Jackie's Fundraising Page

Defy cancer with the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge!
Defy cancer with the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge!

I'm running my 10th Boston marathon in memory of my dad who passed away from pancreatic cancer on December 11, 2021.

It’s been about two years now and while it’s gotten a little easier, I still miss my dad every day. From the time dad was diagnosed until the end, he saw the positive in everything. Despite being given only 6 months to live, he knew there was a bigger plan for him and we were lucky to have had 2 years after that initial diagnosis thanks to the medical treatment and support he was able to access in Boston.


He was always the first person I’d want to call to share exciting news or to talk through a problem. Now when I call my mom, she says “what would Dad have said?” I was living half way around the world in Hong Kong when he was diagnosed in January 2020. Thanks to Covid, I was able to work remotely from the US and got more time with him on those final two years than I had in the last 10. I will never regret a minute of that time at home, but when you have a dad as great as mine, it will never feel like enough.


I knew last year that running in his memory and sharing my grief so publicly was going to be hard. I used running to help emotionally deal with my mother’s strokes starting back in 2008 when I ran my first marathon in her honor for Tedy’s team for the American Stroke Association and it completely changed my life. Its always been more than a race. It’s been incredible from the friends I’ve made along this journey, the places I never imagined I’d travel to and the impact of the $150,000 I’ve raised for the Stroke Association ($120,000) and Dana Farber ($29,000) has blown me away! I knew that the initial pain of opening up would be worth it as I shared the grief with others and found my way back to myself, my goals and the running community.


My goal is to run Boston 2024 as my 40th marathon in my dad’s memory. I’m currently at 38 with plans to run the Tokyo marathon on March 3rd. My goal is to raise $26,200 for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute to support life saving cancer research so they can help prevent other families from going through what we’ve been through and to honor my dad’s memory.


Since last year, people close to me continue to be impacted by this awful disease. My Uncle Bob was diagnosed, treated and is now cancer free, a close friend from college has early stage leukaemia, and another friend from college’s husband was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer. They have two small children.


The 2023 Dana-Farber Boston marathon team raised $7.8 million last year. All of this money goes directly towards funding life saving research and has contributed to major advances in cancer treatments. This year alone, a new trial for pancreatic cancer is underway. The treatment is focused on reducing the risk of the cancer coming back after surgery removed the tumor which is what happened to my dad. My dad dealt with so much pain from all of his 54 rounds of chemo, 10 sessions of radiation and two surgeries in the hopes of a breakthrough like this that could save his life. Funding this new research matters.


Thank you for all of the love and support for me and my family these last few years. It has meant the world to me!

PROGRESS TO GOAL

Raised:$18,427.75
Goal:$26,200
x119x

THANK YOU TO MY DONORS

NAME
AMOUNT
Fundraising Honor Roll
Adam Berger
Ailin Lee
$100
Alex King
$50
Alexis Belladonna
Angela Xenakis
Angelique Richardson
$257
Anonymous
$1,000
Anonymous
$515
Anonymous
$206
Anonymous
Anonymous
$103
Anonymous
$51
Anonymous
$50
Anonymous
$50
Anonymous
Ben Kennedy
Brendan Fludder
$100
Coleen and Jason Howard
Dan Foley
$150
Dave & Deb Morgan
Dermot Nugent
Easter Bunny 🐰
Eleni
$51
Ellie Scharlotte
Eric Otterson
$100
Erica
Erin McGlone O'Brien
$50
Evan Kendall
$50
Geoff Blum
$100
GlaxoSmithKline for Alicia Leeman
$50
Herbst Family
$100
Hilary and Andrew Gay
$257
HollyJasonRosaMeriel
$50
Hugo S
$50
Jackie Yang
$50
Jacqueline Barry
$103
James T
$103
Jen & Des Havlicek
$250
Jen & Jason Eastman
Jill and Mike Millis
Joanne Lake
$100
Jocelyn & Yung
$257
Joseph Bunce
$103
Justin O'Neill
$103
Karen & John Gilligan III
Karen Longtine
$150
Kate Stoddard
Keri Lorincz
Krissy McQuaid
Kristin Ganong
Kristy Kirkpatrick
$50
leif longtine
$103
Linell Otterson
Mairead Graf
Marina Stepanets
$154
Mary and Tom Grape
Megan Kelly
$103
MFS Gives for Colleen McMahon
Michael Sheft
$100
Morgan Lantz
$25
Mr. Aditya Agrawal
$257
Mr. Brian Bowen
$51
Mr. Dhiren Bhatia
$113
Mr. James O'Neill
$1,030
Mr. Jay Kennelly
$103
Mr. Matthew J Kyller
$103
Mr. SCOTT GIMPEL
$500
Mrs. Joanne Lake
$200
Mrs. Liz Novak
$103
Mrs. Sophia Dubrovsky
Ms. Brown Brown
Ms. Colleen McMahon
Ms. Colleen Shannon
Ms. Kelli Boucher
Ms. Melissa Gorman
$54
Ms. Rachael Mauger
Ms. Sandra P Taylor
$51
Nanette Abuhoff Jacobson
$103
Noah Comen
$103
Oakley
$100
Pam & Dan O'Connor
$206
Peter Eckenrod
$51
Renee & Jeremiah
$54
Ron & Pat Otterson
$200
Ruth Mc
$100
Sandra and Charlie Eager
Sandy Taylor
$51
Sari Mayer Lapin
Scott Geary
$250
Simela Giannakopoulos
Sonali Wilson
$50
Stephen Gorman
$500
Stephen Gorman
$500
Steve Muson
$500
Susan Curley
Sustain PT
Team Casey
$669
The Gasson family
The Hurley Family
$100
The Keary Family
$103
Tyson Robb
$103
Vanessa Gormley
$50
Wellington Management for Angelique Richardson
Wellington Management for anonymous donors
Wellington Management for Dermot Nugent
Wellington Management for Evan Kendall
Wellington Management for Graeme McGinley
Wellington Management for Jacqueline Yang
Wellington Management for Jason Eastman
Wellington Management for Kelli Boucher
Wellington Management for Keri Lorincz
Wellington Management for Kristina Gasson
Wellington Management for Kristy Kirkpatrick
Wellington Management for Marina Stepanets
$150
Wellington Management for Matthew Kyller
Wellington Management for Megan Kelly
Wellington Management for Simela Giannakopoulos
Yvette and Jay McGrath
Pacesetter
Every dollar raised helps fuel Dana-Farber Cancer Institute's mission.
Together, we can defy cancer!