Traveling across the world for lifesaving treatment
Catherine's journey from Switzerland to Dana-Farber while pregnant inspires her to support breast cancer research, ensuring a brighter future for her daughter.
In June 2024, Catherine discovered a lump on her breast while she was 30 weeks pregnant. Initially, she thought it was a pregnancy-related issue, but an ultrasound and biopsy confirmed her worst fears: triple-negative breast cancer.
“In the moment I was told of my diagnosis, actually hearing that this is happening, my immediate most primal reaction was: I’m going to die, and this is how my story is going to end,” Catherine recalls.
Living in Geneva, Switzerland, at the time of her diagnosis, Catherine became overwhelmed and worried after lining up several appointments and learning about the limited treatment options available to her while pregnant. Then, she discovered Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and their ability to treat her during pregnancy, and for the first time since her diagnosis, she felt hope.
Once she met with her care team, led by Ann Partridge, MD, MPH, interim chair of the Department of Medical Oncology, director of the Adult Survivorship Program, and the co-founder and director of the Program for Young Adults with Breast Cancer at Dana-Farber, Catherine made the decision to relocate to Boston for treatment.
“Dr. Patridge’s confidence in my treatment plan supported my decision to seek treatment at Dana-Farber,” she explains, “and I can honestly say that was one of the best decisions of my life.”
She continues: “The care I’ve received at Dana-Farber has been nothing short of amazing. My care team is made up of highly knowledgeable and empathetic professionals who make me feel cared for, important, and safe. I am beyond grateful to be a patient here and, today, I’m lucky to have a healthy baby girl.”
In gratitude for the exceptional care she received and continues to receive at Dana-Farber, and in honor of her newborn daughter and her mother, a three-time cancer survivor, Catherine created a Giving Page—a personalized fundraising page—to support breast cancer research at Dana-Farber.
“When you donate to Dana-Farber, you help parents like me so I can watch my children grow up,” Catherine says. “There is much work to be done, which makes me think of my daughter. I want her to grow up in a world where there is no cancer.”
When you create a Giving Page, you can raise flexible funds for an area of research or patient care that has the greatest need at Dana-Farber, or support an area that is most meaningful to you. Celebrate a special occasion, honor a loved one, acknowledge a caregiver, or share words of encouragement while supporting our lifesaving mission.
The Jimmy Fund, established in Boston in 1948, is comprised of community-based fundraising events and other programs that, solely and directly, benefit Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s lifesaving mission to provide compassionate patient care and groundbreaking cancer research for children and adults. The Jimmy Fund is an official charity of the Boston Red Sox, the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association, the Pan-Mass Challenge, and the Variety Children’s Charity of New England. Since 1948, the generosity of millions of people has helped the Jimmy Fund save countless lives and reduce the burden of cancer for patients and families worldwide. Learn more about how you can get involved at JimmyFund.org, and follow the Jimmy Fund on Facebook, X, BlueSky, and Instagram: @TheJimmyFund.
