Team Tara Completes Operation "Last Mile Celebration"

CANTON, Mass. – On Sunday, Sept. 28, members of Team Tara, a group of Boston Marathon® Jimmy Fund Walk participants, completed operation “Last Mile Celebration” in honor of their captain Tara Shuman, 34, of Canton, a cancer survivor. One week prior, the new team participated alongside more than 8,500 walkers in the 26th annual Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk presented by Hyundai to collectively raise more than $7.5 million for lifesaving adult and pediatric patient care and cancer research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute through the Jimmy Fund. All 105 members of the team, ranging in age from 11 to 70, completed one of the four available routes, including the historic 26.2-mile Boston Marathon® route. That is all members except for Shuman, who had to stop at mile 25 due to exhaustion. Her disappointment in not completing the full course for a cause that is so meaningful to her is what inspired Team Tara to gather the following Sunday to celebrate her walking the final mile of the route. Forty five members of the team gathered at the official Copley Square finish anxiously awaiting Shuman, her husband and two children’s arrival. Jimmy Fund Walk staff alongside team members, wearing the team’s signature purple Team Tara t-shirts, created signs and cheered as the family crossed the finish line. Tears and hugs were shared all around. It was an emotional event for a woman who has come so far and continues to inspire others. Shuman was diagnosed in August 2012 with triple positive breast cancer and consequently began what would be a difficult course of treatment at Dana-Farber. She underwent a double mastectomy, endured four rounds of chemotherapy, and a one year protocol of Herceptin. Shuman, who credits the Institute with helping to save her life, completed her treatments in October 2013. She continues to go back to Dana-Farber for routine check-ups. “Tara is an inspiration and her honesty and humility allow people to confide in her, believe in her and come together to form a pretty awesome team in a short amount of time,” says Kirsten Logan, Shuman’s cousin and fellow teammate. To date, Team Tara has raised nearly $70,000. Financial contributions for the 26th annual Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk presented by Hyundai can be made through Oct. 31. To support Team Tara, or another walker, team or the overall event, make a gift at www.JimmyFundWalk.org, or call (866) 531-9255.