“Penny would walk into a room and just light it up,” says, Schuyler Peck, Penny Peck’s husband. “I was shy and a bit unsure of myself when we met, and she made me feel confident. I am who I am today because of her.”
“Mom made everyone she met feel special, like her best friend,” says Nikki Bartlett, Penny and Schuyler’s daughter. “Her presence was like when Dorothy gets to Oz — she turned everything from black and white to color.”
Penny died from glioblastoma — the most common type of malignant brain tumor — at her home in Chatham, Massachusetts, in August 2024, after a two-year battle with the disease. Penny received her cancer treatment at Massachusetts General Hospital, where she formed close relationships with her care team, especially Deborah Forst, MD, neuro-oncologist and supportive care researcher. Now, the Peck family is giving back to Dr. Forst by fundraising in support of her work. To date, they have raised more than $1.8 million toward their goal of $2.5 million to create an endowment fund in Penny’s name. To inspire continued momentum, the Peck family will match up to $65,000 per year for the next five years — a total of $325,000 — to help close the gap.
Choosing to Fight
“When given a terminal diagnosis, you have two options, and mom chose to fight,” says Nikki. “She was our leader from the beginning.”
Nikki says she often thinks about the thoughtfulness and kindness Penny extended to everyone she encountered. She remembers Penny leaving notes for hotel housekeepers, chatting with valet attendants and strangers at the grocery store, as well as getting to know every nurse that cared for her. To this day, Penny’s family is still in awe of the way she handled the news of a terminal cancer diagnosis, with nothing but grace and optimism.
“She never once said, ‘Why me?’” Schuyler says. “She said, ‘I’m going to make the most out of life, and I want our home to be full of laughter and joy. She took every setback in stride, and said, ‘We’re going to deal with this and move forward.’”
“She loved life so much that she doubled her life expectancy, living with glioblastoma for 29 months,” Nikki says.
The Human Element
For the Peck family, what really stood out about their experience at Mass General was “the human element.”
“Everyone we encountered at Mass General really cared,” says Schuyler. “From top to bottom, the doctors, nurses, physician’s assistants, even the emergency department staff amid all the chaos, gave us their all the second they stepped into the room to care for Penny.”
During Penny’s last inpatient stay at Mass General, a valet attendant she had gotten to know asked Nikki if he could come up to her room to bring her a bouquet of flowers, yellow peonies. “We had never seen yellow peonies, and they were stunning,” Nikki says. “It just goes to show what an extraordinary place this is.”
In particular, the family was deeply impacted by the care they received from Dr. Forst. “She was the perfect embodiment of the ‘human element’ of Mass General’s care model,” Schuyler says. “Dr. Forst is beyond phenomenal and amazingly dedicated to her patients in a way that is incredibly rare.”
Nikki says Penny taught her and her brother Jason the importance of giving back and thanking those that help you, so it was an easy decision to support the work of Dr. Forst. “She always told me to ‘do the right thing,’” Schuyler says. “So, we’re doing the right thing, and carrying on Penny’s legacy.”
Bringing New Meaning
It was important to Penny that the family begin establishing the fund while she was still alive.
“With the help of Mass General Development, we were able to get everything set up for mom to see before she passed,” Nikki says. “She was so excited about her own devastating diagnosis leading to improvements in care for future patients and caregivers.”
The funds raised by the Peck family will allow Dr. Forst to grow her research program, which focuses on improving support and outcomes for patients with malignant brain tumors and their caregivers through the development of novel psychosocial interventions.
“Philanthropy allows us to do our most creative and innovative work, and to generate critical data we need as the foundation for securing major grants, ultimately paving the way for larger-scale clinical trials,” Dr. Forst says.
Dr. Forst remembers Penny as “a force to be reckoned with, a bright light whenever she walked into the office.” She says she instantly felt connected to Penny because of Penny’s ability to form close connections with everyone she met.
“Mom is looking down and so happy we’re able to support Dr. Forst’s life-changing work and make a difference in this way,” Nikki says. “That we’re able to bring new meaning and purpose to her fight with glioblastoma.”
To make a gift to the Penelope B. Peck Brain Cancer Research Fund, click here.
