On April 20, 2015, I will run the Boston Marathon.
Please support my continued effort to conquer cancer!

    2015 Fundraising Progress
    As of 4/24/2015

    0%
     
     100%

    Current level: 76% ($6084.20)
    Goal: $8,000
    Please make your gift by June 30th.

    Click here to make your gift now online via credit card
    You will be transferred to the DFMC site.

    Click here to mail your contribution by check
    A PDF form will be launched for you to print and mail.

17 marathons down.
N
early $120K raised.
Countless miles to go before we see an end to cancer.

For the past 17 years, I have been running to support cancer research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute as a member of the DFMC (Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge) team. Thirteen years in a row, I ran the Boston Marathon, then ran New York City after the birth of our daughter, Mackenzie. In 2012 and 2013, I returned to running Boston. My 2013 race was interrupted at the top of Heartbreak Hill by the bombing. Last year, I ran Boston twelve weeks after giving birth to our son, Thomas James "TJ." This will be my 18th year on the Dana-Farber team!

During my first year, I was partnered with Brittany Lambert, a young girl from Duxbury, as part of a special patient/partner program between DFMC and the Jimmy Fund. Brittany passed away the following fall from myelodsyplasia, but I've continued to run in memory of her each year and have become close friends with her family. Her older sister, Brianne, was one of my bridesmaids at my wedding in 2003. Their family has relocated to Florida, but we continue to stay in touch.

At the 2003 Boston Marathon, I partnered up with Amber DaRosa, the daughter of two of my husband's best friends, who was diagnosed with leukemia at age four. Amber successfully completed a two-year treatment and continues to do well! The DaRosas relocated to NH, but still come down for the marathon every year.

In 2005, I began running in memory of Mark Schlowsky-Fischer, the husband of a good friend from college. Mark passed away in October 2004 after an 11-month battle with Burkett's lymphoma. His wife, Karen, has remarried, and she and her husband recently welcomed their second child.

I also run in honor of my mother-in-law, Mary Hagerty, who completed treatment for breast cancer. What is amazing is that this is her second battle with breast cancer - the first time was in her late 20s in an era when treatment was not nearly as comprehensive as it is today.

These are just a few of my reasons for continuing to run, more than a decade later. Thank you for your continued support!

 

Can't believe I've run all those marathons?
A fun archive of running photos

Two BU students from the College of Communication interviewed me before the 2010 marathon, along with several other Somerville residents, about our marathon runs for local charities. Check out the video!

 


Last updated on April 24, 2015 .
Any problems, contact Heather.