Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

05/02/2026

Join us for the Ductal Carcinoma In Situ (DCIS) Program 4th annual virtual patient forum. This free virtual event features informational presentations about DCIS for patients, families, loved ones, and health care professionals. All are welcome!

Saturday, May 16 | 9 a.m. – Noon ET

Featured presentations include:
• Menopausal hormonal therapy
• GLP-1 inhibitors and breast cancer risk
• Innovation in breast cancer risk assessment
• Nutrition recommendations
• Movement class
• Cooking demonstration

Each presentation will include a Q&A session. For more information and to register, visit https://bit.ly/48AHvLH.

05/01/2026

When Ann Daly came to Boston for her first appointment here four years ago, she noticed that every staff member she interacted with seemed to share a unique quality.

“It’s like everyone has gone through the same training,” she says. “Every staff member, nurse, doctor, and volunteer showed the same compassion.”

Ann’s experience is a testament to the emphasis that everyone puts on providing patients with the best experience possible.

“If I can make a difference in one patient's day – never mind their entire treatment – then the whole career is worth it for me,” says Brandon Milton, RN, a nurse at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute - Merrimack Valley, expressing a feeling that many staff share.

“Patient Experience Week gives us an opportunity to honor those who impact our patients every day,” says Kelly Eng, director for Patient Experience Insights and Improvement, who is organizing the celebration in collaboration with Patient-Family Relations and the Patient and Family Advisory Councils (PFAC). “It’s also fitting that we elevate the voice of our patients and families during this week because they inform how we approach every aspect of care.”

The perspectives of patients and families inform everything from clinic signs to floor maps, communication about clinical trials, and the design of the future cancer hospital. Pediatric and Adult PFACs provide crucial input on a wide variety of projects.

“It's the patients and families who truly understand what the experience at Dana-Farber is like,” says Kelly Roy, MBA, volunteer services manager of the PFACs. “Their perspectives impact everything we do.”

Patient Experience Week also gives staff a chance to refocus and look forward to avenues for improvement. Multidisciplinary efforts led by the Patient Experience division of Quality and Patient Safety analyze data and feedback from various sources to guide compassionate, equitable, and sustainable improvements across all areas of patient care.

“No matter how much positive feedback we receive, we know that we can always improve,” says Fiona Barrett, MPH, program manager for the Patient Experience Insights and Improvement team. “We want those improvements to be a collaborative effort among our patients and families as well as our staff.”

Another part of Quality and Patient Safety, the Patient-Family Relations Office, works to uphold patient rights and engages with patients to address issues that patients may feel were overlooked or fell short in their care journey. “Whether feedback is individual-specific, system-based, or a suggestion for general improvement, we are here to listen and respond,” says Kathleen Horvath, director of Patient-Family Relations.

These efforts are what forge long-lasting relationships throughout the Institute. Ann’s final appointment is coming up, but she plans to stay connected to the Institute for much longer. She has volunteered as an ambassador and is now a member of Hands-on Care, providing complimentary 15-minute hand massages to patients during their chemotherapy infusions.

“It’s hard to put it into words,” Ann says of her experience. “Everyone is so kind, compassionate, and professional. If you need anything or have questions, there is always someone available to help and ensure you’re completely taken care of.”

04/30/2026

04/29/2026

The first time Ashley Bernath dropped her then-three-year-old daughter, Charlie, off at preschool, there was no hug, no tears, no long goodbye — just a quick “see you later” and a full-steam-ahead dash for the classroom.

Charlie’s excitement that morning in September 2025 was understandable. She had spent the previous 15 months in active cancer treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), and even though she still had a ways to go on her two-year treatment protocol, she was stable enough to start this important childhood milestone near the family’s Natick, Mass. home.

“She went right in, and has not looked back,” Ashley recalls with a smile. “It’s incredible how much she loves it. There was a day a few weeks ago when she said to me, ‘I don’t like Saturdays because they’re home days. I want school days.’ I was fearful of the transition, but it’s just been so smooth.”

Ashley and her husband, Ryan, credit two factors for Charlie’s ability to thrive in the classroom and enjoy other passions like dance class while still dealing with cancer treatment. Even before her May 2024 ALL diagnosis, Charlie had an understanding of the challenges that can come with a serious medical condition. Her little sister, Lucy, spent much of her first year of life in and out of the hospital, and at one point both siblings were on feeding tubes — or, as they call them “tubies.”

“Doctor is their favorite game to play,” says Ryan. “Charlie has a port-a-cath for her chemotherapy infusions, and even though Lucy doesn’t have one anymore, Charlie pretends she does so she can check it.”

The other factor is Charlie’s experience in the Childhood Hematologic Malignancy Center at Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, particularly in the Jimmy Fund Clinic where she receives chemotherapy and other outpatient care. Filled with games, crafts, and friendly staff and volunteers, the clinic allows pediatric patients to form friendships in between their check-ups, shots, and infusions.

“The Jimmy Fund Clinic became a school for Charlie,” says Ashley. “Even though she wasn’t in school that first year, she was seeing the same kids regularly and doing all these wonderful things. At the same time, it was a safety net for us. I'm truly grateful for the consistency it's provided in a time when everything else has been chaotic.”

Ashley and Ryan always knew they wanted to have two children close in age. Ryan had a special bond with his own sister, and his sister and brother-in-law had kids who were close in age and strongly attached.

Charlie was 18 months old when Lucy came along in July 2023, but the sisters had precious little time together before Lucy was hospitalized at age three months with a severe case of COVID-19.

Lucy soon developed adenovirus, another respiratory illness, as well as gastroparesis — a condition where the stomach muscles do not properly move food for digestion. The accompanying weight loss necessitated a feeding tube, and Lucy was in the hospital for three months before coming home in February 2024.

“When Lucy came home, she was still struggling to take down food, so we had to come up with all these different formulas to put into her feeding tube six times a day,” explains Ryan. “Charlie loved her little sister, and wanted to be a part of it. She would try and pull Lucy’s tube out.”

As they were dealing with Lucy’s challenges, the family noticed something about Charlie.

“Charlie had the flu, which was pretty typical as a toddler that’s social with friends and her cousins, but was lingering longer than you would expect,” says Ashley. “Then she stopped walking, and after about a week we thought it might be something post-viral and took her for X-rays.”

At first, doctors at their local hospital could not find anything wrong with Charlie. Finally, at Ashley and Ryan’s insistence, additional testing was done, and it was discovered Charlie had a broken left femur.

“She had a really high pain tolerance,” says Ashley. “Even though she wouldn’t walk on it at home, she had been at a play group one day where she walked on it the entire time. By the time they found the break, it was almost healed.”

Ashley and Ryan told doctors there was no incident they knew of that could have caused Charlie’s broken leg, which prompted more tests including a complete blood count. It turned out that an overabundance of immature white blood cells — known as lymphoblasts, or “blasts” -- had formed in Charlie’s bone marrow and blood. This left less room for healthy white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets to form, and weakened her bones.

ALL was the culprit.

Within a few days after Charlie’s May 4, 2024 diagnosis, the family was at Boston Children’s Hospital, where Charlie would spend her early days of treatment as an inpatient and get a “tubie” like Lucy’s. They also met Barbara A. Degar, MD, medical director of inpatient oncology at Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s, who would become Charlie’s primary oncologist. In desperate need of reassurance, Ashley and Ryan found it immediately.

“Dr. Degar is a superhero,” Ashley says. “From the moment we met her, she was like, ‘This is what it is, and this is how we’re going to take care of it.’”

Ryan recalls that every time Degar walked in, there was a sense of calm — a feeling that whatever challenges came, the family and care team would face them together. Charlie was certainly game for whatever came next; despite having a long cast on her left leg, she had her parents push her around the hospital in a wagon to check out the sights.

The clinical team working with Degar made the entire Bernath family feel cared for during those early days, and all days that have followed. Charlie formed a particularly special bond with nurse practitioner Anna Lefebvre, CPNP, who became her primary outpatient provider; when the Bernath family was planning a trip to Disney World, Charlie told Lefebvre she would “say hello to the other [princess] Anna.”

“It never felt like just Charlie was the patient,” says Ashley. “The nurses, the social workers, the staff in the playroom — it feels like everybody is there to support all of us.”

Although ALL is the most common childhood leukemia, and 85% of newly diagnosed pediatric ALL patients go on to event-free survivorship, Charlie has faced obstacles during her two-year protocol. Due to an allergic reaction to one of her chemotherapy medications, she was at the Jimmy Fund Clinic three times weekly for nine months during her first year of treatment. More recently, she endured back-to-back bouts of COVID-19 in February 2026 that landed her in the hospital.

Despite these rough patches, Degar says, Charlie is still scheduled to finish her active treatment in June 2026 — right around the time she has a big dance recital scheduled.

“Charlie’s treatment has been long and at times very challenging, but her outlook is bright,” says Degar. “We expect that she will be able to do anything she sets her mind to, in the short term and in the future.”

Through everything, Charlie’s special connection with Lucy has been a source of strength. The sisters now share a bedroom, and Ashley and Ryan often hear them chatting before they drift off to sleep. Their sibling bond, forged in shared medical challenges, has flourished as both have gotten better — and Ashley says Lucy has started asking her a question when they drop off the big sister she idolizes at the preschool both will attend in September.

“It’s my turn. Can you leave me here now?”

04/28/2026

A stem cell transplant journey looks different for every patient. For some, an outpatient transplant can be a safe and effective alternative to an overnight hospital stay, while still receiving the same care — including conditioning chemotherapy, stem cell infusion, engraftment, and follow-up monitoring.

Learn more about how it works and hear from patients who went through the process:

2 likes. "The Outpatient Stem Cell Transplant Experience"

04/27/2026

We’re pleased to introduce the E-Voices Network, a new opportunity for patients, family members, and caregivers to share feedback online. After signing up, you’ll receive newsletter invitations to complete brief surveys about your experiences with care, programs, and communications—helping us create a better patient experience for our entire community.

Join the E-Voices Network to share your perspectives: https://bit.ly/48laOSq

04/27/2026

Stuart Orkin, MD, recently received The Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences—known as the “Oscars of Science”—presented by Octavia Spencer and Sean Penn at the 2026 Breakthrough Prize Ceremony in Los Angeles. Orkin shares the prize with Swee Lay Thein, investigator at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), for research that transformed sickle cell disease and beta-thalassemia from incurable to treatable through gene editing.

“This year’s laureates show what great science can do — deepen our understanding of the world and lead to discoveries that improve millions of lives,” said Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan, MD, founders of Biohub. “We’re proud to recognize their work.”

10 likes. "Octavia Spencer & Sean Penn Honor Stuart Orkin and Swee Lay Thein: 2026 Breakthrough Prize Ceremony"

04/25/2026

Santiago Salazar, Mike Pisco, and Ann Daly are in different stages of life. Daly has retired and spends her free time traveling the world. Pisco is in his forties, still working and raising three children. Salazar is making plans for when he graduates from Harvard University in May. But the three are bonded by a shared experience with cancer which has inspired them to volunteer here.

Of course, those experiences are unique. Salazar’s encounter with cancer occurred when he was only 12 and living in his home country of Chile, where his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. He recalls feeling helpless and afraid. “I had this idea of cancer from the media and television that was scary,” he explains.

For Pisco, it took his care team almost half a year to determine what kind of rare lymphoma he had. Even as a self-described “even-keel and unemotional guy,” he says the process was draining.

“It was just a roller coaster,” Pisco recalls, but his physicians had a plan. Over the past three years, Pisco went through chemotherapy, a recurrence, and then another round of chemotherapy, followed by a stem cell transplant – all while raising three kids with his wife.

Throughout it all, he felt fortunate, and was looking toward the future. “We always had the question in the back of our minds: ‘How can we help others when this is over?’” he says.

When Daly retired, spending her free time helping others at Dana-Farber felt like a logical next step. Four years ago, she had surgery for an early stage cancer here. “I felt so good being there,” she says, reflecting on how she was treated. “It was a natural thing for me to volunteer.”

During Volunteer Appreciation Week (April 19-25), more than 400 volunteers – such as Pisco, Salazar, and Daly – and the many roles they serve are being celebrated. In the Eleanor and Maxwell Blum Patient and Family Resource Center, Salazar guides patients and families through the various supportive programs and tools they offer.

In 2024, after his first round of treatment, Pisco joined the adult Patient Family Advisory Council (PFAC) on which he and a group of patients and family members provide feedback on a variety of our programs and initiatives. “We bring the patient and family voice,” he explains.

At Dana-Farber - Chestnut Hill, Daly started as an ambassador, guiding patients through the facility. She is now a Hands-on Care volunteer providing patients with complimentary, 15-minute hand massages during their chemotherapy infusions.

“Our volunteers are integral to the patient and family experience at Dana-Farber,” says Jessica Donahue, LCSW, manager of Volunteer Services. “They are a warm touch during a difficult time. The many little things they do make a big difference.”

The volunteers share a desire to provide support to those going through a challenging time. Salazar thinks back to his feeling of helplessness as a tween. “I felt compelled to make up for it in a way,” he explains. His mom survived and has since shared about the impact that volunteers had on her journey. Coming here felt natural. In the Blum Center, he seeks to be a calming presence and a listening ear.

“Navigating a health care system is already daunting,” Salazar observes. “If you’re doing that while having this life-changing diagnosis, I think it can be really scary.”

Daly can still recall the fear she felt when she first came here and how it was eased by the care and dedication of staff and volunteers. She experienced compassion everywhere. “Everybody being so kind lifts everyone up,” Daly says. Volunteering was her way of becoming a part of that support system.

With his background in medical technology sales, Pisco had seen hundreds of operating rooms by the time he faced his diagnosis. “I know pretty much everything there is on a patient journey and how to handle it, and this was still a massive struggle for me,” he says. That journey continues with regular imaging post-transplant. In July, he’ll celebrate the operation’s first anniversary.

Being a patient has only made his volunteer work more prescient. On the adult PFAC, he thinks about those who don’t share his professional background and how they can be supported through the same process. He also regularly offers his perspective to new patients through the One-to-One Program, in which patients are paired with trained mentors like him to ask questions and discuss their experiences over the phone.

Through all they do, each volunteer describes getting back much more in terms of fulfillment. “For me, the question wasn’t ‘Why do this?’” Pisco says. “It was ’Why not?’”

During her massages, Daly makes deep connections by listening to stories and sharing her own. “It puts everything in perspective,” she says.

Volunteering has affirmed Salazar’s goal of one day going to medical school. “I’ve found so much meaning,” he says. “Being at the service of other people brings me joy.”

Learn more about volunteer opportunities and how to get involved: https://bit.ly/4eAOM1R

04/24/2026

Daffodils remind us that brighter days can grow from even the hardest seasons. 🌼

04/23/2026

Some this and that around our labs. 🥼

It's Medical Laboratory Professionals Week, so we’re taking you behind the scenes of the day-to-day our Connell and O’Reilly Families Cell Manipulation Core Facility (CMCF). The CMCF supports more than 80 clinical research protocols for more than 20 FDA investigational new drugs. These lab members are instrumental in advancing research and treatments for cellular therapies to patients in need.

04/22/2026

Mary Shertenlieb wanted to toe the line at the Boston Marathon in 2025, but her body was not on board; she was in the middle of treatment for her fourth cancer diagnosis. This year, however, she ran, completing her fifth Boston and her sixth marathon overall.

“I feel so lucky that I get to do this,” says Mary, age 50, who has raised $156,000 to date for Dana-Farber. “I feel this tremendous gratitude at the start line for the generosity and understanding people have shown. It is such a good cause.”

Since her original diagnosis in 2013, Mary has fought through three rounds of treatment for acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a blood cancer, and one round of treatment for her latest diagnosis, an unusual recurrence of AML that presented in her breast rather than her blood. It’s the kind of diagnosis that is so unusual that there is no standard therapy. Her entire team conferred to confirm the diagnosis was accurate and that the treatment plan was sound. The team also worked with her to understand her needs and her goals and incorporated that into her care plan.

“I was scared. But at the same time, I thought, if there’s anybody who can figure it out, it’s this team,” says Mary, who works in philanthropy at MIT and is a mother of two teen boys. “They’ve got the medical expertise down, but they also think about the whole picture.”

After receiving treatment for AML by Richard Stone, MD, chief of staff and director of Translational Research in the Adult Leukemia Program, Mary received a stem cell transplant in 2014 under the care of Robert Soiffer, MD, chief of the Division of Hematologic Malignancies, with her sister, Amanda Whitworth, as her stem cell donor. The two doctors and their nurse practitioners, Ilene Galinsky, NP, and Amy Joyce, NP, remain her dedicated care team today.

In 2018, she was still in remission and decided to run the Boston Marathon for Dana-Farber. Her finish was triumphant, and she went on to run the New York City marathon that fall.

Mary fully intended to run Boston again in 2019 but was sidelined with hip pain. She assumed it was caused by too much running, but a scan showed otherwise.

“They said, it’s not the running, it’s the steroids,” she recalls. “Your hip is like Swiss cheese.”

Mary has chronic graft versus host disease, where her body continually fights against the donor cells from her stem cell transplant. To keep that condition under control, she takes steroids to dampen her immune system. That treatment can take a toll on joints like the hips and knees.

After her hip replacement, Mary laced back up and ran for Dana-Farber in October 2021, April 2023, and April 2024.

“Mary is exceptionally courageous, and so kind, thanking us at every visit for getting her to where she is now,” says Galinsky. “But she’s done all the work, fighting to get through her treatment. She is very determined.”

In November of 2024, Mary noticed a strange mark on her breast. A biopsy showed that her AML had returned in the form of a solid tumor.

“It came back with the same type of leukemic cells she had before,” says Stone. “We had to really think about what to do next.”

The team opted to treat the spot with radiation, followed by chemotherapy to address any remaining cells.

“When you finish radiation, you get to ring a little bell. Isn’t that adorable?” says Mary. “It’s just another one of these ways that the medical teams show their compassion and empathy. They are all just next-level human beings.”

Mary missed the marathon in 2025, but later that year, she was in remission again. Stone, wanting to keep any future recurrence at bay, offered her a medicine that targets a mutation that helps her cancer grow.

In December of 2025, she started taking it, but experienced side effects that were interfering with her marathon training. The team decided it would be safe for her to pause the treatment, with plans to restart it after the April 2026 marathon.

“We asked her if she was sure she wanted to run the marathon. She said, yes, I’m going to do it,” recalls Galinsky, who worked with Stone on an adjusted treatment plan “Of course she would.”

And she did.

Her husband and sons were there to cheer her on at miles 13 and 19 and again at the finish line. She plans to be back again next year, too.

04/21/2026

This Volunteer Appreciation Week, we’re celebrating the incredible people who generously give their time, energy, and heart to supporting our patients. 💙

Every volunteer has their own “why,” and their words are a powerful reminder of the compassion, connection, and hope they bring to our community every day. To all of our volunteers: thank you for everything you do. We’re so grateful for you!

Learn more about how to get involved with our volunteer community: https://bit.ly/4tiIicz