Our story
Our story began when Tim Breen lost a dear friend, Ben Weiner, at age 31 to brain cancer in April 2018. Prior to Ben's death, Tim introduced him to Justin Perry, another friend battling a rare form of lung cancer. At the time, Tim anticipated the extent of the relationship between Ben and Justin to amount to nothing more than two guys hanging out with a mutual friend.
What Tim didn’t know was that his introduction had a profound impact on these two men. Ben and Justin began reaching out to one another during some of their darkest moments of treatment to express fear of the unknown, provide support, and encourage one another. The concept was a beautiful one: young people affected by rare diseases simply being there for each other and providing understanding for parts of the fight that loved ones cannot comprehend.
For Justin, this friendship sparked an idea. He and Ben's parents teamed up with Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in Boston, Massachusetts to create a support network for young adults ages 18-39, who face horrific diagnoses with courage and determination. The MGH Cancer Center is at the forefront of innovation in the cancer field, and the work of its clinicians and nurses is remarkable. However, the center lacks support services catered to the unique needs of Adolescent Young Adult (AYA) patients, who have expressed and overwhelming need for them.
Tragically, Justin passed away at age 28 on April 7, 2019. We are continuing to carry out Justin’s dream in his, and Ben’s, honor.
“I have always envisioned this idea of having a group that young adults could turn to after diagnosis. When we lost Ben, my own personal support person, that’s when I got serious about developing a program because I knew I wasn’t the only one dealing with this issue. That’s why Crafts for a Cause is so important - you are helping current and future young adult cancer patients.”