Impact & Progress

Impact & Progress

5-Year Update

Gifts to The Dana-Farber Campaign have allowed us to:

Bottle icon

help develop
more
than half

of all cancer drugs
approved by the FDA

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offer more than
1,100
clinical trials

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open
3 New
patient care facilities

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double
the size

of our Cancer Care
Equity Program

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hire
4 New
patient navigators

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establish
18 New
endowed
Dana-Farber Chairs

This progress so far was made possible by

more than
1.8M gifts
from more than
750,000
donors

including more than
1.2M gifts
below $100
and more than
380,000
gifts

from outside
New England
including all 50 states

Resilient—John

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.”

Wonder—Erin

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.

What can I say … they’re my heroes.

— Erin O’Malley

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What we learn at Dana-Farber is saving lives everywhere. Your gift will ensure that our momentum accelerates in every way. Together, we will Defy Cancer.

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