WEEI/NESN Jimmy Fund Radio-Telethon

Sox pitcher Chris Sale joins Glenn, Lou, and Christian at Fenway for the Jimmy Fund Radio-Telethon.

Breslyn met OMF when they visited the Jimmy Fund Clinic in May.

She had an MRI because of persistent headaches. During the MRI, doctors found a tumor and rushed her to the emergency room.

In 2017, Breslyn had brain surgery and now is undergoing chemotherapy.

Breslyn is an artist. She loves designing and sketching new clothes and shoes. She is also a great singer, although she is shy preforming in front of people. Breslyn also likes to swim and ride her scooter.

She is in kindergarten.

Breslyn loves doing art projects at the Jimmy Find Clinic. Some of her favorites have been slime making, rock painting, and creating stuffed animals. She really enjoys the special parties and events at the Clinic as well. She loved trick-or-treating with the other kids, and the yo-yo performer that came to visit the Clinic.

Her family includes her parents, Dave and Kendra, and sisters, Cheyanne, 21, and Noelle, 11.

Breslyn and Noelle will be saying “Play Ball” to start tonight’s game.

In January 2015, Sandi became very ill and was seen by multiple doctors. In late March, Sandi felt that her lymph nodes had enlarged. On March 25, she went into the hospital where she underwent biopsy and began treatment with Dr. Davids for lymphoma.

Sandi was treated with chemotherapy via a protocol named CHOP. She achieved complete remission by July 2015 and since that time there has been no evidence of cancer or lymphoma. As of May 2018, she is no longer undergoing treatment.

Dr. Davids told Sandi early on that he was going to “cure” her. Sandi appreciated his optimism, knowing full well that the odds were stacked against her. Dr. Davids' confidence gave Sandi hope and was always foremost in her mind.

Fighting this disease has emphasized to Sandi how important a “team” approach is. In addition to the Dana-Farber medical team, Sandi had a home team. Most importantly, Sandi's husband George managed the appointments, communication, transportation, emotional support, and food, in addition to her medical needs.

Sandi was a RN. She enjoys hiking, skiing, tennis, sailing, and reading medical journals to keep current.

Dr. Davids told Sandi early on that he was going to “cure” her. Sandi appreciated his optimism, knowing full well that the odds were stacked against her. Dr. Davids' confidence gave Sandi hope and was always foremost in her mind.

After obtaining an A.B. in chemistry at Harvard College, Dr. Davids completed his M.D. at Yale University School of Medicine. He served as an intern, resident, and assistant chief resident in internal medicine at New York-Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City.

He then completed his fellowship in hematology and oncology in Dana-Farber/Partners CancerCare, and a Masters in Medical Science (MMSc) at Harvard Medical School. He is an attending physician in the Lymphoma Program of the Division of Hematologic Malignancies at Dana-Farber, an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and is the Associate Director of the Dana-Farber CLL Center.

In November 2017, Rick Germani made two visits an Urgent Care facility, where he was given two x-rays and diagnosed with pneumonia. When the antibiotics were not working, Rick returned and was given a CT scan. He was sent home without any results.

Rick later received a call from his primary care physician who asked him and his wife, Gini, to visit his office. He informed Rick that his scan showed metastatic lung cancer in both of his lungs. Rick and his physician both agreed that he needed to be treated at Dana-Farber, as it is “one of the best cancer treatment organizations in the world.”

Rick made appointments for a biopsy of the cancer. About a week after the biopsy was completed, he was taken to the emergency room at Cape Cod for breathing difficulties where it was determined that he had numerous pulmonary embolisms. He was then rushed by ambulance to a Boston hospital. His family was told that he probably would not survive.

After 5 days of treatment to dissolve the clots, he was released from the hospital and put on oxygen. During his stay, he met Dr. Bruce Johnson, and was told that he would be his oncologist. Rick did not find out until later that Dr. Johnson was the Chief Thoracic Oncologist, as well as the Director of Clinical Research at Dana Farber.

Dr. Johnson put Rick on a new immunotherapy drug called Keytruda. This helped to dramatically reduce the size of the metastatic tumors. Dr. Johnson has ensured that Rick is able to live a normal life outside of his treatment.

Rick has been retired since 1966 after working as Vice President of Materials and Chief Procurement Officer with several leading tech companies. He also served in the U.S. Army at the end of the Korean War.

Rick has been married to his wife, Gini, for 56 years. They have two daughters, Laura, 54, and Gaiana, 51, and two grandchildren, Colin and Jamie.

Besides treating patients, Dr. Johnson is also a prominent lung cancer researcher. And as Chief Clinical Research officer at Dana-Farber, he can talk about why research plays such an important role at Dana-Farber and in the treatment of cancer.

He recently served as the 2017-2018 President of ASCO, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, a very important position in the cancer community.

Alex and Tito join Glenn, Lou, and Christian at Fenway on the second day of the Jimmy Fund Radio-Telethon.