In Honor of Kory Frye's Fundraising Page

Thank you for visiting Kory Frye's memorial page to support cancer research and care at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. All donations from this page will be used to fund NUT Carcinoma Research.

SGM Kory Jobe Frye (10/28/1958-10/21/2020) was a loving father, grandfather, and decorated veteran of the Special Forces of the United States Army.  A career soldier, Kory engaged in sensitive operations all over the world.  He left behind his wife and best friend Kim, 5 children, 8 grandchildren and a community of friends and colleagues.  He had an adventurous spirit and a love for the outdoors.  In his younger years he enjoyed mountaineering and skiing, scuba diving and cycling, and he had a lifelong love of fishing, especially fly fishing.  He dreamt of traveling the country with Kim, and catching a fish in each of the 50 states.

Kory first presented with symptoms of respiratory illness on August 6th, 2020.  After some initial screenings, the first indications of cancer came in a CT scan which revealed a 3 cm mass in his left lung.  By the time he received surgery on September 14th the mass had tripled in size and required the removal of his left lung as well as the outer protective layer of his heart.  Although the initial outlook of the surgery was positive for complete removal of the tumor,  the cancer recurred and advanced quickly.  Kory passed away on October 21st, by which time the cancer had spread through his spine and into his liver.  His treatment team at Duke University Hospital was not able to determine the typing of his cancer with certainty, but NUT Carcinoma was considered the most likely candidate.  Samples were sent to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and the family is still awaiting the results.

NUT Carcinoma is a rare, genetically defined, highly aggressive squamous carcinoma. In the United States only 20-30 cases are reported per year.  This is in part because few hospitals have the capacity to make the diagnosis. Additionally, the cancer is resistant to standard chemotherapy treatments.  This twofold problem of difficult diagnoses and resistance to conventional treatments highlights the need for additional research into NUT Carcinoma.  However, targeted molecular treatments tailored to the individual have shown some success in clinical trials  

The family feels that an earlier diagnosis with a greater degree of certainty and an individualized treatment plan may have helped Kory's outcome and it is our hope that, with some additional funding, the treatment and diagnosis of this disease can be made more reliable and more accessible to future patients. We hope that you join us in donating to this cause and we are grateful for your love and support