Hingham Cancer Survivor Helps a Classmate in Need

Hingham High School Senior Robert Danis knows cancer all too well.  So when a fellow classmate was recently diagnosed, Danis was one of the first to lend a helping hand.

Just several weeks ago, Danis was sitting in his classroom at Hingham High when he witnessed other students walking to the nurse’s office crying. The next class, he heard kids whispering and heard the term cancer and found out that

For Danis, this is something he can relate to. Back in June of  2009, during his summer vacation after his first year of high school, Danis was diagnosed with Stage V Acute Lymphoblastic Lymphoma.

Being a healthy 15-year-old kid at the time of diagnosis,  cancer had snuck up on him. He had just come back from a hike in New Mexico and  had trouble breathing and he  attributed it to the altitude difference.  But little did he know, it was because a tumor had collapsed his left lung and he was only using one lung to breathe. Little did he know that his weight would eventually drop to as low as 106 pounds, and that he almost needed a feeding tube to eat. Little did he know he would lose his hair, and miss a large amount of school. Little did he know he would have to fight to survive.

After years of radiation, surgery and chemotherapy, Danis received a clean bill of health this past September and ever since his  fight with cancer, he has made a promise to battle it outside of the hospital as well. 

In the last two years, he has participated in the Jimmy Fund Telethon and the Pan Mass Challenge and when he heard the news of Gordon, he knew he had to help.  

“[Cancer] opened my eyes to a new side of things," Danis said.  “I always hear about how many people have cancer and all those statistics, but you don’t really think about it that much until it strikes you personally.

I’ve been talking to James about what he is going through.  This is the first person who is close to me that is going through cancer since being diagnosed, so I was trying to think what he is going through.”

Danis and his friend and classmate Matt Blomberg first acted by changing their senior project to raise funds for Gordon and his family.  The two 18-year-old seniors had originally planned to raise money for the Lymphoma and Leukemia Society but since seeing a classmate battle cancer, they knew they had to change their project and try to rally the community around James.

Danis and Blomberg have organized a community fundraiser for the Gordon Family Trust Fund to raise money to help James’s family pay for his medical conditions along with his 2-year-old sister, Jennavive’s Downs Syndrome which also requires extensive therapies.

This Sunday, May 6, Danis and Blomberg will hold a walk for James Gordon  at at 5:30 p.m. followed by an auction and cookout sponsored by Wahlburgers at nearby Lynch Field.

The cookout will serve hotdogs donated by Hingham Chef Paul Wahlberg of and the auction will feature donated prizes which includes Red Sox tickets, two kayak rentals from EMS on Lincoln Street, a three month membership and one hour training session from in Hingham, sporting goods from in Hingham, a gift basket from and many more prizes.

Sunday’s event is free but Danis and Blomberg do ask for a suggested donation of $10.

The two seniors have also been selling red wristbands created by Gordon’s hockey teammate, Stephan White.  The bracelets say, “JG 17 Pride” in remembrance of  the Hingham hockey captain’s jersey  number.

Danis and Blomberg have also visited the Hingham Middle School to sell the bracelets to 6th, 7th and 8th graders while the bracelets have also been sold at the High School cafeteria.

The two seniors, who are both looking to study sports management in college, have also spent hours going from business to business asking for donations to help their friend.

Danis has known James Gordon since Middle School and has become closer to him this year during a class they shared together.

Since Gordon had been diagnosed with testicular cancer, Danis has offered encouraging words to his friend. Danis has messaged him on Facebook and told him to stay positive. Two weeks ago, he visited him and was glad to know he was in good spirits despite his hair loss due to chemotherapy.

“I just finished going through something like this, and I know what he is going to go through,” Danis said.  “I know the next year of his life will be really rough.”

To donate to Danis and Blomberg’s efforts, please contact Danis by emailing him at, robdanis219@yahoo.com.  Any donations will benefit the Gordon Family Trust Fund.