When Richard Gray was unexpectedly diagnosed with lung cancer only a day into the new year, he was blindsided. At 7:30 am on January 2, 2023, he received a call from Massachusetts General Hospital, alerting him that an unrelated neurology MRI had detected a “hyperintense abnormality” on his right lung. He had never smoked, had not gone to the hospital for anything related to his lungs and was fit and in good health. Imaging and a PET scan of the area soon revealed a stage 1 lung tumor.
Fortunately for Richard, treatment at Mass General was as easy and straightforward as he could have imagined under the shocking circumstances. He had a biopsy followed by a surgical resection performed by Hugh Auchincloss, MD, to remove the affected lobe in his lung. He started daily medication, performed breathing exercises — and was back to himself in no time. A month later, Richard and his wife Abby were at their daughter Maggie’s 21st birthday celebration followed by their daughter Alice’s wedding.
“The only reason I’m here is because of a test that wasn’t even for my lungs,” Richard says. “That’s what we want people to understand: early detection saves lives, even when you don’t expect to need it. Get checked, even if you’re not ‘high-risk.’”
Deeply moved by their positive patient experience, Richard and Abby, a professional chef, decided they wanted to do more to support the lung cancer community. “Not everyone gets good news. But we did. And we feel a responsibility to pay that forward,” Abby says. She decided to raise funds by utilizing her culinary and hospitality skills to their fullest extent, putting on a glamorous dinner party with top-tier food, décor, auction prizes and entertainment for their guests.
The DoMor Gala
“We had the first gala in our backyard, just four months after my surgery,” Richard says. “We called it DoMor — cross out the ‘tu’ in ‘tumor’ and it becomes a call to action.”
At the first DoMor for Cancer Gala, guests were given purple and white “DoMor” wristbands that indicated that they were either cancer survivors or the loved one of a cancer patient. “I don’t think there was a single person there who didn’t have a wristband on,” Richard says. Seeing how many people are touched by cancer, the couple hopes their efforts will make early detection and the world-class patient care they received more widely accessible.
This year, Abby and Richard will host their third annual DoMor for Cancer Gala — again, in the backyard of their home in Norwell, Massachusetts. “We want our guests to feel they are not only supporting an important and deeply personal cause but also getting a fabulous night out in the process,” says Abby.
Raising Awareness for Early Cancer Detection
Dr. Auchincloss, Richard’s surgeon, and Lecia Sequist, MD, MPH, program director of the Cancer Early Detection and Diagnostics Clinic and Richard’s oncologist, will be guests of honor at the gala.
“When people understand where the money goes, they’re more willing to give,” Abby says. “That’s why we invite the doctors to speak; it’s so inspiring for guests to hear about their incredible work.”
Abby and Richard have a goal of raising $100,000 this year for early cancer detection at Mass General Brigham. Through their event fundraising, DoMor supports the work of Drs. Auchincloss and Sequist, helping to fund an internship program within the Clinic, as well as training programs for the next generation of clinicians and researchers. Last year, the gala raised $50,000 and did so despite Richard suffering a serious fall that left him with 16 broken bones, and a month-long hospital stay, including rehabilitation at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital. In fact, the experience only motivated the Grays and their community further to give back.
“You feel helpless when you hear the word ‘cancer,’ even with a good prognosis. When you tell people you have lung cancer, their faces drop. We decided we wanted to take back that narrative,” says Abby. “We weren’t dying, we were healing. And we wanted people to understand that.”
“Part of it is karma. Part of it is gratitude,” she says. “But the biggest part is wanting to help others the way we were helped.”
To learn more about the DoMor for Cancer Gala, click here.
