On Monday evening, Academy Award winner Matt Damon, hailing from Cambridge, Massachusetts, took a break from Hollywood to showcase his culinary skills in Boston. Damon partnered with renowned Iron Chef Ming Tsai for the event dubbed “Cooking Live Boston,” dedicated to raising funds for families affected by cancer.
The event featured a lineup of distinguished chefs from across Boston and aimed to support Family Reach, a national nonprofit organization committed to assisting families struggling with the financial demands of cancer treatment.
Ming Tsai emphasized the critical financial strain many families face, stating, “Your financial position in this world will determine if you actually can survive cancer. That’s obviously a broken system, which we can’t fix, but Family Reach, back then, was kind of the Band-Aid, sending checks directly to the mortgage, to the car payments, to everything.”
Damon shared his personal connection to the cause, reflecting on his family’s own battle with cancer. “We went through our own cancer battle in our family, with my dad. I thought often about this organization, because we were one of the lucky families that had the resources to handle all of that other stuff, and I can’t imagine, with the level of fear and trauma that kind of accompanies that journey,” he said.
Among those who have benefitted from Family Reach’s support is Raquel, a mother who faced tremendous challenges when her son Mikalo was diagnosed with leukemia at just 18 months old. Raquel described their experience, saying, “We were in a very desperate situation where we were indefinitely in the hospital until he got his bone marrow transplant. During that time, I had lost our home. It was, again, very difficult financially, and it took a huge toll … Family Reach kind of stepped in and helped subsidize a rent for us for an entire year.”
Now 18 years old and in good health, Mikalo recollected his difficult past, saying, “The amount of medicine I needed to take, too. It was really hard, and I don’t like reflecting on it, but it’s alright, because other people need to hear this, for sure.”
Mikalo and Raquel are now dedicated to giving back to others facing similar struggles. Raquel highlighted the dire financial choices that families face, noting, “There is a direct correlation to financial need and relapse. Choosing between medication or putting food on your table.”
For Chef Tsai, success transcends awards and accolades; it lies in making a measurable difference in the lives of those in need. “The definition of success is actually this: That you can make a difference in someone’s life that impactfully,” he stated.
Tsai has already been instrumental in raising over $13 million for Family Reach, enabling families nationwide to concentrate on recovery instead of financial burdens. For these families, the prospect of support and hope represents the most valuable ingredient in their fight against cancer.
