On April 17, 2017, I will be joining approximately 30,000 runners participatign in the Boston Marathon. Many runners have qualified to participate based on their time, for those of us who will never be track stars, the option exists to join a charity team. I am running as part of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute's charity team. I am extremely honored to be running for this incredible organization, where I am also very fortunate to work. I don’t know a single person who hasn’t been affected by cancer in some way (myself included). However, coming into work at DFCI every day gives me tremendous hope and makes me optimistic for the future. I get the privilege of seeing and learning about the innovative research being done here as it is happening and I get to see it translate into real care for patients. In addition to the groundbreaking research and progress being made, I am blessed to work with the compassionate and caring team of staff providing daily care to patients. I know how personally invested each person at DFCI is in treating people, from the front desk staff, to the doctors and everyone in between, the dedication to our patients is clear to me every day.
All funds—a full 100 percent—raised by the Dana-Farber runners benefit the Claudia Adams Barr Program in Innovative Basic Cancer Research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. It 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. Barr Investigators have made, and continue to make, amazing advances in diverse areas of cancer research.
Many of my teammates are running for Dana-Farber for deeply personal reasons. They have been touched my cancer in some way and understand the importance of research to eventually cure cancer.
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My personal story:
My grandfather passed away my freshman year of college. He had been battling cancer for over a decade. He saw various doctors in Florida and had been told by doctors several times that he only had 6 months left to live. In typical fashion for my grandfather, he took that as a challenge and showed them all differently. I think of it as more of a testament to my grandfather than to the doctors, who I know did all they could, but lacked the tools they needed in this fight.
My grandfather loved boats, he loved to fix them up, he loved to spend time on the water, he also loved to joke and play jokes on people. I remember as a young teen going to visit him in Florida after he couldn’t take New England winters any longer. We all woke up early, got on his fishing boat and headed to a greasy spoon diner on the intracostal before heading out to the ocean. “Get anything you want, breakfast is on me,” he said with a grin and then proceeded to encourage us all to get french toast or waffles or pancakes. It was a great test for which of his grandchildren were in the know, or which of us had iron stomachs. Sadly, I was not one of those kids, and I indulged in a big breakfast before heading out to sea. It wasn’t long before the roll of the waves went to work on my stomach. I at least had the common sense to ask my mother which side of the boat was the lea side, before my breakfast came back up. I will always remember how much fun we had that day, because I felt better immediately and caught the biggest fish of my life.
I miss him dreadfully and I wonder if there had been better treatments or more advanced research a decade ago, paired with my grandfather’s determined spirit how much longer he could have lived, and what better quality of life he could have had.
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Running 26.2 miles is nothing compared to what our friends, family and colleagues go through when fighting cancer. Supporting the Barr Investigators and their critical scientific strides will make all my training more than worthwhile. The Dana-Farber team has a goal of $5 million! Sponsoring me is easy and only takes a few minutes. Just visit my contribution page http://www.runDFMC.org/2017/juliettec , to help achieve a future without cancer.
Also please follow my training here: BLOG
Thank you in advance for your support. I look forward to the real finish line of a world without cancer!!
