Summer Series of Impact: Volume 8

In this week’s issue, we outline the transformative difference YOU have helped to create for patients, families, and healthcare professionals through Golf Fights Cancer's long-standing Priority of Giving, Palliative Care.

Palliative Care

Although proven to be highly beneficial across the entire cancer treatment experience, palliative care continues to be misunderstood and underutilized. Confused with end-of-life or hospice support, the goal of palliative care is to prevent or treat, as early as possible, the symptoms and side effects of the disease.

Numerous studies have shown that palliative care significantly improves the patient's quality of life and lowers their symptom burden. Recent research has proven what many oncology teams have long suspected: Integrating palliative care soon after an advanced cancer diagnosis can prolong survival!

Golf Fights Cancer and The Monahan Family are proud to be early adopters of funding for groundbreaking palliative care research. Established in 2007, The Joanne Hill Monahan Cancer Fund at Mass General Hospital's Cancer Center has enabled the growth and development of the Cancer Outcomes Research and Education Program (CORE). Seeing first-hand the profound benefit of palliative care services for cancer patients, GFC increased support to expanded access to this specialized care through an additional multi-year investment.

Highlighted Investments:

Mass General Cancer Center: Multi-year funding for The Joanne Hill Monahan Cancer Fund and the Cancer Outcomes Research and Education Program (CORE), a palliative care initiative directed by Dr. Jennifer Temel to reduce suffering and improve the delivery, experience, and outcomes for patients and their families.

Mass General Cancer Center at Newton-Wellesley Hospital: Three-year funding to increase palliative care clinical hours, providing exemplary patient care extending beyond the support within its walls to the health needs of the community at large.

More than fifteen years after GFC's first investment in palliative care research at MGH Cancer Center, clinical services are now being provided to patients and families by an expanded range of disciplines, including oncology, nursing, psychiatry, and psychology. Research continues to affirm that our efforts are leading to improved healthcare experiences and outcomes for patients and caregivers across the continuum of cancer care in the Boston area and across the country.

Learn more about our grant history.

Team Monahan

Recently completing their third GFC Golf Marathon fundraiser, Team Monahan continues to support palliative care in memory of their beloved grandmother, Joanne Monahan, who was affectionately known to all her children and grandchildren as, “Mum.”

The youngest generation of Monahan's to actively engage in fundraising specifically for palliative care is made up of Brendan, a freshman at Colgate, Aidan, a junior at Belmont Hill School, and Joey, a 7th grader also at Belmont Hill. In the past three years, they've raised more than $100,000 while playing a collective 900 holes of golf to continue their grandmother's legacy!

"With the help of Team Monahan and funding from The Joanne Hill Monahan Cancer Fund over the past 3 years, the Cancer Outcomes Research and Education (CORE) Program at the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center has initiated two new research agendas focused on supporting caregivers of patients with cancer and utilizing mobile health technologies to deliver supportive care for patients with cancer. Recently, one of CORE's first mobile health interventions for patients with leukemia received breakthrough designation by the FDA, so we are hopeful in the next few years it can be prescribed for patients with leukemia across the country."

-Dr. Jennifer Temel, Clinical Director of Thoracic Oncology & Co-Director, Cancer Outcomes Research and Education Program at MGH Cancer Center

Patient & Family Supports - Pediatric Comfort Care

Join us next week for Volume 9 in the series to learn more about the critical impact Golf Fights Cancer is making through our investment in increasing access to Patient & Family Supports - Pediatric Comfort Care for patients, caregivers and families.