12 Weeks Until the Boston Marathon

It's hard to believe that we are already three weeks into 2013. It's also just as hard to believe that the Boston Marathon is just 12 weeks away!  It really does seem like yesterday that I made the commitment to join the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge Team for 2013, though in fact, the decision was made back in October.

I am reminded each weekend that the marathon is fast approaching when I, along with other runner's who have also committed to raising money for innovative cancer research for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, get in our long training run for the week. Yesterday's run, which was graciously hosted by the Longfellow Health Club in Wayland, is one of my favorite courses to run on. We run, for the most part, on country roads starting in Wayland, then quickly find ourselves running on residential roads in Lincoln, Sudbury and into Concord. The landscape, recently snow-coated and very New England might I add, is complete with rolling hills, protected wetlands, beautiful landscapes and twists and turns throughout the course. I do remember running this course during another training season when it had just started to flurry out, By the time I returned, roughly 2 and a half hours later, there was probably 4 to 5 inches of snow on the ground. It was definitely a challenge to stay the course and see that training run to completion.

Before we set out on a run, we gather together as a group for the usual pre-run routines of fueling, stretching, and dressing appropriately. This can certainly be a challenge when you factor in the temps at the start of the training run, versus the temps by the time you think you'll be done. It is also during this time that each week someone on the team reads what is called an Impact Statement. As a reminder to my repeat donors and to those who have given for the first time or plan to this year, the Claudia Adams Barr Program in Innovative Basic Cancer Research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is widely recognized as one of the largest and most successful programs of its kind. Based on a rigorous and highly selective process, the Barr Program funds the brightest, most creative scientists making basic research discoveries that are transforming cancer treatment. Barr Investigators have made numerous major breakthroughs resulting in improved survival rates and quality of life for thousands of patients everywhere. Yesterday's impact statement was as follows:

Prostate and Other Cancers: Discovering Vaccines - Enabling the development of new vaccines for multiple types of cancer including Provenge which increased survival by 22% for prostate cancer, and Ipilimumab which improved survival by 56% for melanoma.

An important area of cancer research asks why humans don’t reject tumors in their own bodies. Funded by the Barr Program in 1998, 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 Barr research has also enabled the development of multiple other vaccines and immune modulators for melanoma, ovarian cancer, and prostate cancer that are now in advanced clinical trials across the world. If these trials are successful, an exciting and entirely new option for treating certain types of cancer will become available. A recent example is Ipilimumab which showed striking effects in melanoma in a trial led by Dana-Farber scientists and is now approved by the FDA.

As another reminder, DFMC took its first steps in 1990 as one of the inaugural organizations in the Boston Marathon^® Official Charity program. In 2013, the team aims to celebrate its 24th year by raising $4.6 million. To date, DFMC has raised more than $56 million, 100 percent of which is directed to the Barr Program.

It was announced yesterday that we are approaching 1 million dollars towards the team goal of 4.6 million. With respect to my fundraising and your generosity, I am roughly $1,200 towards my personal goal of $7,000. So I again want to say thank you to those of you that have already donated. I, and the team, have a long way yet to go, but I am confident that with your help, come April 15th, we will not only achieve, but surpass our goals!

Before we set out, the runners are given an opportunity to share upcoming fundraising events that they are hosting. It is also a time for us to share, with the group, individuals we know personally that may be dealing with a health issue. A few weeks ago, I took that opportunity to ask the team to sign a banner for me that I could bring to my Nana who was in ICU fighting pneumonia.  Here is a picture of that banner:

 

I delivered the banner to my Nana that same night and what a difference it made in her recovery. She has since been transferred out of ICU and into rehab. She has had a few set backs since, but as of this writing, she keeps right on smiling through it all and progressing in the right direction. We are hopeful that we will be helping her celebrate her 89th birthday in a week !!!

Yesterday, my good friend and running partner Kerry took the opportunity to ask each of us to sign a banner in honor of a her good friend Nina who is a breast cancer survivor but is now battling inoperable brain cancer. Kerry told us that she always supports Kerry and asks how the fundraising and training is going, even though she herself is facing the toughest battle of her life. Kerry said Nina is a clear example of selflessness, positivity, and why what we are doing is so important. Nina is just one of the far too many examples. These are some of the people we keep in mind as roughly 75 of us headed on out to train.

Yesterday's main challenge or opportunity to get stronger, as I have been reminded on numerous occasions by my fellow runners, was the strong head winds for most of the run. We runner's come in all shapes, sizes, experiences and abilities. The mileage for yesterday's run was anywhere from 10 to 18 miles, again, depending on the individual. The beauty about these group training runs is that sense of team and camaraderie. Each of us that runs for Dana-Farber has been affected by cancer in one way or another. Either a parent, spouse, child, sibling, relative, best friend, co-worker, etc has been touched by cancer. We even have cancer survivors that are on the team.

One person that comes to mind is Hilary. Diagnosed with pediatric AML or Acute Myeloid Leukemia at the age of 12, Hilary's story is one of inspiration, courage, gratitude, giving back and, being a difference maker.

"On January 6, 1996, I was diagnosed with pediatric AML and my life changed forever. After two aggressive courses of chemotherapy, my family and I learned that a bone marrow transplant was the only real chance for long-term survival. Fortunately, my only brother was a stem cell match and shortly thereafter, I received chemo, radiation, and my brother's stem cells. Despite the challenges that would come with this process and there were many, it is responsible for the last 16 cancer-free years of my life during which I have graduated from Penn State, married my amazing husband and gave birth to three babies no one thought I could conceive."

 

Please visit www.runningbecausecancerstinks.com to learn more about Hilary's story.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some of you may recall that back in 2008, I ran in honor of Zachary who battled pediatric ALL, Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. He was 6 when he was diagnosed. Now he is a freshman in high school, made the honor roll his first semester, and is eager to make the lacrosse team in the spring. Here are a few pictures of Zachary.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Running in the snow, or in the bitter cold, or with strong head winds does not even come close to comparing what a cancer patient and their families have to contend with on a daily basis. My 16 mile run yesterday lasted a mere 2 hours and 40 minutes. Whatever challenges or discomfort we face, be they fatigue, cramping, blisters, sore muscles or adverse weather conditions, typically subside soon thereafter. It's the stories like Hilary's or Zachary's or Matty's or my mother's that I reflect upon during these training runs. More importantly, it really puts things into perspective. There will come a day when I no longer will be able to run, but thankfully, that day has yet to arrive.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It truly is a collective effort, on all of our parts; researchers & scientists, doctors & nurses, caregivers, friends & family, runners, volunteers and donors. It takes each and everyone of us to do our individual part to address cancer, head on. For me and everyone you see in the above picture, running is our way, smiles and all, to raise money to fund the Barr Program. We share, literally, the roads we are running on with the residents of these towns like Wayland, Lincoln, Sudbury and Concord. We also share, collectively, the responsibility of irradicating cancer.

 

To make a donation, please go to the top right of this post and click on the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge 2013 link. It will take you directly to my personal web page.

 

With gratitude and many, many inspired miles......

 

Steve