08/11/2025
After George Foreman unleashed a powerful flurry of punches in the eighth round of their 1974 fight, Muhammad Ali clinched him and whispered, "That all you got, George?" For Tom Schreck, a professional boxing official and social worker, it seemed like the perfect quote to write on his infusion room white board as he received treatment for lymphoma.
The New York resident was 58 when he felt a lump in his groin. When he learned it was cancer, his Boston-based relatives and doctors immediately referred him to Dana-Farber. Robert Soiffer, MD, chief of Hematologic Malignancies, recommended chemotherapy as a first line of treatment, which Schreck received near his home. After traces of lymphoma remained, Soiffer advised a stem cell transplant to target the disease at its source. During the vulnerable recovery period, Schreck spent several weeks as an inpatient, where he and his wife’s experience left a lasting impression.
Schreck’s care team worked to ensure that he made it through his inpatient treatment as comfortably as possible. It wasn’t just their oncology expertise, but also their small acts of kindness and holistic approach that considered his emotional and mental well-being. “Knowing how much he appreciated our time and work is immensely gratifying” recalls one of Schreck‘s nurses.
That level of care influenced Schreck as a social worker and communications director for a support program for children and teenagers with autism. He partnered with a professional boxer and started a training program for neurodivergent teens. The camp culminates in a charity event where participants raise money to throw 1,000 punches at punching bags. For Schreck, there was no question who the beneficiary should be this year: Dana-Farber.
The treatment and support he received allowed him to return to work, write four novels, and officiate the recent Ryan Garcia and Rolly Romero fight. It also gave him the chance to be there for the final years of his mother’s life.
"I still get teary thinking about it," he says. "I’m so grateful I was able to be there for her. It wouldn’t be possible without Dana-Farber."
