Dear Friends,
It all started in 1948 with a 12-year-old boy with cancer dubbed “Jimmy,” who inspired thousands to give money in support of cancer research. Those first generous gifts sparked the Jimmy Fund, the charitable arm of Dana-Farber that has been going strong for 75 years, with support from an extraordinary community.
This year, more than ever, I have been reflecting on what an amazing time we are living in for cancer care. Treatments that we have today would have seemed impossible in 1948. And with so much more to do, just imagine the heights we will reach 75 years from now.
I imagine a world in which we have targeted treatments for every type of cancer in adults and children, new methods to routinely detect cancer early and prevent disease before it starts, advanced immunotherapies with minimal toxicities that are effective for all patients—I truly believe that all of this, and more, is possible.
Philanthropy enables progress—Dana-Farber and the Jimmy Fund are indelible proof of this. The Jimmy Fund’s legacy will forever be of a community coming together to ensure a better future for cancer patients. Whatever that future holds, it will be built by philanthropy, just as it was in 1948 when the world was first inspired by Jimmy. Thanks to the combined power of science and philanthropic compassion, Dana-Farber will continue to defy cancer for patients everywhere.
Thank you for your part in our history, and the continued part you will play in our future.
With gratitude,
Melany N. Duval
Senior Vice President and Chief Philanthropy Officer