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, December 31, 2013

A New DFMC Season, A New Year

As training season begins for 2014, I look back on a very memorable 2013.  The year started with 2 1/2 marathons, Surf City in Huntington Beach and Hyannis.  In April I started the BAA distance medley with the BAA 5k on April 14 and completed the 117th Boston Marathon on April 15, more thoughts below.  After recovering from the marathon, I ran Boston's Run to Remember on Memorial Day weekend, the BAA 10k and 1/2 marathon (to complete the distance medley) and ended the year with my 4th marathon, the Philadelphia Marathon in November.  Other highlights include three 200mile relays, my first sprint triathlon and 3 personal records - 10K (49.50), 1/2 marathon (1.45.46) and marathon (4.02.30)!  A very successful and rewarding year, of which these events are just a part.

Of course, the events of April 15, 2013 are a defining experience from 2013.  With the year ending and all the "year in review" stories, there's no way to avoid seeing pictures from that day and remembering the events related to that week.  I'm incredibly thankful to have been able to run the marathon that day with DFMC and run in honor of so many incredible people.  In late May, I was honored to meet Sean Collier's father and run the last mile of the marathon route with ~2000 runners, supporting those that didn't finish the race.  Reflecting on the marathon and the bombings, I'm reminded that I have been incredibly fortunate in 2013 (including running the marathon and finishing safely!) and can continue to do more to help others, which is why I decided to train for and run the 2014 Boston Marathon again.  As 2014 starts, new goals and challenges await and hopefully a year from now I'll look back and be satisfied knowing that I have continued to help others throughout the year.
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