It was supposed to be the best summer of Dempsey Gibbons’s life. In April of 2024, after years of hard work, 28-year-old Dempsey was weeks away from completing her graduate degree in social work at Boston College. Then, in August, she was set to marry Christina, the love of her life. And in the fall, if she played her cards right, she’d start her career as a school counselor. There was one thing, however, she didn’t account for in her planning. Just as her adult life was set to begin, Dempsey was diagnosed with a form of pediatric kidney cancer.
One year later, thanks to Massachusetts General Hospital, she is making up for lost time and raising money for the Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Cancer Program, which was there for her every step of the way.
“As an adult with pediatric cancer, the AYA made me feel like I was part of a community, and the bonds I formed with the staff and the other patients are something I’ll never forget,” Dempsey says.
A Mysterious Cancer
The first symptom presented, of all places, while she was wedding dress shopping in New York City: blood in her urine. More curious than concerned, Dempsey waited until she got back to Boston to go to an urgent care center, where doctors suspected a urinary tract infection, and later, as symptoms persisted, a kidney stone. But, when she spiked a fever while watching the Boston Marathon®, Dempsey packed a bag and she and Christina made the short walk from their Beacon Hill apartment to the Mass General Emergency Department (ED).
After a thorough examination, emergency staff ushered Dempsey and Christina into a private room and delivered the news. There was a tumor the size of a grapefruit growing on one of Dempsey’s kidneys, and the cancer had spread to her lungs. While the specific type of cancer was difficult to determine, one thing was clear. She needed surgery, sooner rather than later.
“The first thing we did after they sent me home was head straight to the courthouse to get married,” Dempsey says.
Two weeks later, Dempsey returned to Mass General for surgery. It took the surgical team, led by urologic oncologist Keyan Salari, MD, PhD, eight hours to remove the tumor and affected kidney, but the minimally invasive laparoscopic procedure left Dempsey with hardly a mark to show for it. Less than a month after arriving at the ED, Dempsey was able to walk (slowly) across the graduation stage to accept her diploma.
“As an adult with pediatric cancer, the AYA made me feel like I was part of a community, and the bonds I formed with the staff and the other patients are something I’ll never forget.”
Making Connections that Count
In June, after weeks of testing, Dempsey received her diagnosis: Wilms tumor — a type of kidney cancer most often seen in children around the age of 5. As unexpected as the finding was, it did have an upside. Despite being stage IV, Wilms is known to respond well to chemotherapy and radiation once the primary tumor has been removed.
Under the direction of oncologist Gregory Cote, MD, PhD, Dempsey began a regimen of chemotherapy and radiation to eradicate the remaining cancer — a regimen developed in partnership with Alison Friedmann, MD, clinical director of pediatric hematology/oncology at Mass General Brigham for Children. But she soon found that infusion centers can be strange places when you’re a young adult.
“It sucks to walk in and realize you’re the only young, bald person in the room,” says Dempsey.
Social connection is just one of a set of unique challenges facing young adults and adolescents with cancer. The Mass General AYA Cancer Program was founded to help young patients navigate their care while also balancing mental health, financial wellbeing, educational and career development goals, fertility and more. At the core of the program’s integrated care model is a supportive community of patients, caregivers, providers and advocates. The AYA Program helped connect Dempsey with other patients in her age group.
“It’s one thing to hop on a Zoom with other AYA patients, but to have that in real life, to have someone your own age sitting in the chemo chair next to you, that’s invaluable,” says Dempsey, who recently attended the wedding of a fellow patient she met during treatment.
Today, Dempsey, who just completed her first year as a counselor at a private school in Back Bay, is in full remission. To celebrate, she and Christina are embarking on what they’re calling the “Cancer-Free” tour, with a belated honeymoon in Ireland, as well as trips to Montana and Patagonia planned for the coming months. But she hasn’t forgotten the community she left behind.
“One of the great things about Mass General is that they have resources for AYA patients like me, but the number of cases is growing,” she says. “And that’s why I’m fundraising. Because the more support we can provide the team, the better they can make the experience for patients.”
“I had the best care in the world. Everyone should be so lucky.”
To help Dempsey raise money for the Mass General AYA Cancer Program, click here.
