Summer 2026
By Casey Reis
A $150,000 gift from Kelly Kelbel and Tony Rolando is helping Dana-Farber Cancer Institute expand care and research for patients with inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) through We Are the Silver Linings, their dedicated fund. The name is inspired by the encouragement Kelbel received during treatment for stage III breast cancer at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and the fund will provide assistance for out-of-pocket expenses such as travel, lodging, food, and parking for appointments—making it more feasible to access specialized care and participate in research studies.
The research (at Dana-Farber) is unparalleled. We want more people to have access to lifesaving medicine.
Kelly Kelbel
The focused support will help advance IBC research, expand clinical trial access through Dana-Farber’s Inflammatory Breast Cancer Program, led by Filipa Lynce, MD, and fuel efforts to educate primary care and OB-GYN providers who need to recognize IBC sooner. Though IBC represents just 1–5% of breast cancer diagnoses, it is aggressive and can be difficult to identify, contributing to misdiagnoses and disparities in outcomes. IBC is more prevalent in women of color, especially Black women who face a higher mortality rate and are more likely to be diagnosed at later stages. They often face additional barriers to clinical trial enrollment—barriers the We Are the Silver Linings fund is designed to reduce.
“Dana-Farber is one the few cancer centers in the United States that specializes in IBC,” Kelbel says. “The research there is unparalleled. We want more people to have access to lifesaving medicine.”