Lahey Hospital News

The Lahey Cancer Institute 5K Walk & Run went virtual to protect public health, but that didn’t stop more than 50 teams and nearly 500 people from raising more than $200,000 to enhance cancer care and support patients across the five Lahey Cancer Institute hospitals and outpatient treatment facilities.

Lahey Medical Center, Peabody, can now serve more patients thanks to a $1.2 million gift that allows physicians to perform urologic endoscopic procedures that previously could only be done in Burlington.

Instead of making a list of gifts he wanted for his 18th birthday, Adam asked his closest friends and family to contribute to the Lahey Healthcare Heroes Emergency Response Fund in his father’s  honor.

“We take care of patients wherever they are, whenever they need us, using whatever technology they may have,” said Sheri Keitz, MD, PhD. “Starting up telehealth was a moral imperative. We were literally saving lives by keeping our patients home, keeping providers safe from unnecessary exposure to the virus, and conserving personal protective equipment (PPE).”

Only nine months into their marriage, Joe was diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer that had metastasized to his liver. He credits the care he received at the Lahey Cancer Institute with saving his life. And now, Joe and Nicole are rallying their family and friends to join them in raising money and running the Lahey Cancer Institute 5K Walk & Run.

Staff from the operating room and other units are pitching in to help in the Emergency Department and Intensive Care Units (ICU) at Lahey Hospital & Medical Center during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sean Hurley, CRNA, says the teamwork he has seen in the ICU is an inspiration during what has been a tough time for so many.

Seeing your loved one for the last time and having that last conversation is an important part of the grieving process. Marilyn MacIntosh almost didn’t get to see her brother, Bob, one last time before he succumbed to COVID-19. But thanks to a donation of 50 iPads to Lahey Hospital & Medical Center from CDW Healthcare, she was able to say goodbye.

Patient care has completely changed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Not just on the front lines of the outbreak, but for social workers and therapists, too. Mary Bazylewicz, LICSW, is a licensed social worker in Lahey Hospital & Medical Center’s Department of General Internal Medicine. In this time of social distancing, she has had to provide therapy via telehealth. 

Every day, Sam and Caroline Brabeck ask their father about his day at work. David Brabeck, MD, a physician at Lahey Hospital & Medical Center, has been on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, and his daughters could see that the long days were tiring, not just for their dad, but for the patients, too. They started a poster campaign to brighten people’s days, and it took off.