Team Pisco — Our Story
Three years. One family. One team.
From a routine bloodwork flag to two rounds of cancer, a stem cell transplant, and a one-year scan finally cleared — this is the journey behind Team Pisco.
January 2023
The first sign
Routine bloodwork triggers a referral. What follows is eight months of scans, specialists, biopsies, a surgery, and multiple diagnosis changes — an emotional rollercoaster before there's any clear answer.
September 2023
Diagnosis & chemo begins
The diagnosis finally arrives: an extremely rare lymphoma called Nodular Lymphocyte Predominant Hodgkin Lymphoma. Treatment is six rounds of chemo — one infusion day every three weeks, about four months in total.
Two weeks into treatment, they walk their first Jimmy Fund Walk as Team Pisco — and raise over $50,000 for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, in the middle of chemo. It's money that goes directly to research and patient care — the giving-back half of what becomes Team Pisco's mission.
February 14, 2024
All clear
The final scan comes back clean. Zero cancer remaining. A year of uncertainty ends — and February 14th becomes "Daddy's Cancer Is All Gone Day."
2024
Living fully
A full year follows: travel, concerts, time with the kids that feels earned. Team Pisco does their second Jimmy Fund Walk with family and friends, raising another $40,000 for DFCI. Mike also joins several Dana-Farber volunteer councils, giving back to the place that treated him.
February 2025
Recurrence
A follow-up scan flags something. The cancer is back — more aggressive, with new lesions on his spine.
Six more rounds of chemo follow. A clear PET scan at the end of April confirms a complete response — clearing the way for a transplant.
May – June 2025
Stem cell transplant
Mike is admitted to Brigham and Women's for a stem cell transplant — three weeks inpatient. Day Zero, May 28th, is the day he receives his new stem cells: his new birthday.
At home, Kat is a warrior — managing the household and all three kids on her own, the whole time.
Seven weeks after discharge, Team Pisco rides 186 miles across Massachusetts in the Pan-Mass Challenge, raising another $50,000.
January 2026
6-month scan: clear
The six-month scan comes back clean.
After three Jimmy Fund Walks and their first-ever PMC, Team Pisco has now raised $180,000 for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
Mike leaves his corporate career to focus on Team Pisco and his volunteer work at DFCI full time.
May 16, 2026
Cancer Can't Partnership
Team Pisco officially launches its partnership with Cancer Can't, a local nonprofit providing financial assistance and support to South Shore families navigating a cancer diagnosis.
It's the second arm of what Team Pisco does: raising money for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and helping local families directly.
June 17, 2026
One-year scan: clear
Mike clears the one-year scan — the milestone he didn't reach the first time around. Cancer-free, with a little more mental freedom than he's had in three years. His next scan is January 2027.