About this Exhibit
An ongoing project of the Cancer Center, the Wall of Hope was begun and named by the volunteers of The Network for Patients & Families, a peer support program comprised of cancer survivors and their family members.

From the beginning, the Network volunteers wanted to share with others, people's stories of their lives after a cancer diagnosis. By sharing in this way they hoped it would offer people inspiration, support and, of course, hope when they might be feeling most afraid. Perhaps more importantly, through each individual's story the word "hope" becomes defined in a different way.

People's hopes are different and when a person reads a story, each person is looking for something in the story that will speak to them. We all know that sometimes the stories that are the most important, the most poignant, the most giving, are the ones that do not end, "and they all lived happily ever after." No ones life is like that. Each person in the Wall of Hope is there, not because it was certain that they would live, but because of the richness of wisdom, love, courage that was communicated in their story and picture.

The Wall of Hope was developed for the Cancer Center by two-time breast cancer survivor Perry Colmore and photographer Lisa Adelsberger. It is modeled after their book "Living with Breast Cancer," which is also an exhibit managed by the American Cancer Society. Ms. Colmore and Ms. Adelsberger have won several awards for this publication.

The Wall of Hope is supported by a generous grant from The Friends of the MGH Cancer Center. Questions about the Wall of Hope can be directed to:

Sally Hooper, MSW
Co-Director, Cancer Resource Room
Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center
55 Fruit Street
Boston, MA 02114

Angela A.
Diagnosis: Osteosarcoma

Sandy B.
Diagnosis: Adenoid cystic carcinoma of the lacrimal gland with metastasis to the liver

Ric B.
Diagnosis: Poorly differentiated follicular carcinoma (thyroid cancer), Hurthle Cell

Brian F.
Diagnosis: Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

Manny H.
Diagnosis: Prostate cancer

Tom H.
Diagnosis: AML and ALL leukemia

Parween H.
Diagnosis: Infiltrating ductal carcinoma, Stage 3

Win H.
Diagnosis: Stage 3A lung cancer (adenocarcinoma) metastasized to the lymph nodes, diagnosed on 53rd birthday, May 28, 1993.

Elaine J.
Diagnosis: Stage 3 non-small cell lung adenocarcinoma, Nodal recurrence in neck

Nat L.
Diagnosis: Ovarian cancer

Gary L.
Diagnosis: Osteosarcoma in the right arm

Angel M.
Diagnosis: Osteosarcoma in the leg, which had metastasized to the shoulder and lung

Lynne M.
Diagnosis: Neuroblastoma diagnosed at age 17 months

Susan M.
Diagnosis: Hodgkin's disease, Stage II

Brian O.
Diagnosis: Burkitt’s Lymphoma, Stage 4

Susan O.
Diagnosis: Ovarian cancer

Ric P.
Diagnosis: Nasal/Sinus Squamous cell carcinoma

Michael S.
Diagnosis: Primitive Neuroectodermal Brain Tumor

Dorothy W.
Diagnosis: Leiomyosarcoma