Weei/nesn Jimmy Fund Radio-telethon

Lisa Scherber sits down with Joe Weil and Joe Castiglione to discuss the 2024 the Jimmy Fund Radio-Telethon. She also shares the different ways in which the Jimmy Fund is working to help children battling cancer. 

Porter discusses the Jimmy Fund and what it means to him, and the city of Boston being a selling point for free agents. Boston is a hungry soccer city, time to build the Revs a new stadium!

·       During the summer in 2022, Emelie was swimming with her siblings, Olivia and Liam. When they came inside for lunch, Emelie screamed and cried from pain. Her family took her to the local emergency room where it was confirmed she had masses on her kidneys. The family went to Boston where Emelie was diagnosed with Bilateral Wilms Tumors, a form of kidney cancer. Within 24 hours, Emelie had a port put in and began her first round of chemotherapy.·       Starting August 2022, Emelie underwent 12 weeks of chemotherapy to shrink the tumors on her kidneys, leaving her with half of her right kidney and two-thirds of her left. Emelie’s last round of chemotherapy was in February 2023. She visited the Jimmy Fund Clinic on a monthly basis for blood work, and prescription renewal until end of May 2023, when she graduated to quarterly visits and scans.·       Emelie enjoys swimming, playing with her brother and sister, and all kinds of crafts. This past summer, Emelie was a patient partner with Homegoods and HomeSen

·       When Leilani was 4 months old, they noticed a lump in her neck. Her pediatrician ordered an x-ray, which revealed several tumors, including in her chest.·       Her treatment has included chemotherapy as well as surgery to remove tumors.·       Her family is enjoying a treatment-free summer ahead of her upcoming scans in September. They are hoping to be cancer-free for the first time.·       Leilani remains vibrant and happy; despite everything she has been through. ·       Leilani’s parents are both former military helicopter pilots (Chris, for the Marine Corps and Liz, for the Navy).

       Mason was experiencing back pain that continued for three months. Then one day, Mason couldn’t walk or get out of his bed. His family took him to the hospital where he was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in March of this year.·       Mason’s treatments have been tough, and they’re expected to last for two years as he continues to need many procedures and chemotherapy.·       Mason loves baseball, golf, and swimming. He is in pre-K.

Calista had aches and pains in her legs, lower back, and shoulder. In July 2023, she developed a fever which continued for a week, accompanied by fatigue, severe lower back and stomach pain and difficulty lifting her arms. She had lab work done to rule out viruses and infections. Her family took Calista to the emergency room where lab work confirmed acute lymphoblastic leukemia in July of last year.·       Calista began chemotherapy treatment. During one cycle in October 2023, she was “off,” and her family reported this to her team. Doctors discovered a blood clot in her brain due to a rare side effect from one of her chemotherapies. Calista is still in treatment and undergoes chemotherapy, a lumbar puncture every nine weeks, and medications. She is expected to finish her treatment in August/September 2025.·       Calista is a huge hockey fan and used to be a goalie. She hopes to return to the ice soon. She loves to craft, cook, swim, go to the beach, and spend time with her three dogs: Charlie, Cocoa, and Cl

Max was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in 2014. His doctorsthought he was having recurrent ear infections and then they noticed his stomach had become distended. His pediatrician suggested blood work, which revealed leukemia. · His treatment included chemotherapy, and he is slated to complete treatment inSeptember.· Max enjoys lacrosse, soccer, video games, skiing and sailing, and he’s lookingforward to starting seventh grade.The family thinks the Jimmy Fund Clinic is filled with especially caring doctors,nurses and staff who always do their best to ensure that families are safe andcomfortable.

Sarah Laffey, 27, neuroblastoma, Charlestown·       In 2015, Sarah’s right eye swelled shut and she went to the hospital in Colorado, where she was living at the time. She was having lower back pain as well so the doctors did a CT scan, which revealed neuroblastoma.·       Her treatment has included chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and radiation. She has had several remissions and relapses and is currently in active treatment.·       Sarah is singing the national anthem before tonight’s game.·       Sarah is a huge Red Sox fan. She also loves the Patriots, baking, and playing video games. She works as a caterer.

Nick Pivetta speaks on how much the Jimmy Fund means to the Red Sox players and staff, and more!

  Kristen Van de Geer was living in Alaska, where her husband was stationed in the Coast Guard, and was experiencing stomach pains. As a teenager, she was diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome or IBS, but with a family history of colon cancer and her mother’s passing in 2017 from gallbladder cancer, she wanted to be sure that nothing else was wrong. For 5 years, she was given different reasons for her stomach pains but never referred for the colonoscopy.  Eventually, Kristin got her gallbladder removed. ·       In 2022 a doctor agreed to perform a colonoscopy too. A single “wonky polyp” was discovered which led to a rectal cancer diagnosis in early 2023. ·       Now living in Massachusetts, Kristen followed a chemotherapy treatment plan and had two surgeries: one to remove the polyp and one for a resection. Kristen’s focus on seeking and embracing joy during treatment helped her through the most difficult times. She is grateful for the unwavering support of her husband, her sisters, and extended friends and

Sponsor Find Mass Money.gov's representative Deb Goldberg states how much the Jimmy Fund means to her and her collogues.  

Following a typical, fun night out with friends Ryan woke up the next morning with severe stomach pains. He went to urgent care the same morning where scans revealed several masses in his stomach. Additional biopsies confirmed that Ryan had Desmoplastic Small Round Cell Tumor or DSRCT, a type of sarcoma that forms in the body’s connective tissue.·       This past November, Ryan started his treatment regime of 2-day and 5-day increments on a biweekly basis. Since then, he’s completed 8 of 14 planned rounds of chemotherapy and 2 surgeries. Once he finishes chemotherapy, he’ll have an additional 28 days of radiation.·       Ryan graduated with his bachelor’s degree from Bridgewater State University in 2021 and now works as an Account Executive for the public relations firm, Spectrum Science. Outside of work, he enjoys traveling, trying new restaurants, and hanging out with his friends and family. 

He talks about his family and how important it is for him to keep everyone happy. Also, his goals and a season outlook for the Boston Red Sox. 

· Cecilia was diagnosed with optical pathways glioma in November 2023. Her mom had noticed that one of her eyes was moving differently than the other eye. Her pediatrician sent her to the hospital where doctors discovered a tumor in her eye. · Cecilia’s treatment has included chemotherapy and surgery. · Her mom, April, homeschools Cecilia and her three siblings, Xavier (9), Ricky (6) and Felix (5) · Cecilia loves going to the beach, boogie boarding, swimming and riding her bike. · Their family thinks the Jimmy Fund Clinic is so special because they go above and beyond in all that they do. Cecilia especially loves the toy room and crafts at the Jimmy Fund Clinic. 

Before cancer touched Robb, it impacted his family when both his mother and father were diagnosed with the disease. In 2013, Robb’s mother was diagnosed with T-Cell Lymphoma and treated at Dana-Farber, by Dr. Philippe Armand, before passing gracefully in 2017. Three months later, Robb’s father was diagnosed with bladder cancer and began treatment with Dr. Brad McGregor at Dana-Farber as well. · Recently, when a large mass was discovered on Robb’s kidney, he knew he wanted to receive treatment from the same doctor who cared for his father. Before coming in to see Dr. McGregor, Robb was told that initial CT scans of his abdominal and chest area showed signs of possible metastasis from the kidney to his upper respiratory system. Robb met with Dr. McGregor who felt Robb was showing signs of sarcoidosis, not metastasis. Sarcoidosis is an inflammatory disease causing the immune system to overreact and sarcoid-like reactions associated with kidney cancer are rare. · Based on Dr. McGregor’s evaluation, a thoracic sur

Nicole Olivera: ? 7 Years worked for Flynn Applebee’s ? General Manager of Westfield, MA Applebee’s ? Store raised $3100 for Jimmy Fund ? In 2000, my grandmother was diagnosed with lymphoma. She was treated at St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Brighton and at some point the Hematology-Oncology Department at Dana Farber took over. She received chemotherapy and radiation and at the end of her treatment she was in remission. She was 68 years old - due to the treatment she received and the dedication of the Dana Farber team she lived to be 91.

In January 2018, at 8 months old while living in Puerto Rico, Lia suddenly lost movement and sensation from her hips down. She began treatment in Puerto Rico, but their experience wasn't the best, and one of the doctors told Lia’s mom that her tumor was very rare. Her mom conducted research and learned that Dana-Farber was one of the best places to be treated.  Lia is in a clinical trial for the second time. Oral medication twice a day, the same medicine/treatment she used from 2018 -2020.  Julibeth has no words that can describe what Lia has been through, but Lia is always excited when she knows she's having an appointment, she feels safe, she feels happy, and for the entire family seeing her like that make them happy. The Jimmy Fund Clinic is her special place, around people that love, care and always want what is best for her and her family.  Lia loves to draw, paint, dance, play pretend, Bluey, and unicorns. · Lia will be saying “Play Ball” at tonight’s game. 

Phaedra was 14 years old and sitting in her high school nurse’s office. The nurse noticed her pupils were dilated different sizes and called Phaedra’s mom, recommending she get checked out by a doctor. At the hospital, it was discovered that they had a benign tumor, which was promptly resected. Scans a few years later at 17 indicated that there were no signs of the cancer coming back.  Dr. Kimberly Perez, MD is a member of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Harvard Cancer Center Gastrointestinal Oncology and Cancer Genetics and Prevention disease centers. She is a Senior Physician in Medical Oncology at Dana-Farber, an Associate Physician in Medical Oncology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, co-Director of the Dana-Farber Gastrointestinal Clinical Trials program, and an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.

Jenn Perry discovered her breast cancer like many women do: finding a lump. She had a biopsy which confirmed a tumor. But Jenn is not like most breast cancer patients and survivors. Jenn has an inherited genetic syndrome known as Li-Fraumeni Syndrome (LFS).  When Jenn was treated for breast cancer, she didn’t know what LFS was. She just knew there were a number of relatives in her family who had cancer, including her mother who lost her life to breast cancer. She underwent genetic testing to see if her cancer was caused by genetics and she learned that it was. Jenn felt she would get the best care at Dana-Farber, especially being pre-disposed to multiple different cancers from LFS. Dana-Farber is home to one of the only LFS Centers in the country. The knowledge that her cancer was caused by an inherited condition, while empowering in some ways, gave rise to a more difficult question – could her daughters also have LFS and should they undergo genetic testing. When the timing was right, both her daughters under

 Kevin M. Haigis, PhD, joined Dana-Farber as Chief Scientific Officer in 2020. Prior to assuming this role, Dr. Haigis was Director of Cancer Genetics at Beth Israel Deaconess Cancer Center. Dr. Haigis received his PhD in genetics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and did post-doctoral work at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he was a Robert Black Fellow of the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation. Dr. Haigis has a long-standing interest in intestinal biology and the molecular pathogenesis of colorectal cancer. His laboratory combines computational and informatic approaches with experimental approaches in genetically engineered mice to study the relationship among Ras oncogene signaling, colorectal cancer, and inflammation.