foundation 75 years ago, he gave a newfound sense of hope to young patients with cancer and their loved ones, and set the course for a mission dedicated to the research and care of cancer for all patients. He also gave rise to what would become one of our community's most cherished organizations with a global reputation for excellence. For 75 years, Dana-Farber has cared for patients with expertise and compassion, forged new frontiers in cancer research, and provided a sanctuary for bright and curious minds to pursue their passions. As...
When Sidney Farber, MD, founded the Children's Cancer Research Foundation 75 years ago, he gave a newfound sense of hope to young patients with cancer and their loved ones, and set the course for a mission dedicated to the research and care of cancer for all patients.
He also gave rise to what would become one of our community's most cherished organizations with a global reputation for excellence. For 75 years, Dana-Farber has cared for patients with expertise and compassion, forged new frontiers in cancer research, and provided a sanctuary for bright and curious minds to pursue their passions.
As we mark the 75-year anniversary of this amazing organization, we can take pride that we remain anchored by the core principles of Sidney Farber's mission: to make scientific discoveries and turn them into life-saving treatments. Equipped with that sense of pride and breadth of knowledge and skill we've gained, we can look boldly ahead to the future, filled with an enduring sense of hope for all the possibilities that lie ahead to help patients everywhere who are counting on us.
Together, we continue the great promise of this organization, and continue our progress to reduce the burden of cancer for all.
1in1 in 3 women and 1 in 2 men will develop cancer in their lifetime. It has never been more important to Defy Cancer.
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Wonder—Erin
My name is Erin O’Malley, and my strength is my superpower. I’ve run the Boston Marathon—twice. And, I host a radio show on Mix 104.1 in Boston. I’ve always been kind of a tough woman. Then, one day, I found a lump. I went to the local hospital and was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer. It’s a very rare and very aggressive form of breast cancer. They said I only had about a 65 percent chance of being alive in five years. But, like I said, I’m kind of a tough woman. And, if cancer was going to try...
My name is Erin O’Malley, and my strength is my superpower.
I’ve run the Boston Marathon—twice. And, I host a radio show on Mix 104.1 in Boston. I’ve always been kind of a tough woman. Then, one day, I found a lump. I went to the local hospital and was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer. It’s a very rare and very aggressive form of breast cancer. They said I only had about a 65 percent chance of being alive in five years.
But, like I said, I’m kind of a tough woman. And, if cancer was going to try to push me around—well, I was going to push back.
So, I went to Dana-Farber. The second I walked in, I felt so much love. Dana-Farber is a place where miracles happen. You know, the lifesaving scientific kind of miracles. Next, I went on my radio show and told my listeners that I was going to start chemo. I also said that I planned to wear my superhero outfit to treatment. I mean, wouldn’t you?
I completed eight rounds of chemo in 16 weeks. And I wore my costume to each and every treatment. I’ll never forget the day I was declared cancer-free. The people at Dana-Farber are the best of the best. If you ask me, they have cancer-fighting superpowers.
We invite you to join us. At this historic inflection point, there is no time to waste. We ask for your support. We know that, together, we can accelerate success in the world-changing endeavor to prevent, treat, and Defy Cancer.
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Founded in Boston in 1947, Dana-Farber is a principal teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School and a federally designated Comprehensive Cancer Center that develops and disseminates innovative patient therapies and scientific discoveries throughout the world. About Our Patient Stories: Dana-Farber shares patient stories which may include descriptions of actual medical results. Dana-Farber provides personalized care for each patient based on their unique needs; their experiences and results will vary.
At Dana-Farber we are committed to an inclusive community where human differences are valued and celebrated, and where all are welcome. We work every day to create an innovative, caring, and inclusive environment where each patient, family, and staff member feels valued and respected.