Caring For A Cure

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Caring For A Cure

Founded by the oncology nurses of MGH with a mission to improve the journey of patients and families with cancer through research, resources, and awareness

For Patients. For Families. For Research. For a Cure. For Patients - At the core of our mission is our patients. We continuously seek opportunities both small and large to make their journey easier and uplift their spirits. For Families - Families support our patients and are incredibly important to us. Recognizing that this is a journey for patients and those who walk beside them, we aim to suppo

rt and recognize their integral role. For Research - Research leads to innovations that help our patients recover faster and moves us toward a cure. We are incredibly lucky to be based at Massachusetts General Hospital, surrounded by an incredible research team both here and across the river. For a Cure - We'd love it if we could play even a small part in curing this disease.

06/02/2026

Team Tuesday: Meet Sarah O'Malley, RN & Sarah Strachan, RN

We work together on the cell therapy research team helping care for our patients on clinical trials. We first worked together inpatient on Lunder 10 but both found our ways to the clinic working in research. We know that every person feels the impact of cancer at some point in their lives, and we feel lucky to be a part of a team working on such cutting edge life changing treatments.

Our team has come such a long way since it started, now working with so many different types of cancer as well as non oncology diseases. We feel so grateful to be a part of our patients journeys and to be a part of a team providing treatment options to patients who need them.

Caring for a Cure has helped us support countless patients and their families, from Uber gift cards, to hotel stays, and wedding gifts- CFAC helps us let our patients know how much we care about them outside of just their disease.

Thank you Sarah and Sarah, for supporting our mission and helping us bring comfort, connection, and hope to patients and families. 💙

05/31/2026

What you've made possible. 💙
A few meaningful moments from this past week:

💙 Birthday decorations, thoughtful gifts, and a LEGO set helped a patient and her young son celebrate her 40th birthday with a little extra joy.

💙 Emergency hotel accommodations allowed a husband to remain close to his wife during a sudden medical crisis and urgent surgery.

💙 Grocery assistance helped a patient facing mobility and financial challenges access essential food and support.

💙 Transportation assistance helped a patient traveling outside his home state for treatment continue accessing care while on leave from work.

These are more than acts of kindness. They bring comfort, lift spirits, and remind patients and families that they are cared for.

Thank you to our colleagues for these thoughtful requests, and to our donors for making these moments possible. 💙

05/28/2026

Thoughtful Thursday- a picnic to look forward to 🧺 💙

This week, we’re highlighting a 19-year-old patient midway through treatment for lymphoma. Despite everything she’s facing, she always takes the time to ask others how their week has been and what they’re doing for the weekend.

After hearing her mention more than once that she’d “really like to have a picnic soon,” her care team wanted to make that wish a little more possible.

Thanks to the kindness of our community, we were able to provide her with a picnic basket set for the day she finally gets to enjoy that long-awaited picnic. Small moments of normalcy, hope, and joy can mean so much during treatment.

Thank you to everyone who helps us create moments like these for our patients and families. 💙

05/26/2026

Team Tuesday: Meet Jenni Griswold, RN 💙

I have worked as a nurse on the inpatient Heme/Onc Bone Marrow Transplant unit for 26 years — first on Ellison 14 and now on Lunder 10, soon Ragon! If you had told me in 2000 that I would still be working here in 2026, I would have thought you were crazy.

Why have I stayed? Because nursing is rewarding in itself, and caring for cancer patients at MGB has given back to me in ways I never imagined. Caring for a Cure allows nurses and care teams to go above and beyond for patients and families while recognizing the lives, wishes, and dreams that matter so deeply during difficult times.

Over the years, we’ve celebrated birthdays during long transplant admissions, helped families stay close to loved ones, supported patients struggling with bills, and created meaningful moments for patients and families when they needed it most. These “gives” remind us that caring goes far beyond medical treatment.

Running the Boston Marathon in 2016, and again in 2020 for a beloved patient, were unforgettable experiences. Honoring Jeff Abber and his family reminded me to live with gratitude and appreciate the people who impact our lives.

I feel proud to be part of our patients’ journeys and honored to work alongside a community that cares so deeply for others.

Thank you, Jenni, for all you do for our patients, families, and CFAC community. We are so grateful to have you as part of the CFAC family. 💙

05/25/2026

What you've made possible 💙
A few meaningful moments from this past week.

💙 Helped provide nutritional support for a patient navigating treatment and financial hardship.
💙 Gave a patient facing an aggressive brain tumor the chance to celebrate his 50th birthday with dignity and new clothes.
💙 Created special memories for a father and his young son with a day on the Boston Duck Boats.
💙 Brightened a young osteosarcoma patient’s birthday while she continues her recovery and treatment journey.

These are more than acts of kindness. They bring joy, comfort, lift spirits, and remind patients they are cared for.

Thank you to our colleagues for these thoughtful requests, and to our donors for making them possible. 💙

05/21/2026

Thoughtful Thursday 💙 The heart of CFAC reaches beyond our main campus.

Today, we recognize Valerie Vivenzio, a radiation therapist at Emerson Hospital in Concord, who helped provide a gift card to support a patient and his wife during treatment. Simple acts of kindness like this can ease some of the everyday stress families face while navigating cancer care.

As CFAC has grown throughout the MGH Cancer and our satellite teams, we continue to be inspired by the incredible colleagues who carry our mission forward every single day. Their compassion, generosity and dedication help ensure patients and families feel supported no matter where they receive care.

We are so grateful for our satellite teams and all they do to help CFAC grow, connect, and reach even more patients across our community. 💙

05/19/2026

Team Tuesday: Meet Laura Phelps, RN

I have been an oncology nurse on Ellison 14/Lunder 10 for my entire career of over 23 years. Throughout this time I have had the privilege of caring for so many special patients, who have forever touched my heart, impacted my life and taught me so much about keeping things in perspective.

In 2014 my dad was diagnosed with a form of leukemia (MDS/CMML) and after not responding to traditional treatment in NY where he and my mom lived, he came to MGH and was a patient on Lunder 10 and Cox 1.

I always knew The Cancer Center at MGH was a special place, but during those few months that he was a patient here, I witnessed firsthand just how incredible the nurses, doctors and support staff truly are. The level of care my dad received here was second to none. And the compassion, empathy and support that my family and I received was simply amazing. Those were some of the most difficult months of my life, but knowing my dad was being cared for by the best was constantly reassuring. And the kindness and generosity from Caring for a Cure was above and beyond. As difficult as it is to remember losing my dad, I find peace in trying to provide that care for others.

Since then I have had the honor to run the Boston marathon in 2016 and in 2020 (virtually due to COVID) on behalf of Caring for a Cure and in memory of my dad. Throughout the years between marathons, galas, 5ks, lemonade stands and fundraisers. It has been a privilege and a pleasure to raise money for an organization that directly makes such an impact on patients and their families.

Thank you Laura, for being a part of the CFAC community and helping us make a difference for patients and families every day. We are so grateful to have you on our team. 💙

05/18/2026

What you've made possible 💙
A few meaningful moments from this past week.

💙 A Starbucks gift card for a husband who brings his wife coffee every single day during her inpatient stays.

💙 A picnic basket for a patient who has spent months talking about how much she hopes to finally enjoy a picnic again after treatment.

💙 Overnight accommodations near MGH for an elderly patient traveling hours from Maine for a critical early morning biopsy appointment.

💙 A special family outing for a husband and three young children grieving the loss of their wife and mother, creating space for time together during an incredibly difficult season.

These are than acts of kindness. They bring joy, comfort, lift spirits, and remind patients and families that they are cared for.

Thank you to our colleagues for these thoughtful requests and to our donors for making it possible. 💙

05/14/2026

Thoughtful Thursday 💙 A thoughtful surprise for a remarkable patient.

As Ariana finishes treatment this June, her nurse wanted to surprise her with a bag to match the wallet she already loves. A small gesture to celebrate everything she has overcome along the way.

Ariana continues to inspire her care team through her incredible strength and determination as she balances treatment, school, and exciting milestones ahead.

A special thank you to Pediatric Nurse Jillian Bradbury for this thoughtful request. 💙

05/12/2026

Team Tuesday- meet Anna Leedham, RN

When I started working as a nurse on Lunder 10 four years ago, I was introduced to Caring for a Cure — a charity that has profoundly impacted my patients’ lives every single day. Caring for people during their most vulnerable moments, while witnessing their incredible strength, is both an honor and one of the things I love most about my job. But being able to bring even a small moment of comfort or a smile during such difficult times is truly priceless.

Some of my favorite moments through Caring for a Cure include giving a bathrobe to a patient who was always cold — she wore that robe every time she was readmitted to the hospital. Another was putting together a duffel bag filled with a patient’s favorite things as she traveled to St. Louis, Missouri for a clinical trial. These gestures may seem small, but they can make an immeasurable difference during challenging times.

In 2025, I ran the Boston Marathon in honor of my favorite lady, Andrea, for Caring for a Cure. Running this marathon had been a goal of mine for years, but being able to represent CFAC made the experience even more meaningful than I could have imagined. Sometimes it can feel impossible to bring a glimmer of joy into the four walls of a hospital room, yet this organization does so with such ease and compassion.

I chose to run for Caring for a Cure because I have seen firsthand the profound impact it has on so many lives. The smallest gestures of kindness often make the greatest difference. To me, Caring for a Cure represents exactly what Andrea taught me — that care goes beyond medicine; it lives in the laughter, the love, and the connections we make along the way.

Thank you, Anna, for all that you for our patients and families. We are so grateful to have you on our CFAC team. 💙

Address

Boston, MA

Website

https://linktr.ee/CFACMGH

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