Early this year, Katherine Humphrey, MS, PA-C, felt a sudden, fleeting pain just above her breast. A few days later, she woke up with her hand resting in that exact spot, and she could feel it. “There was a lump,” says Humphrey, who is an Advanced Practice Provider on the Benign and High-Risk Breast Team … Read more
It was a picture-perfect spring day in May 2025 in the Boston Public Garden. Sabrina Lucius couldn’t help but snap a picture – though on the inside, her world was falling apart. “I remember the bench I was sitting on. I remember hearing laughter in the background. And I remember feeling frozen, like time was … Read more
If Jennifer Feinberg were to write a book, she would call it “There’s Always Something” — a saying that captures not only life but also her cancer journey. “It started with my second-ever mammogram,” says Feinberg, who was diagnosed at age 41 and is now 49. “The radiologist near my home in Washington, DC, pulled … Read more
The email that Kyle Brownell sent to Emily Heikamp, MD, PhD, in October 2021 was a plea for a lifeline. His then 19-year-old son, Andrew, had already undergone a stem cell transplant to treat a rare type of leukemia, but just six months later, he was facing a recurrence. The future seemed unclear. “I was … Read more
Ina enjoys traveling, time with her two daughters, son-in-law, and granddaughters, reading, and taking ballet lessons at the Boston Ballet School. Her latest adventure recently took her to the Netherlands and Belgium for an all-ladies river cruise to see the tulips. “Trips like that are great medicine too,” says Ina, who was diagnosed in 2020 … Read more
What began as a minor, nagging pain in her abdomen became an unbearable stabbing sensation that landed Debby Orcutt in the hospital. For months, she and her primary care physician thought the pain was the result of constipation, but hospital physicians suspected it could be cancer. As she waited in the hospital room with her … Read more
From the time Lorna Brunelle was a child, belting songs into her hairbrush, she knew she belonged in the spotlight. Over the years, Brunelle’s passion for acting and singing evolved into a career in education and coaching. She opened a performing arts school and now owns a theater in her hometown of Middleborough, MA. When … Read more
The human body has a rhythm made up of a series of routines that our cells, organs, and tissues follow. But in 2019, 35-year-old Lamar Valentina discovered that deep inside his kidneys, small, abnormal cells were working at their own pace. “A pain in my lower back finally became so severe that I had to … Read more
When Will Verbits noticed a cut on the side of his foot in the summer of 2024, he wasn’t worried. The longtime administrator of special education assumed he’d somehow gotten a blister. He was happily looking forward to retirement, eager to brush up on his cooking skills. But, over time, a lesion developed and grew. … Read more
Pathogens are tiny invaders of the body that can make people sick—something that Howard Heller, MD, MPH, has spent his entire career studying. Then, in 2024, Heller discovered at age 64 there was another kind of invader, growing slowly and uncontrollably in his own body: cancer. “I’ve helped patients as an infectious disease specialist for … Read more
In April, Riley McDevitt received test results from her genetic counselor at Dana-Farber. Tests showed a diagnosis of Lynch syndrome and McDevitt knew exactly what she wanted to do after hearing the news: celebrate with her family over tacos. The diagnosis wasn’t entirely unexpected. “I have a family history of Lynch syndrome, so I’ve known … Read more
Bilasan Hammo, MD, had just turned 30, and everything seemed set up for a successful move into adulthood. As she wrapped up her residency at Cleveland Clinic Children’s, she landed a prestigious fellowship in Boston Children’s Hospital’s Gastrointestinal-Nutrition Department. Heavily influenced by her father – who is also a pediatric gastroenterologist – the fellowship felt … Read more
On his 75th birthday, when most people would be celebrating, William Scimone received some of the worst news of his life: he had anal cancer. It was a devastating blow, but having watched his mother battle lung cancer years earlier, Scimone knew three things: he needed the best care available, he needed the support of … Read more
The third year Jerome Krasnow’s annual bloodwork came back showing signs of anemia, his doctor sent him to a hematologist. That doctor diagnosed multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer. “Most people with multiple myeloma find out because they are in pain or breaking bones,” says Krasnow, who was diagnosed at age 70 and is … Read more
Before Mary and Abby Kissiday-Diamond were married, they met regularly at a Cambridge church for discussion groups hosted by the lesbian civil rights group, Daughters of Bilitis. Through 1969 to the early 2000s, these meetings were organized as a safe place for members of the lesbian community to express themselves. Mary was immediately intrigued by … Read more
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 Shertenlieb, age 50, who has raised $156,000 to date for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. “I feel this tremendous gratitude at the start line for the generosity and understanding … Read more
When the Leonard P. Zakim Center for Integrative Therapies’ Practice Manager Sara Menendez, LAT, ATC, learned she had Lynch syndrome at age 30, she had dozens of questions. A hereditary condition, Lynch syndrome raises a person’s risk for cancer in several organs including the colon, endometrium, ovaries, and skin. Suddenly faced with this new information, … Read more
As she got out of the car and waved goodbye to her husband and her mother, Margaret-Ann Simonetta’s shoulders stiffened with anxiety. It was April 2021, still in the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and she was headed into Brigham and Women’s Hospital for a colectomy – a total surgical removal of her colon. With … Read more
It was a hot day on the links in New Hampshire in July 2014. Carol MacKenzie recalls that her neck was strangely sore. By the end of the round of golf, she had a fever. Soon after, MacKenzie met with an oncologist. In 1996, she had been diagnosed with early-stage triple-negative breast cancer and successfully treated. Eighteen years later, … Read more
Dienna Lehner grew up in a Massachusetts town with a small ski hill and a rope tow. “It was hot dogs, tomato soup, and an outdoor fireplace,” she recalls. “And it was Nirvana.” Later in life, she opted to spend her winters in Park City, Utah, to enjoy big mountain skiing. The conditions have been mild this year, but last year she skied all season – which … Read more