A decade ago, days before her first wedding anniversary, Nancy Lindholm O’Hagan learned that she had cancer. At Mass General, the 29-year-old tax attorney received a dire diagnosis: carcinoid cancer, a rare and deadly disease without a cure.
In 2010, Nancy marks her 10th year as a survivor and her 5th year as founding president of the Caring for Carcinoid Foundation. Its mission is to discover a cure for carcinoid cancer and related neuroendocrine tumors.
The foundation gives 100 percent of its donations to researchers. Guided by an advisory board of scientists, the foundation has already awarded grants totaling over $4.5 million. Grantees include Mass General researchers Daniel Chung, MD, and Michael Choi, MD.
Nancy’s foundation brings patients and families together through national conferences and its excellent web site, which includes networking groups, the latest news on treatment and research, patient educational tools and Nancy’s blog.
“Let’s fight this journey together,” writes Nancy, “making friends and having fun along the way!”
