A Tribute to Matthew Starring

I got to work yesterday and spent the first 20 minutes of my day reading a story about Matthew Starring, a 23 year old from Rhode Island who passed away in November after a hard-fought battle against leukemia.

As I sat at my desk with tears literally dripping down my face, I was touched to read about this vivacious guy who made the courageous decision to stop treatment and spend the last two weeks of his life with his friends and family, embracing life and celebrating rather than wallowing or hiding from his new reality.

Matthew was 23 when he died. He went through more in the past two and a half years than many of us ever will in our lifetime, and made a decision that took a strength and maturity that is enviable.

Dana-Farber gives life to so many of the people who cross our threshold. Unfortunately, there are still some whose cancer is too unwieldy, too aggressive, and too obstinate to yield to even the strongest of treatments and willpower. Every day our clinicians and caregivers focus on finding the best course of treatment for our patients, and our researchers tirelessly investigate newer, better therapies. At Dana-Farber, we live and breathe "bench to bedside," where researchers provide new tools for use in patients, and simultaneously clinicians observe diseases in such a way to propel further research.

At Matthew's funeral last month, his family chose to celebrate his life rather than mourn his death. I'm running to give life to patients, to give hope to families, and to give inspiration to researchers. Every step, every dollar, puts us closer to innovative therapies and making fewer hard decisions like Matthew and his family had to make.

Matthew's stories:
Battle with Cancer Comes to an End
A Colorful and Harmonious Memorial Service