Spring 2025
By Lori Dougherty
On GivingTuesday, Dana-Farber and the Jimmy Fund’s community of support surpassed all expectations, just as they did in 1948 following that first radio appeal by a young patient known as “Jimmy.” Back then, Dr. Sidney Farber hoped to raise perhaps $20,000, but generous people across the country, touched by Jimmy’s message and Dr. Farber’s mission, sent donations large and small that added up to more than $230,000. And more than 75 years later, generous supporters came together once again to soar past our $1 million GivingTuesday goal: When the dust settled on Dec. 3, 2024, contributions to Dana-Farber and the Jimmy Fund totaled more than $2.4 million.
Nearly 9,100 gifts were received, ranging from $1 to $96,000, to advance innovative research and compassionate care across the Institute. These funds help to improve outcomes for patients like Leilani, a patient in Dana-Farber’s Jimmy Fund Clinic, whose parents shared her story to inspire support for GivingTuesday.
When Leilani was 4 months old, her father, Chris, noticed a lump in her neck during bath time, and an X-ray revealed several tumors, including one the size of a tennis ball in her chest. After a referral to Dana-Farber and 10 rounds of chemotherapy, Leilani’s tumors shrank significantly. And now, Leilani is in remission thanks to the dedicated care team who worked so hard to give her the cancer-free future that she—and every patient—deserves.
“It was devastating to hear that our baby, too young to even sit up on her own, was going to face such a monumental battle with cancer,” said Leilani’s mother, Liz. “What sets Dana-Farber apart isn’t just the cutting-edge research and the world-renowned staff. It’s the focus on patients and family support, which has been the only thing that has kept us going throughout this incredibly difficult time.” With the support of the Dana-Farber and Jimmy Fund community, on GivingTuesday and throughout the year, Leilani’s family and countless families around the world have found hope and strength to defy cancer.