$300,000 Gift to MGH Highlights Julie Fund Commitment to Finding Ovarian Cancer Cure

Wellesley, MA -- The Julie Fund for Women’s Cancers recently announced the donation of $300,000, The Julie Fund’s largest gift ever, to Massachusetts General Hospital’s (MGH) Center for Gynecologic Oncology. In partnership with Michael Birrer, MD, PhD, Director of Gynecologic Oncology for MGH, The Julie Fund has raised over $3.5 million for early detection, personalized therapy and testing, patient support, and education.

The Julie Fund for Women’s Cancers was founded in 2004 to honor the memory of Julie Paige McAvinn. Julie died just four months after being diagnosed at the age of 40 with undetected Stage Four ovarian cancer; she left behind her husband Peter and three young children. While undergoing treatment in 2003, Julie outlined the mission for The Julie Fund: help fund medical research, directly provide non-medical financial support to patients and their families, and subsidize educational programs.

“The vast majority of clinical trial are not funded by the National Institute of Health, so investigators must engage the support of partners like The Julie Fund in order to run trials,” said Birrer. “The financial support of The Julie Fund is absolutely critical for our research and for helping to support our patients.”

Eleven years after founding The Julie Fund for Women’s Cancers, President Peter McAvinn’s resolve is stronger than ever. “We live in Boston, the city with the best medical care in the world, and Julie was completely unaware of the signs of cancer, particularly ovarian cancer. Awareness of the risks and warning signs of women’s cancers continue to be significantly lacking.”

Staying true to its original mission, The Julie Fund continues to work with MGH and other organizations such as Ovations for the Cure to advance the treatment options for women with cancer and support the women and their families.