Thousands of people from all walks of life dedicate their time, energy, and resources to the Jimmy Fund each year. Each one of them has a story and a few have generously shared their stories with us. If you have a special story to share about your involvement with the Jimmy Fund, e-mail Lisa Nelson at lisaj_nelson@dfci.harvard.edu.
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When Claire Zampine Muollo shows up at Dana-Farber's Yawkey Center for Cancer Care to receive her bimonthly chemotherapy treatments, it is no wonder staff members know her as the "purple lady." She wears purple because it is the designated color for pancreatic cancer, which she has had since 2009.
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Dana-Farber staff members are used to doing their part to fight cancer in clinics, labs, and offices. On June 7, 2011 however, more than 50 employees took a different "course" to a cure by teeing up in the 10th annual Jimmy Memorial Golf Tournament.
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Jessica Sebring, whose father was treated at Dana-Farber, explains how she was inspired by his treatment to start her "Fight for Life" fundraiser in support of Dr. Linda Wang's Merkel Cell Carcinoma Research Fund.
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Jack, a young cancer survivor, has become an annual source of motivation for many of those pedaling up to 190 miles in the annual Pan-Massachusetts Challenge.
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Pauline Tan, a survivor of nasal cancer, has volunteered with the Jimmy Fund/Variety Children's Charity Theatre Collections program for nearly a decade.
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Ralph, an ironworker who lives in Jamaica Plain, has taken part in the Swim Across America Boston Harbor Swim for 13 years. He swims the 22-mile relay almost entirely by himself, inspired by the Jimmy Fund Clinic patients he meets each year before the event.
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Ellen wrote this story for us after she took part in a "Girls' Weekend." She was one of more than 20 former or current Jimmy Fund Clinic patients who spent two days in May shopping, getting manicures, having make-up done, and getting pictures taken.
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Carol Brownman Sneider has spent the last 11 years organizing Boston Bakes for Breast Cancer, an event that supports Dana-Farber through dessert sales during the week before Mother's Day.
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When he was just 13 years old, Eric Kaye lost his father to lung cancer. He runs as part of the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge team to keep his dad's memory alive.
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Tara, a Jimmy Fund Clinic and Dana-Farber patient, wrote this reflection on her first year with cancer for the Web site Sons of Sam Horn. With her permission, it is reprinted here along with her thoughts on misconceptions about teens with cancer.
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At just 17, Joe Bianchi was one of the youngest cyclists to compete in the 2009 Pan-Massachusetts Challenge. His ties to the cancer cause came through his family, including his mother, Theresa, who is a chaplain at Dana-Farber/New Hampshire Hematology-Oncology in Londonderry, NH.
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Lisa Scherber is the Director of Patient and Family Programs at Dana-Farber/Children's Hospital Cancer Center, but she is more familiarly referred to as "the play lady." This extraordinary profile of Lisa was written by high school student Emily Polk.
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Dominic "Dom" DiMaggio, center fielder for the Red Sox, was one of the early celebrities who focused his energy on helping Dana-Farber and the Jimmy Fund, and was still at it a half century after hanging up his glove.
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Eddie Doyle has spent nearly 35 years tending bar at the place where "everybody knows your name," but his ties to the Jimmy Fund go back even further.
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The Boston Marathon® Jimmy Fund Walk presented by Hyundai celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. And a handful of walkers will be trekking the course for the 20th time.
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On September 10, 2008, Dana-Farber lost one of the key players involved with the early days of the Jimmy Fund — and the tremendous growth it has since experienced — when Irving Shapiro passed away at age 96.
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"I don't like running," says Dan Rose, which begs a logical next question for the wiry 31-year-old cancer survivor: What's a guy doing traversing the entire 190-mile course of the Pan-Massachusetts Challenge (PMC) bike-a-thon this week on his feet rather than wheels?
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Prostate cancer survivor Robert Freedman shares a first-person account of his trek through the Connecticut River Valley of Western Massachusetts as part of Katelynn's Ride.
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I ride the PMC for me and for you, for your mom, brother, cousin, grandfather, friend, and this year for Caroline, a vivacious 7-year old with a brain tumor, whose favorite color is pink, and who likes playing the violin. She is one of the reasons why I will take part in the PMC again this year, next year, and beyond.
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After finishing chemotherapy and radiation for Hodgkin lymphoma at the end of April 2007, L. Smith decided to ride the Pan-Mass Challenge (PMC) bike-a-thon to get back in shape. Here is her first-person account of the journey.
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The Hemoglobin Trotters and Teddy's Bears are two teams helping to achieve cures step by step in the Boston Marathon® Jimmy Fund Walk.
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David Roberts, MD, describes himself before May of 2002 as a basically happy, healthy, hardworking doc who never slowed down — that is, until his spleen ruptured while he was giving a lecture.
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Team FLAMES – Fast Legs and Minds to End Suffering – is one of more than 50 teams that rode and raised money for the PMC in 2007.
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Children's book illustrator Grace Lin and her husband Robert founded Robert's Snow as a fundraiser to benefit Dana-Farber. Read about how it all began.
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Sometimes it's not about the miles. That's what Saul Wisnia realized when he missed his first Boston Marathon® Jimmy Fund Walk in 10 years on Sept. 16, 2007.
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Steve Hollingsworth will be one of more than 7,000 people walking in and raising funds for the 2007 Boston Marathon® Jimmy Fund Walk on Sept. 16. Learn what motivates this top fundraiser to go above and beyond for a great cause.
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This year, Eileen Lind, a pediatric nurse in the Jimmy Fund Clinic, took on a new test of her strength, joining more than 5,000 riders in the 28th annual Pan-Massachusetts Challenge (PMC) bike-a-thon in memory of her sister, Maureen Russo, who died of cervical cancer.
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Lincoln's Karen Smyers is diving into Boston Harbor to support pediatric cancer survivor programs at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. The professional triathlete participated in a 22-mile relay swim around the Boston Harbor Islands to benefit the 12th annual Swim Across America (SAA). She was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 1999, and has made a full recovery. Now, at the age of 45, every stroke is an emotional one.
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Most people go out to dinner on their birthday or blow out candles and eat cake, but for Lisa Scherber, activities coordinator for the Jimmy Fund Clinic, her special day was reason to sign up for the 27th annual Pan Massachusetts Challenge bike-a-thon.
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What better activity to enjoy on a beautiful late summer day than go for a walk? How about 13.1 miles? That's what Christine Fleuriel did on Sunday, September 17, when she participated in the Boston Marathon® Jimmy Fund Walk.
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For 19-year-old college student Eileen Vazquez, the 18th annual Boston Marathon® Jimmy Fund Walk that took place on Sept. 17, was her personal milestone: It meant that she was healthy enough to participate.
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For Bermudian Juliana Snelling, the 17th annual Boston Marathon® Jimmy Fund Walk, which took place on September 18, 2005, represented a celebration of her two-year-old son Jude's recent remission.
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With hope in her heart for a healthier tomorrow, Pam Ariniello donned her "Team WOW" shirt for the sixth year on Aug. 6-7, 2005, to ride in the 26th Annual Pan-Massachusetts Challenge.
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As children across the region dedicate themselves to Dana-Farber's mission, fundraisers organized by or involving youngsters are growing in number and scope. In backyards, playgrounds, and during bike rides, kids of all ages have raised millions over the last 10 years.
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When her younger sister, Olivia, was diagnosed with Wilm's Tumor, Abby Gilmore stood by her during treatment. Now that Olivia is in remission, Abby is giving back to the Jimmy Fund to honor her "hero."
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Kym Walther and Eric Gagnon climbed the highest freestanding mountain in the world to raise $15,000 for the Jimmy Fund.
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After championing the Jimmy Fund's cause for two years, 17-year-old Ashlee Moskwa got what she calls a "once-in-a-lifetime" thank-you present in December 2001: a chance to carry the Olympic flame.
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Jim Walsh has a pre-race ritual that keeps him focused on his goal. Each April before tackling the 26.2-mile Boston Marathon®, he pulls out a sheet of paper and silently reads the names of friends, family members, and co-workers who have been touched by cancer.
