2026 Recipients
Please scroll down to read all the stories of our amazing & inspiring recipients
Jessica Twombly
Middletown, MA
I am 38 years old and am a mother of an 18-year-old son, Jay, and a 16-year-old daughter, Sophia. I am married and live in Middleton, MA. I’ve been a nurse for 15 years and have never imagined I would be the patient.
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I have always been very active and had an occasional burning feeling in my chest for months. I had never had a mammogram and had no family history of cancer. In May 2025, I was shocked to find out I have stage 2 ER+, HER2- invasive ductal carcinoma with DCIS in my left breast, with 3 lymph nodes involved and extranodal involvement. Along with this, I learned I have a genetic mutation, BRIP1, which is commonly linked to ovarian cancer.
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At the same time, my grandmother was diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer and shares this mutation with me. She had all 5 tumors removed and is recovering.
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In July, I underwent a double mastectomy and had 6 rounds of chemotherapy. I am currently being treated with external beam radiation for 7 weeks. I will have my ovaries and fallopian tubes removed in May and final reconstruction in August 2026.
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It has been challenging to stay positive throughout my journey. I was out of work for 6 months due to treatment and have finally returned on a reduced schedule. I enjoy caring for patients and not the other way around. My treatment team at Lahey Clinic has been extraordinary, and I know I am receiving the best care possible.
Thank you for your assistance.​
Theresa Woodbury
Byfield, MA
I’m a mom of two amazing boys, a wife to an incredible husband, a daughter to the best mom, a sister to the most supportive sisters, and a friend to anyone who needs someone.
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Unfortunately, in 2023 I added lung cancer fighter to my list of who I am. And in 2025 I added LMD fighter. Never in a million years did I think that this would be the path my life would take. But here I am, fighting every day for my life with my boys, husband, mom, sisters, and friends by my side.
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I worked for the first several years of my diagnosis, but recently decided that I needed to retire because my symptoms have increased. I worked for the past 20 years as the Director of a senior center. I officially “retired” in October 2025.
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In my free time I enjoy baseball, knitting, and reading. As a family we love watching the Red Sox, going on adventures, and hanging out with friends.
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I have been in active treatment for the past three years. Since then I have met so many amazing people in the lung cancer community that I have joined in advocating for changes in lung cancer screening as well as funding for research.
Chelsea Paone
West Warwick, RI
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My name is Chelsea Paone and I am 37 years old. My journey with leukemia started on 11/14/24. I have gone through 9 spinal taps with chemo, 3 rounds of regular chemo, and 2 rounds of immunotherapy (which I keep having bad reactions to), and I need at least one more round consisting of four weeks. I am also on a daily medication to fight the cancer. I have had PICC lines and now currently have a port.
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Both of my children asked if they could write about my journey through their eyes. My son, Charlie, is 17 and my daughter, Avery, is 15. They truly are my reason to get up and fight every day, even on the days I don’t feel like it. I also have a partner I’ve been with for 5 years who has helped me through a lot of this, and an amazing bonus daughter, Kinsley.
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“Last year my mom was diagnosed with leukemia. At that time, I didn’t know how to take that, and neither did my mom. The hardest thing for me is seeing how my mom got put up for the biggest challenge of her life. She started chemotherapy a couple months after she was diagnosed, and seeing her down and out was extremely painful. Seeing her struggle on the couch after those treatments was heartbreaking, and even though she would be down and out, she would always still find a way to make me and my sister happy. My mom is the bravest and strongest person I’ve ever met. She has been my inspiration since the beginning. My mom has taught me right from wrong, and I don’t know where I’d be without her.” – Charlie
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“When my mom first got diagnosed, it felt like everything had paused. It felt like a weight got put on my chest, knowing my mom has to go through something like that after seeing my best friend’s mom already go through it. The journey of seeing her struggle and fight for her life has been so hard. She has fought for her life so hard, and she still isn’t done, but she has done it all for us, for me and my brother. She has made sure to be there for us no matter what. It didn’t matter if she had just gone through chemo or was going through it, she made sure to be there if she could. My life will never go back to how it was, but that’s okay. Because I know no matter what, my mom will always be there for me, and we will always be there for her.” – Avery
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