Dateline DFCI
Among those interviewed during the WEEI Jimmy Fund Radiothon was 7-year-old Jack Streeter, who recently finished leukemia treatment at Dana-Farber.
Jimmy Fund and Boston Red Sox celebrate 50 years as a winning team in the fight against cancer
When more than 350 cancer survivors gathered on the field at Fenway Park this past spring, they symbolized both their own triumphs over disease as well as a half-century of partnership between the Jimmy Fund and the Boston Red Sox.
Taking the form of a gigantic "50" at the April 18 game between the Sox and Toronto Blue Jays, the contingent was part of a yearlong celebration by the home team and Dana-Farber's grassroots fundraising arm. Originally supported by the Boston Braves baseball club and its owner, Louis Perini, the Jimmy Fund was made the official charity of the Red Sox by then-owner Thomas A. Yawkey when the Braves departed for Milwaukee in 1953.
Among the anniversary highlights was the announcement of the Red Sox's two-year sponsorship of the Pan-Massachusetts Challenge bike-a-thon, which has raised more than $100 million for research and patient care at Dana-Farber over the past 24 years. A vintage Jimmy Fund logo graced the Green Monster left-field wall at Fenway during the baseball season. The second annual WEEI Jimmy Fund Radiothon on Aug. 22, meanwhile, garnered $850,000 for the Institute and offered supporters a chance to gather with celebrities past and present; a related auction featuring Red Sox/Jimmy Fund Massachusetts license plates with coveted numbers generated $242,000, bringing the day's total to nearly $1.1 million.
Cancer survivors of all ages form a giant "50" at Fenway Park to commemorate the half-century bond between Dana-Farber's Jimmy Fund and the Boston Red Sox.>
Physician-scientists working to strike out cancer and related diseases made their own "pitch" for the cause with the ceremonial first throw at several Red Sox games during the milestone year.
Among them was Dana-Farber Chief of Staff Stephen E. Sallan, MD, named the first Boston Red Sox Biomedical All-Star in recognition of his work on behalf of children with leukemia. He assumed his first-pitch duties in April as the giant formation of survivors cheered him on.
"Although it was an unforgettable honor, it turned out to be one of most nerve-racking moments of my career," Sallan says. "Knowing I had 350 fielders behind me — both literally and figuratively — helped me get the ball over the plate."
