When Shane, Patrick and Ryan O’Halloran’s mother, Denise, nurse at Massachusetts General Hospital, was diagnosed with breast cancer, the brothers found solace in taking action — so much so that Shane suggests that anyone finding themselves in similar situation should “start a fundraiser.” As high school athletes, the O’Hallorans leaned into their passion for sports and into their Burlington, Massachusetts community, and started a flag football tournament to raise funds for breast cancer research at Mass General.
Creating an Outlet
“In the fall of 2017, our mom was diagnosed with breast cancer,” Shane says. “We all felt the need to do something to support her and others battling breast cancer, but we didn’t know what. Mass General gave us an outlet to fundraise in support of the lifesaving research being conducted by our mom’s amazing oncologist, Dr. Beverly Moy.”
The Play for a Cure tournament started as a seven versus seven touch football tournament. Over the five years since, the event evolved into a flag football tournament, growing to eventually garner more than 500 players participating on 50 teams, and doubling the O’Hallorans’ annual fundraising total from approximately $15,000 to $30,000. In 2023, the brothers decided to organize a golf tournament instead.
“We pulled one too many hamstrings,” Shane jokes, “And wanted to find a way to continue to fundraise that could evolve with us and our community as we get older and busier.”
The O’Hallorans say they have found that planning is less burdensome when partnering with a golf course, and many businesses have even reached out to offer their support. At this year’s event, held on Friday, July 26th at Merrimack Valley Golf Course, BackSwing Golf Events connected them with a Ladies Professional Golf Association professional golfer who was in attendance to compete with participants for a prize.
“Our community counts on us to provide this opportunity to come together for a good cause. We take a lot of pride in not only raising enough money to make a difference, but also in putting on a great event for the folks who have always supported us,” Patrick says.
Support From All Sides
As both a patient and an employee of Mass General, Denise and the O’Halloran family felt support from all sides throughout her fight against cancer — from the lifesaving clinical trial she was enrolled in, to fellow nurses who often visited her during treatment.
“The support that Dr. Moy has provided, not only in caring for our mom, but in supporting our fundraising, even coming to the events to speak, has been a huge motivator for us in continuing this work,” Patrick explains. “She’s ultimately the reason our mother is alive, and it means so much to us to support her research,” Ryan adds.
“Philanthropic support is always meaningful and impactful, but especially when it’s coming from community fundraisers who work so hard to raise funds, and even more so when it’s coming from a patient’s family. They are as invested in my work as I am because they’ve experienced the impact and importance firsthand,” says Dr. Moy.
The O’Hallorans are particularly keen on raising awareness of the importance of early detection of breast cancer — Denise’s cancer was detected early, thankfully, and early intervention by Dr. Moy and her colleagues was a significant factor in her survival and health today. “Improving methods of early detection is absolutely vital to curing breast cancer,” Dr. Moy explains. “There are so many more treatment interventions available to us when we catch the cancer early.”
And if the seven years of fundraising via football, and then golf, weren’t enough, Play for a Cure has also put together a team for the Falmouth Road Race for the first time this year, adding to their fundraising to support Dr. Moy.
“As more members of our community are diagnosed with breast cancer, we know this tournament, and now this race, provide a way for them to feel supported and also give them an outlet to take action,” Shane says. “Just like it did for us seven years ago as kids coping with our mom’s cancer diagnosis.”
To learn more about Play for a Cure, click here.
To support breast cancer research at Mass General, click here.
