WEEI/NESN Jimmy Fund Radio-Telethon

Deb Toffler, LCSW, arrived at Dana-Farber 12 years ago and is currently the director of patient and family programs and services. In this role, Deb supervises 12 staffers that run programs including: the resource center, pharmacy resource, patient navigation, patient assistance, volunteer services, 1:1 support, patient and family advisory council, and more. Deb’s job is to help support patients and families through a variety of programs and services that support emotional wellbeing and financial needs to help provide access to care. She loves Dana-Farber because of the patients, their families and staff that are so committed to supporting them. She has the following message for listeners: “Now more than ever, cancer care is expensive and overwhelming. Dana-Farber is truly on the cutting edge and unique in caring for the whole patient – not just providing clinical care. Dana-Farber is committed to providing support in every aspect of life impacted by cancer and we can’t do this without the support of donors. It’s a privilege to be able to help patients in this way. We take patients’ needs seriously. We work to help them each and every day.”

Laurie started using tanning beds as a teen before going to prom, got hooked, and then used them every week for years. She was first diagnosed with melanoma in 2000 when she was 26. She had recurrences in 2001, 2002, 2003. In 2012 she was diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma. Laurie was treated at Dana-Farber and was one of the first patients to enroll in a clinical trial that was testing immunotherapy, a type of treatment that activates the body’s own immune system to recognize and destroy cancer skills. Today, immunotherapy is used to treat several types of cancers and has benefited thousands of patients worldwide. Thanks to these drugs, which were made possible by discoveries made by Dana-Farber scientists, patients like Laurie with advanced melanoma and other cancers are living normal and healthy lives. Inspired by her treatment, Laurie is now a surgical coordinator for cancer patients at South Shore Hospital, which shares a clinical affiliation with Dana-Farber. Her own experience with cancer allows Laurie to relate to patients and talk with them about what they are going through on both a professional and personal level.

Christine has been treating cancer patients for the past 27 years. She currently cares for patients who are being treated for sarcoma and melanoma. She is inspired by the strength, courage and grace of her patients every day.

Max and his family were on the Radio-Telethon in 2015. In May 2017, after 18 months of remission, Max’s cancer returned. He had 4 nodules in his lungs. Max will be on treatment over the next 11 months as part of a clinical trial called PAZIT. He takes chemo pills everyday along with 5 days of chemotherapy in the Clinic every 3 weeks. The trial is new at Dana-Farber and is in association with a hospital in San Francisco. Max is getting ready to start third grade at Coolidge Elementary School and just completed his first season of Little League Baseball. 

In January 2016 Pete returned from a golf trip. He had lost weight and felt terrible. His doctor gave him a physical, which led to a biopsy that revealed some cancer cells in his liver. Pete was later diagnosed with stage 4 bile duct cancer. He was told by his local hospital that he had a very limited prognosis. Being from the Cape and all too familiar with traffic to Boston, Pete initially didn’t want to go to Dana-Farber, but at his family’s urging he eventually gave in and switched his treatment to Dana-Farber. He is very glad he did. Pete has been on a full dose of his first line of chemotherapy now for 21 cycles and has had a remarkable response to his treatment. He is doing very well physically and also works hard to live his life despite his cancer diagnosis and chemotherapy. He is an avid golfer and a professional barber.

Dr. Laurie Glimcher is president and CEO of Dana-Farber and the director of the Dana-Farber/Harvard cancer Center and the Richard and Susan Smith Professor of Medicine. Previously, Dr. Glimcher held positions at Weill Cornell Medical College and Harvard Medical School. Dr. Glimcher speaks nationally and internationally about rheumatology, cancer, immunology, skeletal biology and translational medicine. Dr. Glimcher just completed her second Pan Mass Challenge and will be doing the Jimmy Fund Walk in September.

Yasser and his family are originally from Dubai but they moved to Boston for treatment. In June 2016, Yasser had a fever and a sore throat. After tests, Yasser’s blood counts were abnormal so doctors sent him to a hematologist. In August, Yasser was diagnosed with ALL. His family decided he should be treated at Dana-Farber because they needed the best treatment for their son and Dana-Farber has one of the highest cure rates. Yasser’s treatment has included chemotherapy and he is now in the maintenance phase of his treatment. Whenever Yasser is at the Clinic, he likes to visit Nahomie in the Resource Room. His hobbies include swimming, horseback riding and playing soccer. He enjoys almost all academic and outdoor activities. Yasser loves animals, talking, singing and dancing. His favorite cartoons are Paw Patrol and Scooby Doo. He is very excited to attend Winship Elementary in September. He currently lives with his mother and his little sister Dima, 2. His father still lives in Dubai for work but comes to visit whenever he can. Yasser will be saying, “Play Ball” to start tonight’s game.

Nahomie Johnson has worked at Dana-Farber for 4 years. She works in the Resource Room at the Jimmy Fund Clinic, where she provides supportive resources for patients and families. Nahomie leads fun activities for patients and their families, too, including cooking classes and arts and crafts. Yasser and Nahomie have a close relationship – he visits her in the Resouce Room everytime he is in the Clinic. They love to play video games, build Legos and have fun making silly faces at one another.

Lori says Dana-Farber is very mission-driven and she likes the environment that the mission creates for staff, patients and families. There is real purpose to the work every day. Lori has filled a lot of different roles over the years and she has had many opportunities to learn, grow, provide care, teach, mentor and lead at Dana-Farber. She currently oversees the Center for Global Cancer Medicine. The center, working in collaboration with the organization Partners In Health, which has built oncology programs in Haiti and Rwanda.

Miles passed away in May 2017. He appeared on the 2015 and 2016 Radio-Telethon. He considered himself to be the unofficial producer of Kirk & Callahan. Miles was diagnosed with osteosarcoma after having knee pain while playing hockey. The tumor was in the upper part of his tibia and his family chose a radical procedure for treatment: to remove the knee, keep lower part of his leg and foot, rotate them 180 degrees, and attach to his femur. Miles didn’t respond to his first two cycles of chemotherapy and the tumor grew and spread to his lungs. Miles played football, baseball, hockey, surfed and skied. He attended last year’s Spring Training teen trip. Miles played percussion in the band and he loved to cook and go to nice restaurants.

Kate has been a pediatric oncology nurse for 17 years and has worked at the Jimmy Fund Clinic since 2001. Kate works in the infusion room n the Clinic. Her duties include drawing labs, administering chemotherapy, giving blood and platelet transfusions and IV antibiotics, laughing, crying, and singing songs from Frozen. Kate says the Jimmy Fund Clinic can be a very busy place, and what she really
tries to do each day is to make a terrible experience a little easier for her patients and families. Kate says the patients in the Jimmy Fund Clinic are “amazing and so resilient." Kate forges relationships with patients and families that are truly special. She never knows what the day will bring. It keeps her on her toes and puts her own life into perspective. When she gets home from work each night she hugs her own 3 children a little tighter. She says, "The Spring Training Red Sox trips are truly amazing. It allows the staff the chance to see the kids be regular kids; not cancer patients. They eat
junk food, stay up late, make new friends, laugh, go down water slides. It’s a great experience!"

Amanda has been an oncology nurse for over 20 years and has been with Dana-Farber in the Jimmy Fund Clinic for the past 16 years. Amanda’s grandmother and aunt were nurses, and she knew she wanted to follow in their footsteps ever since she was in 7 th grade. Amanda worked at the Hole-in- the-Wall Gang Camp for several summers throughout college, which inspired her desire to work with children and families with cancer. Amanda says that what makes Dana-Farber and the Jimmy Fund Clinic so special is the amazing families and staff she works with every day.

In 2015, after experiencing back pain and seeing blood in his urine, Paul thought he had a kidney stone, but it turned out to be a tumor in his right kidney. He underwent surgery to remove the tumor and then began a clinical trial at Dana-Farber. For his clinical trial, Paul takes pills 2 times a day and has an infusion at Dana-Farber every other week. His hobbies include playing basketball, learning to play golf and working out. Paul also serves on a few charitable boards. Paul has a wife, Janet, and 5 kids, ages 16-28. He is an Investment manager at Fiduciary Trust Co.