New Cancer Clinic At Tufts To Bear Reid Sacco's Name

Tufts Medical Center in Boston is now home of the Reid R. Sacco Adolescent & Young Adult Clinic for Cancer and Blood Diseases, according to an announcement from the family over the weekend.

Reid Sacco was a Lynnfield resident who graduated from Lynnfield High School in 2003 and died of cancer at the age of 20. An annual memorial bike ride, Reid’s Ride, raises money for children’s cancer research in his memory each July.

According to the family’s announcement, the new clinic at Tufts is the first of its kind to focus on the adolescent and young adult age group, and it is scheduled to open later this summer under the direction of Dr. Susan Parsons. The clinic, to be located on the seventh floor of the Tufts Cancer Center, will help patients gain access to clinical trials and research studies and provide expertise in life cycle transitions and developmental tasks, said the announcement. 

“We are immensely fortunate to have Dr. Parsons leading this program. She is an amazing physician and researcher, who has an astounding and long-standing passion about the plight of AYA patients,” said the family’s announcement.

Along with the clinic, the family also announced the establishment of the Reid R. Sacco Adolescents & Young Adults Fund, which will support the development of educational initiatives for patients and caregivers. “This initiative will ultimately incorporate the Clinic in the Medical Oncology Fellowship Program in order to develop core competency in this area," explained the announcement The combination of the clinic and the fund will comprise the Reid R. Sacco Adolescents & Young Adults Program at Tufts Medical Center.

“This clinic and program are incredible milestones in the journey we've all taken together to make something positive happen out of the sacrifices that Reid made in his battle and death to cancer,” said the famiy’s announcement.

“This clinic and program address all of the elements of the mission we set forth more than seven years ago: To improve awareness, advocacy, access to clinical trials, clinical & scientific research, and education (of caregivers, patients, and families).   All these mission elements are critical to realizing our Vision of seeing that day when cancers in this age group are routinely curable.”