Massachusetts General Hospital

04/29/2026

The O’Brien-Romano family helps children with autism thrive in school through their philanthropic giving to strengthen educational support services at the Lurie Center for Autism. In the first weeks after their son Ben began kindergarten, Karen O’Brien and Gary Romano felt like they were living through a “crash.” The stress of seeing Ben struggle in his new school environment—and a sinking sense that it wouldn’t be temporary—brought their long-simmering worries to a boiling point.

Ten years later, today feels much brighter for Ben. He is thriving as a freshman in high school, with a voracious love of reading and a zeal for cross-country running. In addition to his hard work over the last decade, for Ben, the game-changers have been his parents’ love, patience and tireless advocacy, strong support at school and the wraparound, expert care he has received at the Lurie Center.

Karen and Gary are delighted and grateful for Ben’s success. Still, they can’t help thinking of how different things could have been for him—and are for so many children with autism. Out of care for families in the autism community struggling with access to information and inclusive learning, they have made significant contributions in recent years to strengthen the Lurie Center’s educational support services. Read more about their story: http://spklr.io/6185EKUXB

The O’Brien-Romano family helps children with autism thrive in school through their philanthropic giving to strengthen educational support services at the Lurie Center for Autism.

04/23/2026

In recognition of , we asked members of our team to reflect on this question: “What is one thing you’d like every family with autism to know?”

04/22/2026

It's ! We're sending a big thank you to the 900+ people who volunteer at our hospital! Your contributions create meaningful change in our patients' lives every day.

04/20/2026

Nothing like the energy of the Boston Marathon 🙌
Out on the course today cheering for the incredible Mass General Marathon Team runners as they go the distance for pediatric cancer, emergency response and Home Base.
Every mile tells a story and every donation makes a difference. There is still time to support their run 💙 http://spklr.io/6183EK1SS

04/17/2026

This Boston Marathon® season we celebrate all the runners, their causes, and the impact they make at Mass General Brigham.

04/16/2026

Dave Penta is running the Boston Marathon in honor of his late wife, Lauren. For three years, Lauren battled glioblastoma at Mass General and Mass General Brigham Cancer Institute, receiving treatment Dave describes as “second to none.”

“The staff were just wonderful. They cared, they listened, they understood, and they made you the most important thing. Having all of that allowed Lauren to spend 100% of her energy on her,” Dave says.

In between the hundreds of trips they took to the hospital, Dave and Lauren never gave up, filling their final years together with what they loved most.

“Before Lauren passed away, I promised her I would run for her, to give back with our daughter cheering me on,” he says.
http://spklr.io/6184EJtvO

04/15/2026

Last June, Jill Hadwen experienced the unimaginable. Her fiancé, Joe Puciloski, was critically injured in a small plane crash and transported to Mass General for emergency care. While Joe ultimately did not survive, Jill is grateful for the kindness and compassion that Joe’s clinicians showed them in his final days. She is running this year’s Boston Marathon to honor Joe’s memory and give back to the place that supported her during some of her most difficult days. http://spklr.io/6184EJtTI

04/14/2026

This Marathon Monday, former Army medical evacuation pilot Will Chung will run the Boston Marathon for Mass General and the very program at Home Base that has given so much to him.

For Will, life in the military was a matter of sinking or swimming. “The military puts a lot of responsibility on young people,” he says. “It’s designed so you either sink, or swim. It rewards people who can swim.”

When he left the military and returned to civilian life, he thought he was okay, that he could simply move on. But when a close mentor and fellow Veteran took his own life, Will reevaluated the price of not asking for help. “It made me question whether I was just suppressing things, and whether one day it would blow up, like a ticking time bomb,” he says. He reached out to Home Base and began seeing a therapist weekly. “It’s no exaggeration to say that Home Base has saved my life,” he says.

“Healthcare in the U.S. is expensive, but Home Base is free,” he says. “Participants don’t pay anything. That money comes from philanthropy, partnerships and fundraising. Contributing in this way feels like a small way to give back. If someone looks at me and thinks everything is fine, but then hears me talk about this, maybe they’ll reconsider assumptions they make about other Veterans. Even if I affect just one person, that’s enough.” http://spklr.io/6189EJooX

04/14/2026

After spending a decade battling chronic kidney disease and five years waiting for a transplant, WBZ / CBS News Boston photojournalist Jared is back in the newsroom, stronger, healthier, and deeply grateful to his coworker Andrea, who donated her kidney.

Andrea made the decision to become a living donor after seeing a story about organ donation. She quietly went through months of testing without telling Jared, determined to help give him a second chance at life. When the transplant finally happened, it marked the beginning of a new chapter for both of them.

But the journey did not come without challenges. Just days after the transplant, Jared faced a serious setback and later underwent open-heart surgery. Through every moment, Andrea was by his side, offering constant support after already giving him such an extraordinary gift.

"It's really remarkable. Going to Mass General and seeing a city within a city—what a well-oiled machine it was. From the check-in to the valet guy to the surgeons. I can't even say enough about how wonderful they were. I was blown away. I have more gratitude for them, that they've figured out how to do this and make it so easy for the donors," Andrea said.

Today, Jared is healing, back at work, and rediscovering a life he once thought was out of reach. Simple things like traveling, going to concerts, and feeling like himself again are finally possible.

His gratitude says it all. “It’s just humbling to think that someone could be that nice.”

More than 90,000 people in the United States are waiting for a kidney transplant. Stories like this are a powerful reminder of how one decision can save a life.

http://spklr.io/6183EJcx7

Four months and five days after WBZ-TV assignment editor Andrea Courtois donated her kidney​ to photojournalist Jared Higginbotham, Jared returned to work.

04/13/2026

04/10/2026

04/09/2026

https://giving.massgeneral.org/stories/inaugural-kraft-prize-opens-doors?cid=dev6713f&utm_medium=1&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=mgb-development&utm_content=us-specific&fbclid=IwdGRjcARGFMFleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEe_5buEt6iA8bLOzQW92V-A36T2dmbe6Jad0PwKYRA7NEnZX4FfEbCOyDEZjE_aem_HH79vfNqNxsqL5GM8OYh3w

The Kraft Prize for Excellence and Innovation in Community Health is helping innovative organizations like ThriveLink make big changes for patients and community members in need.