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The Fourth Annual Pink Party art show and auction to benefit Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Jimmy Fund takes place this Saturday
The fundraiser was first organized by Muriel Lee Boles of Haverhill in 2021 after she learned first hand the need for ongoing study and new approaches.
“When I was first diagnosed with metastatic (Stage 4) breast cancer during the month of May, a surgeon told my family I wouldn’t be around by Christmas of that year. Well, that was in 2013! So, I know too well the importance of research into new treatments,” Boles tells WHAV.
She goes on to say sharing her story and raising money for research provides not only hope, but better outcomes. “Over the last 11 plus years, I have been on a number of different drugs—some that weren’t even available when I started—that have each prolonged my life anywhere from months to a few years. That would never have happened without the constant development of new drugs. That’s what so many cancer patients like me need—another, better option when what you are on stops working.”
The art show and silent auction of the displayed works also includes a buffet, sponsored by local restaurants and businesses. It is free and open to the public Saturday, Sept. 28, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., at Riverside Church, 278 Groveland St., Haverhill. Admission also includes a free ticket to win one of many door prizes.
Anyone interested in being a sponsor, art donor or door prize donor may email [email protected] or call 978-590-5215.
From 2021 through the start of this year’s campaign, Boles’ Pink Party has raised $41,563 to support research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Specifically, she notes, to Dr. Sara Tolaney’s Novel Therapeutics Research Fund. Tolaney is chief of breast oncology at Dana Farber and is part of Boles’ care team with her local oncologist, Dr. Ankur Mehta.