Amazing Grace Walk Team's Fundraising Page

By participating in the 2024 Boston Marathon® Jimmy Fund Walk presented by Hyundai, our team is making every step count toward the ultimate finish line: a world without cancer! The Amazing Grace Walk team is excited to return this year as we continue to walk in honor of Grace and her wonderful family as she continues to battle ALL (Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia) throughout 2024. 

As your captains, we are returning to lead this devoted team as we embark on another inspiring journey together! When we first met last summer to talk about creating a team for the 2023 Jimmy Fund Walk just 3 months later, we had no idea what it was going to become. As a community, we wanted to show the Markos family how much they are loved and supported by their neighbors, friends, and family. We all wanted to help and support them but didn't always know how to do this in ways that would be helpful and meaningful to them. With guidance from Stephanie as she began to share details of their journey, and her desire to increase awareness and funding to support pediatric cancer care, we realized The Jimmy Fund Walk would be a great way for us to step up and do both in honor of Grace and all children who are battling pediatric cancer. We want to do it again, and this is why:

• An estimated 54,817 children and adolescents younger than 20 years in the US are living with or in remission from leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) or myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs). (Leukemia & Lymphoma Society)
• ​The most common types of cancer in children and adolescents younger than 20 years old are leukemia (25.1%), cancers of the brain and other nervous tissue (16.4%), non-Hodgkin lymphoma (6.7%), Hodgkin Lymphoma (6.2%), and thyroid cancer (6.2%). (Leukemia & Lymphoma Society)
• It is estimated that 9,620 children (ages 0-14 years) and 5,290 adolescents (ages 15-19 years) will be diagnosed with cancer in 2024. (American Cancer Society)
• Of the billions of dollars of government funding that supports cancer research, only 4% of that is directed towards treating childhood cancer. (National Pediatric Cancer Foundation)

Just as we did last year, we will be walking to support The Jimmy Fund Clinic's 'Pediatric Activity Program Fund'. The intention of this fund is to provide support for the clinic's enrichment activities (painting, scrapbooking, sand art, and t-shirt dying to name a few!) for children and caregivers during their visits and treatments to significantly reduce anxiety and stress. Throughout the year, special events for patients and their families are planned in order to foster feelings of hope, and to allow them to continue to enjoy fun as a family during a time when it can be very difficult to do so. With these events and activities, The Jimmy Fund Clinic leadership and staff seek to build a sense of community where all patients and families, past and present, will feel supported and cared for. 

After the 2023 Jimmy Fund Walk during one of Grace's visits for treatment in November, she was given the opportunity to present a check to Lisa Scherber, Director of The Jimmy Fund Clinic, in the amount of $67,024, the gift that was generated by the 128+ walkers who joined the Amazing Grace Walk Team last year!!! With this gift, Grace, Stephanie and Mike learned that the gift would be used to largely support the annual Jimmy Fund Clinic Summer Festival, an event that serves to bring The Jimmy Fund Clinic families together to celebrate successes and foster a sense of hope. Grace's face glowed with excitement to learn about the use of her gift- the Markos family had enjoyed that event themselves last summer and loved it...the use of Grace's gift was perfect!! 

What grew from a group of friends and family coming together with a desire to support Grace, Stephanie, Mike, George and Scotty last summer was nothing short of AMAZING and INSPIRING! As we embark on the 2024 Jimmy Fund Walk, we are so excited to see what's in store for The Amazing Grace Walk Team. We'd love for you to join us on October 6 (in Boston or virtually!) as we walk for Grace as she continues to battle and conquer ALL. By walking for Grace, we're also walking for all children who are battling (and will battle) pediatric cancer and will turn to The Jimmy Fund Clinic in Boston for their treatment. Let's raise awareness, raise funds, and once again show the Markos family that we're behind them!

We look forward to walking with you!

Alynne, Stephanie, Christy and Kasey