July 28, 2024

Dear Friends,

The globe has completed yet another turn; the PMC is next weekend.

I am ready for this event and its renewal. Every year, it has been a time to reflect on my chosen field, and to appreciate the responsibility vested in us at Dana-Farber to deliver. As I cycle by, I really soak in all the posters that say, “Thank you, DFCI” and “Because of you, I am now 10 – or 80 - years old”. I absorb that community support; it fuels and inspires me.

I have written in past missives about my commitment to serving young people-adolescents and young adults-with cancer. Adolescents and young adults with cancer need expert care for their unique set of cancers (not childhood, not adult cancers but distinct), and they need expert psychosocial care to get their lives back on track. And they need each other—they need their peers who are going through the same life-threatening/life-altering process. AYAs don’t typically “fit” into either pediatric or medical oncology waiting rooms and practices—too old or too young. (If you haven’t read Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of a Life Interrupted, by Suleika Jaouad pick up a copy). This year, with an incredibly generous gift from HomeGoods, we have opened a new Center at DFCI for AYAs, made manifest in a new “Lounge” for those over age 18y. In the first month since it opened, we have had 275 patients stop in and participate in the activities tailored for them, and receiving the referrals to the services they in particular need (fertility preservation, financial counseling, peer support groups,etc). So proud that this space and this Center have finally become real. It is the fruition of a decade of work, with my esteemed partners, Dr. Ann LaCasce from medical oncology and Dr. Cristina Pozo-Kaderman from psychosocial oncology. Two absolutely delightful, brilliant human beings.

(You might ask why a pediatric oncologist is involved in AYA cancer. Surprisingly, 25% of the patients between 18-29y treated at DFCI are being treated by pediatric oncologists in the Jimmy Fund Clinic. This is a consequence I think of more effective therapies that are keeping patients well longer. In addition, the cancer I am a particular expert in, germ cell tumors (or testicular cancer in men), are the most common solid tumor in patients 15-40y. There is a huge need for this focus at DFCI: we see about 9,000 patients per year in this age range.)

You might remember that I thought 2023 would be my last ride. My friend, Laurie Thomsen, who has been my compatriot on every single PMC ride, convinced me to do it one more time. Friendship is one of life’s greatest gifts. How could I refuse? We do annoy all those riders who are so much faster than we are these days, as we talk the whole way. It’s a great way to traverse Massachusetts, and to maintain the bonds that sustain us.

Thanks for contributing. Until we cure everyone, we are not done.

https://profile.pmc.org/LF0070