Susan Stone loved to knit. When she was in treatment for metastatic melanoma through Mass General Brigham (MGB) cancer, she often asked her doctors and nurses about their favorite colors, or remarked what shades would go best with their eyes. Her care team received scarves, cowls and blankets — thoughtful gifts that Susan created before her passing on December 12, 2024.
Another gift that represents her colorful, connective legacy: a generous contribution from the Stone family to MGB cancer to support the research of Kerry Reynolds, MD, and to create the Susan Stone Memorial Scholarship Fund. Dr. Reynolds serves as director of the Severe Immunotherapy Complications Service and treated Susan for immune-mediated encephalitis — a rare condition when the immune system mistakenly attacks the brain. In Susan’s case, the condition arose as a result of her melanoma therapies, and Dr. Reynolds and the team acted quickly to give her another chance at life.
Susan eventually walked out of the hospital and became a passionate advocate for Dr. Reynolds’s work, partnering with the service’s team on research and fundraising efforts. Through the fund, the scholars will join the Severe Immunotherapy Complications Service, contribute to research, and attend conferences to bring new knowledge back to patient care.
“Education meant so much to Susan,” says Joe Stone, her husband of more than 53 years. “She saw it as a way to make the world a better place. That was the key to who she was. She never asked for accolades or sought the limelight. She was just happy to give and make a difference — because even though it might not help her, it could help someone else.”
“Susan had this remarkable way of valuing the essential work that often goes unnoticed — the parts of cancer care and research that aren’t flashy or headline-grabbing, but that are absolutely critical to patients’ lives,” Dr. Reynolds says. “That quiet strength and clarity of purpose made her a true force, and her support continues to inspire and advance our mission every day.”
Giving Her Time
Immunotherapy has revolutionized cancer care. As Dr. Reynolds puts it, if a patient was diagnosed with widely metastatic melanoma in 2010, before the use of these novel immunotherapies, life expectancy was limited to months. However, with immune checkpoint inhibitors, up to nearly 50% of patients experience long-term survival rates. Still, even with these breakthroughs, doctors continue to learn about the impacts of the therapies. Researching and addressing these autoinflammatory-like side effects has become the life’s work of Dr. Reynolds, which is how she ended up at Mass General meeting the Stone family in February 2024 — Susan, Joe and their two sons, Jamie and Ethan.
Susan, who was doing well with immunotherapy under the care of Donald Lawrence, MD, had started experiencing fatigue and confusion. By the time she reached the hospital, she was becoming increasingly disoriented. For Dr. Reynolds, it was a race against time to rule out infections and begin treatment, as she was declining hour by hour. After a joint conference involving specialists from multiple disciplines from our team, including neurology, neuromuscular and several oncologists, the team diagnosed her with immune-mediated encephalitis.
“The uncertainty that first day and night was agonizing,” Dr. Reynolds says. “I had to be clear that we may not be able to turn the condition around. I had to be clear with Joe that he may lose her within the day.”
The team deployed very high doses of steroids and other lines of immunosuppression. To the relief of everyone around her, Susan gradually began to stabilize. “It was a difficult journey, but when she walked out of the hospital, it was a testament to what a specialized team, dedicated team can do,” Dr. Reynolds says. “It gave her time — with family, with friends and to move her passions forward.”
“It was a Hail Mary,” Joe says, “but it was the key they were looking for.”
A Vibrant Trailblazer
When Dr. Reynolds visited Susan in the hospital a few months later, Susan didn’t recognize her at first and asked Jamie for clarification. “That’s the woman who saved your life,” Jamie told her. The news was enough to make Susan — an accountant and certified financial planner, a female trailblazer in the industry — write a check immediately to support Dr. Reynolds’s work. The two forged a friendship that lasted until Susan’s death, with Susan doing everything she could do bring awareness to the research.
“It’s the future of cancer medicine — it really works, but the side effects can still be fatal. These scholarship recipients may go off, become doctors and figure out how we can both stop the cancer and keep patients alive. If it helps even just one person, that’s all we can ask for.”
“I came to know the vibrant, trailblazing woman she truly was,” Dr. Reynolds says. “We sat together and reviewed what had happened, the gaps in knowledge and the urgent need for progress in this field. And Susan, without hesitation, asked, ‘How can I help?’ And she did, in extraordinary ways. Her generosity, vision and strength continue to propel the field forward.
Joe even remembers Susan speaking at a symposium — at home, in bed, recovering from a stroke. Education was that important to her, he says, and the Susan Stone Scholarship Memorial Fund will keep that passion alive.
“Susan was so tough,” Joe says. “Her hope was that we could get more people to be aware of this. It’s the future of cancer medicine — it really works, but the side effects can still be fatal. These scholarship recipients may go off, become doctors and figure out how we can both stop the cancer and keep patients alive. If it helps even just one person, that’s all we can ask for.”
“The future of immunotherapy is incredibly promising, with innovations on the horizon including combination strategies, next-generation agents and more personalized approaches,” Dr. Reynolds adds. “As the field advances, we’re seeing that side effect profiles can differ dramatically between therapies or when we combine them, making it essential to understand the unique mechanisms of toxicity with each agent. The goal isn’t just to extend life, but to ensure patients are living well for longer. To do that, we must continue to refine how we predict, prevent and manage immune-related complications while harnessing the full power of these treatments.”
To learn more about the Severe Immunotherapy Complications program, please contact us.
