Donor Stories

Davidson bequest advances breast cancer research

Longtime Dana-Farber supporter Polly Davidson carried on her mission to help other patients with a bequest furthering breast cancer research. 

Much like thousands of people everywhere, Polly Davidson was intimately acquainted with cancer during her lifetime. Her young son, Chips, was a leukemia patient and though he tragically succumbed to the disease, Davidson continued to remain involved in the fight against cancer. Having shared her time between Boston and Palm Beach, Fla., Davidson became a staunch advocate for Dana-Farber's Palm Beach Office, where she co-founded the Discovery Ball and organized and attended numerous fundraising events. Her efforts eventually led to her role as a Dana-Farber trustee.

Later in life, when she herself was diagnosed with breast cancer, she took steps to ensure that this mission would live on after she was gone. This was realized following her death in 2003 with the creation of the Polly Davidson Breast Cancer Fund in Memory of Chips Tagle, a $150,000 bequest that is set to advance Dana-Farber's Women's Cancers Program.

"My mother had great respect for the researchers at Dana-Farber and was grateful to see their continual progress in fighting the disease," said Jackie Ralston, Davidson's daughter. "This was her way of ensuring that the research would continue until a cure for breast cancer is found."

This fund will support Davidson's physician, Eric Winer, MD, director of the Breast Oncology Center at Dana-Farber, and his team as they look for more effective treatments and possible cures for the disease.

"Mrs. Davidson was a longtime supporter of Dana-Farber", said Winer. "This generous gift will be used to identify new treatment approaches for women with advanced breast cancer, with the hope that any findings will ultimately be used to prevent recurrences."

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