Lionel and Marilyn Lumaghini Family Fund for Cholangiocarcinoma Research.'s Fundraising Page

Welcome to our page! Please take a few minutes with me and travel along our path.  I first met this guy, my high school friend and sweetheart, who later became my husband. The journey has been extraordinary, with many twists and turns. Along this path we were blessed with 3 wonderful, dynamic children and 7 beautiful grandchildren.  In early spring of 2017, life threw us a curve ball, we received the worst possible news. Lionel at the age of 64 was diagnosed with cancer. A metastatic cholangiocarcinoma. This rare bile duct cancer was festering in his body with little to no symptoms. Through genomic sequencing technology.  Dr. Thomas Abrams matched Lionel to a breast cancer therapy. During the 16 months of various treatments, Lionel never complained. He relentlessly and courageously fought a good fight right up to his last days. Lionel's hope is to help someone else facing bile duct cancer in the future.

Biliary cancers, including cancer of the bile duct and gallbladder, are in desperate need of more robust funding to further the research to advance, early detection, diagnosis, and treatment for patients like Lionel. Federal funding designated to biliary cancer research is less than $1,000 per patient. As a result of genomic sequencing capabilities, there is a major effort to expand precision medicine: identifying the right therapy for the right patient at the right time, but biliary cancer researchers need additional funding to do so.

This is the reason why Lionel and I (Marilyn) Lumaghini pledged  $100,000, to partner with Dr. Thomas Abrams, Dr. James Cleary and their team of investigators to expand genomic sequencing for patients with biliary cancers and further investigate new therapeutic strategies by establishing the Lionel andMarilyn Lumaghini Family Fund for Cholangiocarcinoma Research.  Approximately 200 patients with biliary cancer have received genomic sequencing, a test that reveals the genetic makeup of a patient’s tumor, informs a personalized treatment strategy, and contributes significantly to research. Genomic sequencing is completely covered by philanthropy, such as the Lumaghini Research Fund

This Jimmy Fund page are additional funds directed to help provide assistance for patients.  It will assist doctors and researchers in their treatment and identify alternative therapeutic approaches if the patient's cancer becomes resistant to current treatment methods, like Lionel's did. Personalized medicine for the individual patient.

Please join us by making a contribution to this fund. Be a part of history in advancing research in cholangiocarcinoma. No gift is too small.  We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your support. You can make a gift online or by check payable to Dana Farber and memo Lumaghini Family Fund. Mail to Dana Farber Cancer Institute Attn: Angelle Kettlewell 10Brookline Place West, 6th Floor, Brookline, MA 02445