In 2013, when the late Paul Emmett was diagnosed with bile duct cancer, he and his wife, Geri, had many concerns—for his health, their three children, their family business, and organizations they supported in their Florida community.

When Paul’s doctors said his biliary tumor was untreatable, his longtime friend Larry Lucchino, former CEO of the Boston Red Sox and two-time cancer survivor, recommended Paul see Thomas Clancy, MD, FACS, a surgical oncologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH).

“Dr. Clancy and his care team extended Paul’s life by 18 months,” says Geri. “That extra time allowed Paul to share his hopes for our family, employees, and community.”

One of Paul’s hopes was to continue his support of numerous organizations after his death. The Duffy’s Foundation, established in 2015 and named after the family’s Duffy’s Sports Grill restaurant chain, carries on charitable giving in Paul’s honor.

To celebrate Paul’s lifelong legacy of helping others, the foundation pledged $100,000 to establish the Paul Corbin Emmett and Duffy’s Foundation Fund for biliary cancer research at BWH.

“Biliary tumors are among the most challenging cancers to treat because diagnoses often happen too late,” Geri says. “We want to help Dr. Clancy tackle this disease.”

The gift enables Clancy to analyze tissue samples to identify genetic mutations in bile duct cancer—which could foster earlier diagnoses and better treatments.

“Dr. Clancy is my hero,” Geri says. “We hope this gift helps him push the field forward and save lives.”