May 2, 2005
Giving back important to cancer survivors
Flaherty and First co-chair ‘Couture for Hope,' May 19 & 20
Patty Franchi Flaherty of Natick and Deborah First of Weston want people to know that there is life after cancer. That is why the two of them, both cancer survivors, are chairing the May 19 and 20 "Couture for Hope" with Special Guest Designer Carolina Herrera to benefit the Women's Cancers Program at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
The two-part event includes an intimate dinner to welcome Carolina Herrera to Boston hosted by Kathryn Nixon and Karen Varitek and their husbands, Red Sox right fielder Trot Nixon and Red Sox catcher and team captain Jason Varitek. The event will be held at the State Room at 60 State Street beginning at 7 p.m.
The following day, May 20, Neiman Marcus presents "Couture for Hope," a luncheon and runway fashion presentation of the Carolina Herrera Collection for Fall 2005. Held at the Hyatt Regency Boston beginning at 11:30 a.m., the event will be emceed by Joyce Kulhawik, entertainment anchor for CBS4 and a three-time cancer survivor. Kathryn Nixon and Karen Varitek are joining Flaherty and First as chairs for this event.
"‘Couture for Hope' will provide a fun way to learn what the Women's Cancers Program at Dana-Farber is all about," says Flaherty, who lost her mother and two sisters to cancer and is currently being treated for ovarian cancer.
"I'm very proud of Dana-Farber," adds the 15-year Institute trustee, "and I want people to know about the achievements the researchers and clinicians are making almost daily."
"I hope I'm an example of how one survives cancer," says First, who was treated for the rare cancer teratoma in 1977. "This event will expose more people to the extensive research and treatment options available at Dana-Farber and help to take the fear out of a cancer diagnosis."
Both First and Flaherty have been extremely active in their support of Dana-Farber. First and her husband, Bob, an Institute trustee, both ride in the annual Pan-Massachusetts Challenge in support of Dana-Farber's Jimmy Fund and the couple established the Robert and Deborah First Family Foundation Fellowship in 1999 to support a clinical research fellow in human cancer genetics.
Flaherty and her surviving sister walk each year with friends in the Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk. Her family, the Franchis, recently donated a garden park in front of the Jimmy Fund Building in memory of their mother and two sisters. In addition, they have established both the Susanne Marie Pediatric Oncology Research Fund and the Madeline Franchi Ovarian Cancer Research Fund to support research initiatives at Dana-Farber. And lastly, the family patriarch, Pat Franchi, with firsthand knowledge of the toll cancer can take on a family, hosts "Yahoo Weekend," an all-expense-paid weekend for 50 families with children undergoing cancer treatment at the Jimmy Fund Clinic, each year at Wildcat Mountain, a ski area he owns in New Hampshire.
Fun fashion for a good cause
In addition to the education and fundraising aspect of the "Couture for Hope" fashion luncheon and exclusive dinner the night before, both women are excited about hosting Carolina Herrera at her first Boston showing of her 2005 fall collection.
"I love fashion," says Flaherty, "and Carolina Herrera's designs are very feminine, yet functional."
"This feels like a home run for me," says First, a baseball fan since childhood who helped create and run the From Fenway to the Runway fashion show with the Red Sox wives for four years. "With Karen and Kathryn joining Patty and me and Joyce being involved, it just feels like we are really creating a ‘couture for hope,' to raise awareness and significant funds for the Women's Cancers Program.
"Fashion is fun," she adds, "but there is an important underlying reason we're having this event - our hope is that more people will become comfortable with the knowledge that cancer, particularly if detected early, is treatable." Established in 1995, the innovative Women's Cancers Program at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute provides the highest level of patient-focused care for women with all types of breast and gynecological cancers and conducts research to advance the understanding, prevention, early detection, and treatment of women's cancers to benefit current patients as well as future generations of women.
Seats for both events are limited. Luncheon seats are $350 and $500, while tickets for the dinner are $1000 per person. For more information about Couture for Hope, visit www.jimmyfund.org/fashion. To purchase tickets, call Sarah Curtis at (617) 632-5091.
