About Me

My Goal: Run the Boston Marathon on April 15, 2019 with the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge. Raise $17,000 (or more!) where 100% of funds raised benefit the Claudia Adams Barr Program in Innovative Basic Cancer Research. I run in honor of my friend Chris Davie who is battling brain cancer. I also run in honor for my friend RJ and his continued cancer-free life, in memory of Heather Thomson, and for other family and friends who are or have battled cancer. Together we can help Dana-Farber Cancer Institute reach the ultimate finish line: a world without cancer

Barr Program Impact Statements

Barr Program Impact Statements

Immunotherapies: New Ways to Activate the Immune System—An important area of cancer research asks why the human body's defense systems do not always attack and destroy tumors as they form. Funded by the Claudia Adams Barr Program, Glenn Dranoff, MD, discovered complex regulatory pathways in the human immune system that cancers exploit in order to escape destruction. Reversal of these effects can lead to the development of vaccines against cancer, like Provenge for prostate cancer. This research has also enabled the development of immune-activating drugs such as ipilimumab, which showed striking effects in melanoma in a trial led by Dana-Farber scientists and is now approved by the Food and Drug Administration for treatment.

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Recovering, on many levels...

Thank you to everyone for your support, thoughts and offers to chat or get together if needed.

 Before writing more about the race and my experience yesterday, I still need some time to process the events that took place yesterday afternoon.  I've had a hard time wrapping my head around what to think, feel and take away from yesterday.  On a day where so many of us run for charities important to us and have raised funds for these causes and thus run with the support of so many people, the senseless act of violence is in stark contrast to what the day is about.

 I was able to finish the race approximately 2 minutes before the blasts and was standing about 75 yards away when the first went off.   After being shepherded away from the finish area by BAA staff and emergency personnel, I was able to help in a small way providing my cell phone to several other runners to contact their family.  I was able to finally contact mom and Amy and eventually connect with them at the team hotel.  Of course, 2 of the best hugs I have ever received ensued.

 Hearing from DFMC today, we now know that while all runners and staff are ok, 2 family members of a teammate were seriously injured.  A coworker watching the marathon was also injured.  Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

 I continue to wrestle with the conflicting emotions of celebrating the accomplishment in the context of tragedy.  I am trying to take some thoughts away from the DFMC pasta party and David Weinstock's speech.  David spoke of the impact of cancer and how it takes away too much...not only the direct impact on those directly affected, but the impact on all those who know individuals impacted by cancer...too much life, too much happiness, too much.  Thinking about that in regards to yesterday, to let these events take away the lives of 3 people and injure so many, to take away the enjoyment and experience of yesterday, but also reflecting on our training, our fundraising accomplishments and why we ran, that would be too much.  I find that hard to say as I'm still struggling with it, but it is what I'm striving for.

 To conclude for now, I entered yesterday's race convinced I would not run DFMC again next year.  After the events of yesterday, I am reevaluating those thoughts because I can run, I can support cancer research and I can do more.  Time will tell.
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