Weei/nesn Jimmy Fund Radio-telethon

The parents of Antonie "Toni" Smith; Tracey and Ryan sit down with Gresh and Fauria to discuss their three year old daughter's acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) diagnosis in February and the treatment Toni is currently receiving treatment from Dana-Farber.

Ashley Wells, an oncology nurse in Dana-Farber’s Inpatient Hospital for 20 years, joins Gresh and Fauria. Ashley discusses her professional experience as a nurse at Dana-Farber and her personal experience with parents receiving treatment from Dana-Farber. Her mother’s breast cancer was misdiagnosed at another hospital in 2017 before being successfully treated at Dana-Farber. In 2021, her father was treated at Dana-Farber for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and is now in remission.

Barrett J. Rollins, MD, PhD, received his doctoral degree in 1979 and medical degree in 1980 from Case Western Reserve University and completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at Beth Israel Hospital, Boston. He then performed clinical and research fellowships in medical oncology at Dana-Farber and joined the Institute's faculty in 1986. Dr. Rollins served as Dana-Farber's Chief Scientific Officer from 2004-2019; he is currently Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and a senior advisor to Dana-Farber's President and CEO.

Christopher Lathan, MD, MS, MPH, is the Chief Clinical Access and Equity Officer and Founding Director, Cancer Care Equity Program at Dana-Farber. He is also a clinical oncologist focused on lung cancer.   His research interests focus on leading system wide efforts to broaden access to cancer care for historically marginalized groups to reduce disparities and improved health outcomes.   The Cancer Care Equity Program is a clinical outreach program that aids in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer patients at Federally Qualified Health Centers. Dr. Lathan’s work   addresses the health disparities he’s witnessed first-hand, including interactions his family members have had with inequitable health practices.   His primary interests are centered on the effects of race, class, and access to care in cancer outcomes, and racial disparities in lung cancer treatment, differences in access to precision medicine by race and social class and equitable distribution of new treatment across historically marginalized popu

Brandon Milton, RN, BSN, OCN, Nursing and Patient Care Services, Dana-Farber   Brandon had wanted to be an oncology nurse since age 8, when his father was diagnosed with lung cancer. His father, a Vietnam veteran went into remission following surgery and chemotherapy treatments in 2004 but relapsed when Brandon was a high school senior.   An oncology nurse for five years, Brandon has worked at Dana-Farber—Merrimack Valley for a year and a half. Brandon, the only male infusion nurse at that campus, takes great pride in responses on numerous patient satisfaction surveys praising his caring nature and efforts to advocate for his patients while comforting and supporting them throughout treatment.

Robert Hale, Donor       Rob currently serves on Copley’s investment committee and as an entrepreneur in residence assisting the development of Copley’s portfolio companies. Rob founded Granite Telecommunications in 2002 and has grown the company into one of the largest privately held telecommunications services companies in the U.S., with revenues exceeding $1.5 billion.       Rob is the founder and board chair of Fox Rock Capital, a single-family office based in Boston, founding owner of FoxRock Properties, a commercial real estate firm, and is co-owner of the NBA’s Boston Celtics and Boston Cannons of the Premier Lacrosse League.       Rob lives in the Boston area with his wife and three children. He serves on the Board of Trustees for Boston Children’s Hospital, Brigham & Women’s Hospital, the South Shore YMCA, and the Massachusetts Soldiers Legacy Fund.       Robert Hale Sr., Rob Jr.'s father, was a patient at Dana-Farber and died in 2008 from pancreatic cancer.       Rob and his family are philanth

TWO-HUNDRED-FIFTY-THOUSAND DOLLARS. Bob Eddy, CEO & Chairman of BJ's, joined Joe & Will in the booth to announce an incredibly generous $250,000 donation to the Jimmy Fund during night two of our telethon!

Keith Salome joins Joe & Will from the WEEI Sox booth to share his story about his battle with kidney cancer.

Tom McManus, President of Cape Cod Lumber, joins Joe & Will from the booth to announce a generous $5,000 donation by the company! 

1-year old Ava Morawski and mom Katie join Joe & Will in the booth! Ava was diagnosed with a brain tumor (typical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor) She had started vomiting and exhibiting developmental delays as well as a rapidly enlarging head circumference. They got a CT scan which revealed the tumor. Ava wastransported to Boston Children's for surgery and then six months of in-patient treatment, including chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant, followed by three months of outpatient treatment of chemo, infusions, and radiation. Ava is likely going to start a study given suspected recurrence. Ava enjoys a game of peekaboo with Will Flemming! 

Deborah B. Goldberg is the Massachusetts State Treasurer and Receiver General. In that role she is responsible for the state’s cash and debt management, unclaimed property, and chairs state boards and commissions, including the Massachusetts School Building Authority, the Pension Reserves Investment Management Board, the State Board of Retirement, Massachusetts State Lottery Commission, and theMassachusetts Clean Water Trust. In 2015, she established the new Office of Economic Empowerment, the first of its kind in the country, and chairs its Economic Empowerment Trust Fund. Treasurer Goldberg is the former President of the National Association of State Treasurers and is the Co-Chair of the National Institute of Public Finance.

Bruins' Trent Frederic and Jeremy Swayman joins the Jimmy Fund to preview the upcoming season and how the team will adapt to life without Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci.

July of 2017, Laurie noticed a lump on the right side of her stomach but didn’t think much of it until her husband noticed it too. He advised her to see her primary care physician and she ended up going the next day. After the initial visit, she was then sent in for CT scan because her blood work results raised concern. The scan revealed a tumor on her colon that had spread to her liver. Laurie recalls feeling disbelief because of how well things were going for her in May of 2017 – she had just obtained her naturalization certificate and had started to lose weight with less effort. She says it was difficult to accept, but she knew everything would be okay because of her faith. Her treatment, chemotherapy and 5 sessions of radiation, began a few months later in August of 2017. Overall, she’s had no major issues and has been able to take some breaks from treatment, the longest being 12 months last year. Colorectal cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in both men and women, excluding skin cancers.

After blood work results revealed a low white blood cell count, Deidre was referred to a hematologist/oncologist. They ruled out an autoimmune disorder as the potential cause, but discovered SMM, a pre-blood cancer. From there, she met with Dr. Ghobrial at the Center for Prevention of Progression at Dana-Farber in July of 2022 and learned about an immunotherapy clinical trial. The drug works to fight myeloma cells before they become too prevalent in the body. Deidre started treatment in August of 2022, stayed in the hospital for 5 days, and hassince had weekly treatments, then every other week, to now monthly. She receives asubcutaneous injection in the abdomen and will complete the clinical trial in one more year. She describes Dr. Ghobrial as a trailblazer, treating patients early when they have a precursor disorder to try to prevent disease progression into multiple myeloma. Multiple myeloma is a relatively uncommon cancer. In the United States, the lifetime risk of getting multiple myeloma is 1 in 132, or

Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom looks at the final push towards the playoffs and what he's looking for in terms of improvements for the final month of the regular season.

Red Sox relievers Chris Martin and Kenley Jansen talk about their experience being a part of the Jimmy Fund in their first season in Boston and how technology will start to take over baseball.

Grace was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in October 2022. She had always been full of spunk and energy, ready to perform a song and dance at the drop of a hat. Her parents noticed that she had been particularly tired and lethargic, which wasn't her usual self. They thought she might have mono or Lyme disease, so they took her to the doctor, but tests revealed she had ALL. She is on a two-year chemotherapy treatment plan, of which she is in the middle. ALL is the most common type of childhood cancer. It most often occurs in children ages 3 to 5 and affects slightly more boys than girls. About 3,000 people younger than age 20 are found to have ALL each year in the United States.

After difficulty breathing, Megan subsequently tested positive for COVID, which doctors initially thought was the cause of her symptoms. But her oxygen saturation, or the balance of oxygen in her blood, remained low, so she underwent additional testing. Then, a chest x-ray revealed two liters of fluid in her lungs. After a fusion biopsy, she was officially diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer in June of 2022. Since then, Megan has been treated with hormonal therapy and continues to receivetreatment today. She also has tremendous support from her family members, both of whom also work in the medical professions. Her mother is a nurse and her father is a thoracic oncologist. A collaegue of Megan’s father reccomended Dr. Ann Partridge at Dana-Farber because she founded and directs Young and Strong, a program specifically for young women with breast cancer. Dr. Partridge is part of Megan’s care team today as her oncologist. Ann Partridge is a medical oncologist and clinical researcher focused on improving the car

Pat is the general manager of Applebee’s in Cranston, RI and has worked for the brand for 11 years. Applebee’s raised over $60,000 for the Jimmy Fund during our in-store campaign in May and golf tournament. He has personally lost his mother, father, and brother to cancer.

Marline was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma, a type of breast cancer. Marline always had regular mammographs. But after the birth of son, she continued to lactate, she shared with the doctors, and they continued to monitor and noted that she had dense breasts. After Marline's nephew jumped on her and landed on her right breast, she said she was in indescribable pain, worst pain she has ever had. She went to see her doctor and a September 2022 mammogram showed some type of abnormality and a biopsy on October 5 confirmed the cancer. Selected Dana-Farber because they are the best. From the minute she hit Dana-Farber’s door – wonderful people have been the greatest advocates for her. According to BreastCancer.org, one in eight women in the United States will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime. Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the United States, except for skin cancers. It is about 30% (or 1 in 3) of all new female cancers each year. On average, every 2 minutes a woman is d