Founders of EZ-ERC Support The Willie Fund in Honor of William Finigan for his One-Year Anniversary

December 21, 2021

EZ-ERC, LLC. shows support for The Willie Fund at this year’s 50th Anniversary of Falmouth Road Race by making a $10k donation and announcing that they will match all donations made through the end of August 2022.

The Willie Fund was started by Casey Finigan Dettman, co-founder and CMO of EZ-ERC, in honor of her father, William “Willie” Finigan, who passed away on August 26th, 2021 from Squamous Cell Carcinoma, a type of Head and Neck Cancer. Today marks one year since his death.

The foundation works directly with the hospital that treated Willie, Mass Eye and Ear Infirmary, which is part of MassGeneral-Brigham in Boston, Massachusetts, and the dedicated doctors who treated Willie, allocating all donations specifically to help fund further research for Squamous Cell Carcinoma Cancer. The hope is to ultimately find a cure so that no one has to lose their loved one as young and as sudden as they did Willie.

Mass Eye and Ear is ranked as the top hospital in New England for Eye and Ear, Nose and Throat Care. Mass Eye and Ear and Massachusetts General Hospital, members of Mass General Brigham, have been recognized by U.S. News & World Report in the 2022-2023 “Best Hospitals” rankings with the no. 4 ranking for ophthalmology (eye care) and no. 4 ranking in otolaryngology (ear, nose and throat care). The departments, shared across both hospitals, are no. 1 in New England for the 32nd year in a row, since the rankings were first established in 1990.

In a January article featured on Mass Eye & Ear’s website, Willie’s long-time oncologist speaks about the Foundation; “We are so grateful to Casey and the entire family for establishing the Willie Fund to raise funds for head and neck cancer research at Mass Eye and Ear,” said Dr. Deschler. “This is a truly wonderful way to honor his amazing strength, perseverance and positivity in the face of this awful disease and provide the path for making a lasting difference in the future care of head and neck cancer patients.”

On January 5th, Casey announced through social media that The Willie Fund had made their first donation to Mass Eye & Ear for $64,582.08, which was raised in just over 3 months. That number has since risen to over $76,000 in 2 months and 2 days
shy of one year since The Willie Fund was publicly announced and 1 year since the world lost “Willie”.

Related Blog

Mass Eye and Ear Honored as a Top Hospital for Eye and Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) Care in “Best Hospitals” Rankings

Mass Eye and Ear Honored as a Top Hospital for Eye and Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) Care in “Best Hospitals” Rankings

U.S. News & World Report 2024-2025 “Best Hospitals” survey ranks Mass Eye and Ear #4 in nation for Ophthalmology and…

Read More
Willie’s son-in-law, Kenny Dettman, runs for him in the 50th Annual Falmouth Road Race: The meaning  behind “Running for Willie”

Willie’s son-in-law, Kenny Dettman, runs for him in the 50th Annual Falmouth Road Race: The meaning behind “Running for Willie”

The first photo was taken on August 10th 1997, the day I watched my dad- “Willie”- run (and finish!) the…

Read More
April is Esophageal Cancer Awareness Month

April is Esophageal Cancer Awareness Month

April is Esophageal Cancer Awareness Month. One of the most common forms of esophageal cancer is squamous cell carcinoma. Casey…

Read More

Get Involved