Kate & Joe O'Donnell: Honoring the Past, Building a Future

Breaking Through

Kate O'Donnell never met her brother Joey--he died of cystic fibrosis a few months before she was born. Soon after Joey died in 1986, Kate’s parents, Joe and Kathy, celebrated his memory by starting the Joey Fund and dedicated their lives to the search for a cure. As Kate grew up, the memory of her brother was the impetus for her to get involved, too. Along with her sister, Casey, Kate now runs the Joey Fund. Her day job is Assistant Director, Student and Young Alumni Engagement at Harvard Business School, where she harnesses her people skills on a daily basis.

Joe O'Donnell is a one-of-a kind leader and an extraordinary champion in the fight against CF, helping to raise hundreds of millions of dollars in support of CF research. He’s also a Beantown legend--a serial entrepreneur, a philanthropist, and one of the "people who runs Boston", as named by Boston Magazine. A tough businessman, Joe nonetheless has an optimistic outlook on the future of CF research. We caught up with the dad-daughter duo to talk about Joey's legacy and their hopes for the coming years.

You can learn more about the O'Donnell family and The Joey Fund at JoeyFund.org.