WEEI/NESN Jimmy Fund Radio-Telethon

John Donohue President and CEO of Arbella Insurance Group joins Dale, Michael, and Keefe on the first day of the 16th annual WEEI/NESN Jimmy Fund Radio-Telethon. 

Annie was diagnosed in 2015 with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). She was not feeling well for a while, and thought she had the flu. She had a physical and through routine blood work discovered she had MDS.Annie had three rounds of chemotherapy and then a bone marrow transplant.  Her sister Molly was her donor, and donated in June of 2016 right after she graduated from the Naval Academy.  A year after her transplant, Annie got engaged to her fiancé who has stuck with her every step of the way since her diagnosis.Annie's family owns the Portland Seadogs, the AA affiliate, so they are HUGE Red Sox fans!She sees Dr. Soiffer every 6 to 8 weeks for checkups.

In April, Maya went to the doctor because her mom thought she might be anemic. Her doctor thought she needed a transfusion and sent her to the ER in Portsmouth, NH, who sent her to Boston where she was eventually diagnosed with ALL. Maya is on a 2-year protocol that began with 30 days of inpatient care with the rest of treatment at the Jimmy Fund Clinic. Her treatment has included chemotherapy, 10 days of cranial radiation and blood/platelet transfusions when her counts are low. Maya's hobbies include volleyball, basketball, chorus, and playing the guitar. Maya's family includes her parents Alex and Kelsey and a brother. Maya would like to be a nurse. She would also like to go to Costa Rica to visit the sloth sanctuary, zip line, hike and sleep in a tree house. Maya says Dr. Place “is nice and talks fast. He's easy going and laughs a lot.”

Academy Award® winner Casey Affleck most recently starred in Kenneth Lonergan’s Manchester by the Sea, which tells the story of a solitary janitor whose life is transformed when he returns to his hometown to take care of his teenage nephew. Making its debut at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, Affleck’s performance was the most acclaimed of the year garnering over 40 regional critics awards, a Golden Globe Award®, Critics’ Choice Award, Independent Spirit Award, National Board of Review Award, New York Film Critics Circle Award, Gotham Award, BAFTA and ultimately an Academy Award® for “Best Actor.” The actor garnered significant praise for his starring role alongside Ed Harris, Morgan Freeman and Michelle Monaghan in Ben Affleck’s directorial debut Gone Baby Gone, based on Dennis Lehane’s novel of the same name. Affleck co-wrote with and starred alongside Matt Damon in the independent road movie Gerry, directed by Gus Van Sant. He also appeared in Van Sant’s Good Will Hunting and To Die For.  On stage, Affleck appeared in the West End debut of Kenneth Lonergan’s award-winning play “This Is Our Youth.” He played the role of Warren alongside Matt Damon and Summer Phoenix. Affleck can currently be seen in David Lowery’s A Ghost Story opposite Rooney Mara. The film, which premiered to rave reviews at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival, was released by A24 on July 7, 2017. Reuniting with David Lowery for the third time, Affleck recently wrapped production on The Old Man and the Gun, starring opposite Robert Redford and Sissy Spacek. Finally, Affleck is in post production on his directorial feature Light of my Life, which he also wrote and stars in. The story follows a father (Affleck) and daughter living on the outskirts of society destabilized by a deadly pandemic.

Lisa was diagnosed with stage 4 non-small cell lung cancer in July 2016. She had a persistent cough for several months, and when she went to the doctor, an x-ray revealed she had lung cancer that had spread to other parts of her body. Lisa’s doctor said “you need to go to Dana-Farber.” After 4 rounds of chemotherapy were unsuccessful, she switched to immunotherapy, and has been doing that for about 10 months. The advancement of the cancer has stopped and in some areas, it has shrunk.

Lisa says that she finds it amazing to go from a terrible diagnosis to an ineffective first treatment to this promising therapy with minimal side effects. Lisa says that immunotherapies has made all the difference for someone like her and it’s really important to have the funds for researchers and clinicians to do this. She is depending on it! Lisa has been married to her husband Donald for 14 years and they have 2 children, Donald Jr., 11 and Lilly, 9. She works in finance in the Boston area and loves to spend time with her kids, be outdoors and watch sports. Lisa says that it was incredibly difficult to talk to her kids about being sick, but she appreciated that Dana-Farber walked her through the process and trained her on how to have age-appropriate, honest conversations with the kids. 

Dr. Pasi Jänne received his MD and PhD from the University of Pennsylvania in 1996. He completed postgraduate training in internal medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital and in medical oncology at DFCI in 2001.  He is the director of the Lowe Center for Thoracic Oncology and the Scientific Director of the Belfer Center for Applied Cancer Science. His main research interests include studying the therapeutic relevance of oncogenic alterations in lung cancer. He was one of the co-discoverers of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations and has led the development of therapeutic strategies for patients with EGFR mutant lung cancer.

Emily Coughlin with the ARS Restoration Specialists team joins Dale, Michael, and Keefe on the first day of the 16th annual WEEI/NESN Jimmy Fund Radio-Telethon. 

Maria Menounos joins Dale, Michael, and Keefe on the first day of the 16th annual WEEI/NESN Jimmy Fund Radio-Telethon. 

Tom Werner chairman of the Liverpool Football Club and the Boston Red Sox. joins Dale, Michael, and Keefe on the first day of the 16th annual WEEI/NESN Jimmy Fund Radio-Telethon. 

Two years ago, Anthony started suffering from abdominal pain that continued to worsen and began radiating to his back. His appetite decreased, he was constipated and unable to sleep. After going to the doctor, a CT scan showed pancreatic cancer. His treatment has included 12 rounds of Folfirinox and chemotherapy. He started in a clinical trial in February 2017. He worked as a mechanical superintendent. Anthony says he received phenomenal care by brilliant doctors and nurses at Dana-Farber.  Anthony says that Dana-Farber staff were so helpful in connecting his family with available services and grants. They want to thank all who donate to the Jimmy Fund. Those donations helped reduce the financial strain through reduced hotel rooms after treatment when he was unable to drive, parking passes and gas cards. Anthony says his life was saved by the top-notch care received at Dana-Farber. Anthony and his wife Shelly have 3 sons, Greg, Joe, Brett, a daughter Amanda, and 16 grandchildren. Anthony's hobbies include motorcycle touring, beachcombing for sea glass and enjoying life with family and friends.

In 2008, Dr. Ng joined the staff of Dana-Farber.  She was promoted this year to be the  director of clinical research in the Gastrointestinal Cancer Center. Her research focuses on the identification of molecular predictors of survival in colorectal cancer patients and the development of novel therapies for the treatment of gastrointestinal malignancies.

She also studies Vitamin D and Colon cancer and how it helps prevent the disease.

Oliver was skiing in Italy with his best friend to celebrate the New Year. His friend suffered a head trauma while they were snowboarding. As a safety precaution, his friend’s parents asked Oliver to watch his friend when he slept to make sure he didn’t have a seizure. Ironically, Oliver was the one who had the seizure that night. He went to a hospital in Italy but they had no MRI services, so he had to go to second hospital and got an MRI. The MRI detected a brain tumor. Oliver had an appointment waiting for him at Dana-Farber when he flew home. A tumor was removed via surgery. Oliver then began an aggressive treatment plan. A second tumor developed and was removed in June 2016. Oliver then began a clinical trial involving radiation and immunotherapy for one year. Oliver is a senior at Northeastern, majoring in mechanical engineering and minoring in business. On Mondays, Oliver has blood work at Dana-Farber, returns to class, comes back to Dana-Farber for his doctor's appointment, again returns to class, and comes back one final time for his infusion. He is deeply committed to earning his degree and looks forward to getting his first job! He still loves to ski, golf, and be a "normal college dude!" Oliver has an older sister and loving parents who have supported him, and he believes this experience has brought them even closer together.

Sandra is an 8-year veteran nurse at Dana-Farber and works in the neuro-oncology unit. She likes working on this challenging floor because when a new patient comes into the practice, she is the nurse that stays with that patient for the duration of their treatment. This allows her to get to know the patients on a personal level and thereby deliver enhanced, personal and compassionate care. Sandra's husband is currently receiving treatment at Dana-Farber, so she knows what patients and families experience: how it feels to sit in the waiting room and face seemingly insurmountable challenges. Sandra has formed a bond with Oliver, in part because she is awed by his ability to golf, go to the Cape, go to college, and apply to internships (all from his treatment chair!) while remaining positive and being determined to beat cancer. Sandra says that if he can stay positive and focused on his dreams, then she has to do the same! This is the attitude she brings to each patient, with a strong sense of advocacy and an equally high level of empathy.