On April 15, 2024, I will be running in the Boston Marathon with the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge Team to raise funds for cancer research.
This is a cause very near and dear to my heart. In 2015, my mom was diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer. After months of chemo, surgery, and with the support of her DFCI team, she defied the odds and has been in remission for the past 7 years. Just last year, we found ourselves back at Dana Farber when she was unfortunately diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer. She completed another four months of chemo and thankfully is once again cancer free. I am in awe of her strength and beyond proud of the courage she has shown through these diagnoses and treatments. If she can conquer all of this, surely I can suffer through 26.2 miles (???)
My mom's diagnosis opened my eyes to the nightmares of cancer and ultimately is the reason I chose my career as a Physician Assistant in Center for Neuro-Oncology at Dana Farber. I continue to witness firsthand the horrors of this awful disease and the effect it has on my patients and their loved ones as their world is turned upside down.
Unfortunately, my story is not unique. Nearly all of us have been affected by cancer in some way, whether personally, through a family member, colleague, friend, or neighbor. We need more effective screening, better treatment options, and ultimately a cure for this horrible disease. This is the mission of the scientists and research staff at Dana Farber, but they need our help. 100% of the money I raise will go directly to the Claudia Adams Barr Program in Innovative Basic Cancer Research. This program supports new lines of research, playing an essential role to support the scientists at Dana-Farber who work on a broad range of research investigations that yield new clues about cancer.
I am running for my mom, my patients, their families, and with the hope that one day we will find a cure to cancer. Please consider supporting me to reach my goal!
