In 2007, my father, Mike McCaffrey, was diagnosed with cancer. My parents immediately wanted him to receive his treatment at Dana-Farber. Faced with a poor prognosis, Dana-Farber gave my father, and our entire family, hope during what seemed to be a hopeless time. Over the next year, those treating Dad became extensions of our family. They provided us with strength when we needed it, and someone to listen to our struggles and offer ways to address it. Most importantly, they gave us that year. Without the treatment they provided, we would have had a much shorter time. Unfortunately, Dad passed away in April of 2008. While he lost his battle against cancer, his courageous spirit endures and has inspired almost all who knew him- especially me, my mom, and my sister.

Since Dad's passing, our family has tried to live by his favorite wisdom, “A ship is safe in harbor, but that's not what ships are for.” With that in mind, I continue to run Boston in his memory so we can soon reach the ultimate finish line: a world without 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.