On a bright November morning at City of Hope® Orange County, 112 people gathered in matching blue T-shirts, some laughing through tears, others holding hands. Friends, family and co-workers had come from eight states with one purpose: to celebrate the life of Lee Ann Elway McCarthy and walk in her name.
Like so many volunteers across City of Hope’s five locations — Los Angeles, Orange County, Phoenix, Chicago and Atlanta — father and daughter Tony McCarthy and Kylee Modoc did not plan to become part of this community. Their journey began on a road no family wants to travel: a pancreatic cancer diagnosis.
Lee Ann Elway McCarthy was diagnosed on Jan. 13, 2025, five years to the day that her own mother received the same diagnosis. Pancreatic cancer is relatively rare, but it’s one of the deadliest cancers. “Lee Lee,” as her friends called her — Kylee’s vibrant mother, Tony’s loving wife, a committed grandma, registered nurse, thrower of parties and knitter extraordinaire — passed away at age 66 just months later, on April 8.
Shock and Sadness Turn to Gratitude
For Tony and Kylee and the rest of their family, the fog of loss rolled in thick and dark. “It was a very intense few months when she was sick, and we had a little bit of fallout with the shock,” says Kylee. “We were struggling with where and how and what to do for her celebration of life or memorial service.”
But one thing stood out to both father and daughter: the uniqueness of the care Lee Ann received from her team at City of Hope Orange County, particularly from her oncologist Pashtoon Kasi, M.D., M.S, medical director of GI Medical Oncology.
“When Lee Ann was diagnosed, Dr. Kasi gave her something priceless from his heart,” Tony says. “He gave her individualized, highly elevated, personal and compassionate care. We never felt rushed to leave a meeting with him.”
Kylee agrees, “He said a couple of things I’ll never forget. He said, ‘I’ll throw every lifeline I have available out to you.’ And he delivered on that by giving her a chair in the infusion room that afternoon. I don’t think it was even a two-hour wait.”
Dr. Kasi’s words to Lee Ann reflect a larger truth at City of Hope. For more than 110 years, volunteers, donors, researchers and clinicians have worked to defeat cancer and diabetes — dedicated to finding lifelines. It’s a place where both empathy and leading-edge science move forward together. From the parking attendants to the infusion room, everyone treated Lee Ann with remarkable humanity, something Tony and Kylee say was largely missing from care they pursued elsewhere.
A Celebration to Remember
It was Dr. Kasi’s kindness to Lee Ann that meant so much to Tony and Kylee, but it was his research that gave them the focus they sought in the months that followed Lee Ann’s passing. In addition to his clinical role, Dr. Kasi is a research scientist whose team is at the forefront of advancing the genomics of pancreatic cancer and developing personalized therapies.
“We only learned of his research after she died,” Tony shares. “It came up in the context of asking him, ‘What can we do to help you because you helped us so much?’”
The answer came in the form of Walk for Hope, City of Hope’s annual, family-friendly fundraiser supporting cancer research, treatment and education. The Orange County walk, now in its second year, would take place Nov. 2.
“We decided to have Mom’s memorial service the day before so out-of-towners could come to both events, see the facility and support the cause,” says Kylee. Every dollar raised would go to cancer research and care at City of Hope.
The celebration would be right up Lee Ann’s alley, Tony says. An enthusiastic cook, Lee Ann was known far and wide for her football victory parties, shrimp boils and other gatherings for people to connect and enjoy each other’s company. Her memorial reflected that spirit, as did the walk the following day.
Team Lee Ann showed up in full force, including Kylee’s three children and husband, family members (including Tony’s 88-year-old aunt Dorothy recuperating from cancer-related femur surgery), friends, including Lee Ann’s pickleball partners, former nursing colleagues and best furry friend, Honey Fitz. “Our team was so big, it spilled off the stage,” laughs Kylee about taking their team picture at the event.
Lasting Impact
Team Lee Ann raised more than $42,000 for cancer research, a stunning success. But the true impact went beyond dollars raised.
“You’re walking with people who are eternally grateful [to City of Hope],” Tony says. “There’s this brotherhood and sisterhood there that you don’t ask for, but you welcome it.”
At Walk for Hope, Tony and Kylee experienced what 25,000 volunteers across City of Hope already know. Every act of service turns hope into action. Every hour volunteered, every dollar raised, every step taken helps accelerate breakthroughs in research and expand access to advanced treatments.
City of Hope’s volunteers don’t just support the mission — they are the mission.
Inspired and grateful, Tony and Kylee are not done yet. In fall 2026, they will co-chair Walk for Hope Orange County, helping rally the community.
“Anything you can do to further the cause of early detection, care, cure and longevity is worthy of your money, resources and time,” Tony says. It all matters. You matter.
Thank you for making hope possible. See all the ways you can get involved.
National Volunteer Month
April is National Volunteer Month. For more than 110 years, volunteers like Tony and Kylee have powered City of Hopes’ progress. Today, 25,000 volunteers across five regional locations — Los Angeles, Orange County, Phoenix, Chicago and Atlanta — keep hope alive and advance the mission across the nation.