Dinner for Herm planned for May 4
Preparations are happily humming along and seats are filling fast for the Dinner for Herm, the biennial event to raise money for immunotherapy research to fight cancers.
“The dinner honors Holland C. Gregg IV, who lost his twenty-six year old life to Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. He fought his way through chemotherapy, radiation treatments and three stem cell transplants over a three year period,” said Patience Brewster Gregg.
After that brutal treatment failed, the Gregg family (Holland, Holly, Patience and Marietta) met Dr. Catherine Bollard, who was conducting clinical trials at the Baylor School of Medicine in Houston. Holland, whose, childhood nickname was “Herm,” entered her trial testing an immunotherapy using trained and enhanced T-cells from his sister, Marietta. He experienced immediate positive results. “Although the fix was brief, we saw the golden potential in this new way to fight blood and lymphatic cancers. It is targeted and efficient without the punishment of chemo and radiation,” said Holly Gregg.
In 2008, the Gregg family, headed by Herm’s uncle Jim, held a fundraiser with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) to raise money to support Cath Bollard’s research. “Since then, with the crucial support of the generous and loving Skaneateles community, we have raised more than half a million dollars, which has gone directly to the Holland C. Gregg IV Research Foundation. Every penny goes through the LLS to Catherine Bollard’s research, now being conducted at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, DC,” said Holly Gregg.
This year’s event will be held at the Skaneateles Country Club on May 4. There will be cocktails, a scrumptious dinner, a silent auction and a rare performance by the Dean Brothers Band. The silent auction will represent long time supporters like Rosalie’s, the Sherwood Inn, Mirbeau, Memoire and Skaneateles Jewelry. It will feature original art by Marlee BrewsterBrockmann, Pipo Brockmann, Patience Brewster and Peggy Manring and hand made jewelry by Michele DaRin and Jill Schwartz. “Our auction really shines with one of a kind items,” said Patience Gregg.
For information, donations and reservations call 315-685-8336.
