Scott Faktor's Fundraiser
In Memory of Donna Faktor
A supporter of Scott Faktor
I donated in support of this campaign.
HIGHLAND Financial Advisors, LLC
I donated in support of this campaign.
$548
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Edward Leach
I donated in support of this campaign.
$250
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Reed Fraasa
"In honor of Donna Faktor. Congrats on your retirement, Scott."
$250
A supporter of Scott Faktor
I donated in support of this campaign.
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Sam Evoy
"The Faktor's are such a loving and welcoming family. Donna's light continues to shine through her kids and everyone else who was lucky to meet her"
$200
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Mark Daaleman
"Donna was an amazing person. We are sorry to just learn of her passing"
$300
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Marci Tavasi
"With sympathy and love"
$300
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Wornow Family
I donated in support of this campaign.
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Allison Charles
I donated in support of this campaign.
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Michelle Brindle
I donated in support of this campaign.
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James Gildea
I donated in support of this campaign.
$50
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Adrian Pastore
"Donated in honor of Kim Forde's 50th birthday. "
$50
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Nancy Dunne
"In loving memory of a very special friend. With love from Dick and Nancy Dunne"
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Kim & Patrick Forde
"Donna was a true light -- an incredibly special person with an incredibly special family. We love you, Faktors!"
A supporter of Scott Faktor
I donated in support of this campaign.
$100
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HIGHLAND Financial Advisors, LLC
I donated in support of this campaign.
$500
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Edward Leach
I donated in support of this campaign.
$250
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Blair Damico
I donated in support of this campaign.
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Joyce and Steve Wegbreit
"Donna was so special to us, we loved her so much. She truly was the most special zebra"
$100
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Jane Herman
"I was so sad to learn of Donna's passing. May her memory be a blessing to her family and to all those whose lives she touched."
$36
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Carolyn Taylor
"We thought about sweet Donna at our FHS reunion last night. God bless her beautiful family "
$25
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Mike Halloran
I donated in support of this campaign.
$100
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florie gold
"In loving memory of a truly wonderful, strong, AMAZING, brave woman - Donna Faktor. With much love, Florie & Bob"
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Carol & Howard Koransky
"To honor Donna, a wonderful and warm person. "
$250
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Ann and Layne Oliff
"In memory of Donna. She was a great person and will be missed."
$250
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Andrew Small
I donated in support of this campaign.
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Nancy, Howard and Danny Wolf
"Sending our deepest condolences. Nancy, Howard, and Danny Wolf"
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Henry Zelikovsky
"Hope this small donation will be of some help in the everlasting battle against cancer."
$500
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Katie DeMasi
I donated in support of this campaign.
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Hannah St. Lifer Rosenberg
I donated in support of this campaign.
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Jason Lipschutz
"Donna is the best, her spirit with us always. Much love to the Faktor family, and glad to help those with ROS1 through Donna's memory."
$1,000
Our mom, wife, and friend Donna Faktor embraced being a zebra, the term doctors use for a rare and unexpected disease like ROS1. After her diagnosis, in November, 2019, Donna acquired every zebra-print item on the market: zebra socks, zebra shoes, zebra pants, zebra skirts, zebra dresses, zebra shirts, zebra sweaters, zebra hats, zebra scrunchies, zebra pencils, zebra pens, zebra notepads, zebra pushpins, zebra pictures. She somehow found a zebra ironing board cover. If you knew Donna, you know this was very her. Faced with a terrible disease, and in more pain than she ever let on, she gave everyone else something to rally around, to laugh about, and to look fabulous in. She approached lung cancer the way she did everything: with bravery, warmth, humor, and incredible selflessness. Donna passed away, on March 5th, two weeks before her 59th birthday and two weeks after she stood up, for the last time, at her daughter’s living-room wedding. Afterward, her zebra dazzle asked how it could honor her; her family would recommend a donation to ROS1ders, which was a profoundly important lifeline for her and so many others.
ROS1ders, foremost, supports the medical breakthroughs that gave us more time with Donna. At first, Donna used a regimen of targeted treatments: pills—many of which didn’t exist several years ago—instead of more invasive or more toxic therapies. These drugs offer hope that, soon, our loved ones will be able to live with the disease for a long, long time. Some already do. For Donna, there were never two good scans in a row. One treatment plan never worked for long. The ROS1ders helped her find new second-and third-line options. It helped her family connect with the best ROS1 doctors in the world. It also provided an idea of what to expect with each treatment combination and how to manage symptoms and side effects. It gave her community, emotional support, and hope. Even with an expanding series of treatment options, navigating lung cancer requires immense amounts of time and resources. It is mentally and physically exhausting. ROS1ders’ gift is to make the process intelligible, manageable, and compassionate.
In our eyes, Donna was a zebra not because of her disease but because of how rare and special her love of life and of so many others was. We know that for her, there’d be no higher honor than to help grant long and happy lives to her fellow zebras.