2025 will be the 30th anniversary of my participation in the Jimmy Fund’s Patient Partner Program, and 30 years of being cancer free. I want to run the Boston Marathon as the runner for a patient partner to give back to the community that brought me hope, courage, resilience, and a friendship that changed my life.
I was diagnosed with dysgerminoma, a rare ovarian cancer, at the age of nine. I participated in the DMC Patient Partner Program in 1995, and have wonderful memories: ice breaker games at the Crane Estate, a picnic at Wellesley College, canoeing for the first time with my runner, Paula Burkes, and cheering her on with the Jimmy Fund crew in Boston! The Patient Partner Program was a bright light during a stormy time in my childhood.
In 2022, Paula and I reconnected to watch her husband, Eric Tucker, run the marathon for DMC. Although we had not seen each other for over twenty years: we picked up where we left off. We went on to watch Eric run again in 2023 and 2024. As Paula and I cheered Eric on in 2023 I thought: I could and should do this! I started to run again, racking up the miles with the goal of running Boston in 2025.
I want to run the marathon for a child with cancer to show them and their families that there is life after cancer, and that they are not alone. I want to shine light in the storm of another kid with cancer.
One hundred percent of every dollar raised by the DFMC team supports the Claudia Adams Barr Program in Innovative Basic Cancer Research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. These funds are fueling some of today's most promising basic cancer research.
