May 21, 2021 – Friends and supporters of Danny’s Dream gathered in Longboat Key Saturday, May 15, for the foundation’s annual event to raise funds for pediatric cancer research at the UF Health Cancer Center. Sue and Chuck DiNatale established the Danny Fund in the department of pediatrics at the College of Medicine in honor of their son, Danny. The fund supports UF researchers who are working to find improved treatments for children diagnosed with cancer.

Joanne Lagmay, M.D., an associate professor of hematology/oncology and pediatrics; Elias Sayour, M.D., Ph.D., an assistant professor of neurosurgery and pediatrics; and William Slayton, M.D., chief of the division of pediatric hematology/oncology at the UF College of Medicine, attended the event and spoke to families and friends interested in pediatric cancer research about progress being made at UF Health.

“Danny’s Dream has provided the seed to codify creation of the UF Pediatric Cancer Immunotherapy Initiative, or PCI2, resulting in over $10 million in extramural funding,” Sayour said. “The Danny Fund at UF continues to epitomize what we can achieve together in partnership with the greater Florida community.”

The 135 guests were treated to James Bond-themed evening that featured music and dancing in addition to a silent and live auction.

After their son, Dan, passed away from Ewing’s sarcoma, Sue and Chuck DiNatale of Longboat Key founded Danny’s Dream with the goal of raising funds for pediatric cancer research, so that other children diagnosed with cancer can undergo better treatments and researchers can reach ever closer to a cure. Meet the UF Health physicians and researchers working behind the scenes to make the DiNatales’ dream come true.