Pink and Purple Mark Penny’s Flight at Milton
By Amelia Joseph ‘28
On Saturday, October 3, spectators filled the stands of Berylson and Stokinger Fields to celebrate Penny’s Flight, adorned in two distinct colors: pink and purple.
Penelope Doerge was diagnosed with neurofibromatosis (NF1) as an infant and was 16 years old when she passed on November 10, 2022. NF1 is a condition that causes the growth of tumors on nerve tissues across the body. It currently has no cure. Penny’s parents founded the Penny’s Flight Foundation (PFF) after her death to spread awareness about NF1. Guided by the light Penny brought to the world during her 16 years, her parents and the foundation have brought awareness and are guided by this single message: NF1 is the most common genetic disorder globally and still has no cure.
Started in December 2023, PFF has raised more than $2.5 million. They have launched clothing brands and jewelry, while other schools are also selling items in Penny’s name. Institutions ranging from Phillips Academy Andover and Deerfield Academy to Boston College have launched different initiatives, including covering campus in stickers and bracelets, hosting Play for Penny during their rivals day, and holding a merch and jewelry sale, respectively.
Money raised from the foundation has been allocated towards several sectors such as fundamental research, immunotherapy, multidisciplinary collaborations, seeding growth, innovative technologies, and MEK inhibitors. Each of the things mentioned above is fundamental in finding a cure for NF.
Penny’s Flight also recently sponsored a three-day conference in the Banbury Center at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. This was the first gathering in two decades that was NF-centred. This three-day conference was dubbed a ‘think tank’ and was focused exclusively on cognition and behavior in NF1. This ‘think tank’ helped lay the foundation for future research and helped identify “key knowledge gaps”.
Schools around the United States have begun the tradition of bringing awareness to Penny and NF1 at sports games. Here at Milton, the soccer, field hockey, and football teams gave tributes to Penny and her battle.
Eloise Cheever ’28 and Phoebe Hajjar ’28 introduced Penny’s Flight to Milton. When speaking about bringing Penny’s Flight to school, Hajjar said, “I’ve always wanted to bring it to school…I feel like this year, when we did the game day this Saturday, it just brings even more community to Milton and [relates] it to Penny, and her message is so special.” Cheever agreed, saying, “Milton has such a strong community, and we wanted to use that community to bring people together for something bigger than just sports.” Hajjar discussed the collective community and the U.S. as a whole, saying, “Part of what makes it so special is how it’s reached so many different places across the United States.” Hoping to bring awareness to Milton and beyond, Cheever’s goal for the games last Saturday was to “spread awareness about Penny’s Flight and bring more people into the cause. We want people to learn about what it does, feel connected to the mission, and hopefully continue supporting it beyond Saturday.” Both Hajjar and Cheever expressed their hope that support for PFF and NF1 as a whole would extend past Saturday’s games.
Jon Cerullo ’27, one of the football captains, said that, to him, Penny’s flight means “strength and perseverance.” He believes that Penny’s flight is meaningful and special because “Penny’s experience is something that can inspire and help others.” Additionally, Cerullo hoped that the Saturday games would help “spread a little more awareness about Penny and NF as a whole.”
Penny Doerge never let NF1 get the better of her. She was always smiling and always made sure to schedule her radiation appointments in the morning so she could run the camp—Glam Camp—with her friends. She smiled, and she made others smile. Penny’s Flight Foundation hopes to bring her smiles and her joy for life all around the world in their fight for NF1.
Source: pennysflight