News Room
Every day at BIDMC, our donors make a difference in the lives of patients and their families. Here is the latest in fundraising news at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
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Electrical therapy helps inventor swallow, featured on WCVB Channel 5 News
BOSTON – Robert Rines, PhD, has never been deterred by the critics. The 86-year-old inventor spent three decades gathering evidence to prove the existence of the Loch Ness Monster, enduring sharp criticism from fellow scientists. But as he was preparing for his next trip to Scotland, Rines suffered a stroke in March 2007 that left him unable to swallow. He was told that he would be feeding tube reliant. That’s when this inventor decided to take a chance on a relatively new invention…neuromuscular electrical stimulation. When Dr. Rines and his wife, Joanne Hayes-Rines, found out that the therapy had lost its funding before trials could be finished, they decided to donate the money needed to not only reinstate, but also expand the program with a philanthropic gift.
Click here for press release.
Click here to view video.
BIDMC patient and brain cancer survivor finds "A Reason to Ride"
DANVERS – Attempting a 50-mile bike ride can be a daunting task for your average healthy person, but for Peabody resident Tom DesFosses, it could mean life or death. Diagnosed with primary CNS lymphoma, a cancerous brain tumor, more than four and a half years ago, DesFosses proved his determination to beat the disease with “A Reason to Ride,” a bicycle ride along the North Shore on Sunday, September 7, 2008. The bike ride raised awareness and funds for cancer research at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center More specifically, the proceeds go to the Dr. Eric Wong’s Brain Tumor Research Fund and the Dr. Lewis Cantley’s General Cancer Research Fund, the two BIDMC doctors DesFosses credits with saving his life. His solo effort in 2007 raised more than $15,000, and while fundraising totals are not yet final, with this year's ride DesFosses has established an event that will run year after year and get more people involved.
Click here for event information, to make a gift, or to register.
Click here for The Daily Item of Lynn story.
Click here for The Salem News story.
Click here to view event photos.
"Sisters" take steps to fight ovarian cancer
STONEHAM – On September 6, 2008, more than 170 people participated in the second annual Sisters Against Ovarian Cancer walk, Step Up and Break the Silence.
Walkers and family members gathered at the Stone Zoo in Stoneham, MA, in specially designed T-shirts to raise awareness and funds for BIDMC's Dr. Stephen Cannistra and his Ovarian Cancer Research Fund.
Sisters Against Ovarian Cancer (SAOC) is a charitable organization founded to raise awareness regarding ovarian cancer, educate those at risk, and fund research for life-saving screening and treatment programs. Founded in 2007, the Step Up and Break the Silence walk enjoyed a dramatic increase in participation this year, with more than 170 registered walkers—40 of whom registered the day of the event.
The 2008 walk raised over $50,000 for the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund of Dr. Stephen Cannistra, MD, BIDMC's Director of Gynecologic Medical Oncology.
Click here to view the SAOC Web site and to make a gift.
Click here to read more from a patient benefitting from the walk.
