Dateline DFCI
Long-awaited World Series trophy shines at Dana-Farber
Dana-Farber patients of all ages credited the exciting championship run by the Boston Red Sox last year for helping them get through the challenges of treatment. So when Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield came to the Institute with the World Series trophy in hand one cold December morning, it was an especially exhilarating moment for all — including DFCI staff.
Stephanie Jean, 17, was thrilled when Tim Wakefield (and the World Series trophy) visited her in a Jimmy fund Clinic infusion room.
First surprising youngsters in the Jimmy Fund Clinic, then moving on to the adult infusion rooms, Wakefield posed for photos with the coveted prize and chatted with dozens of individuals and families. Long one of the most generous Red Sox players toward Dana-Farber and its Jimmy Fund (the team's official charity), he waited as each person — including babies held up by their parents — touched the brass and pewter trophy representing an 86-year championship quest by the team.
"She needed this," Kathy Scott said of her 17-year-old daughter Mckenzie Freeman, a leukemia patient. "She was so depressed coming in here today, knowing the chemo would probably knock her out through Christmas, but she's happy now."
