Community Corner
Elianna Nuzum, of Charlestown, to participate in Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk
Elianna Nuzum, of Charlestown,walks to honor husband's cancer battle.
In November 2012, James Nuzum, 37, of Charlestown, received the most shocking news of his life. He was diagnosed with merkel cell carincoma (MCC), a rare and aggressive form of skin cancer, and immediately underwent surgery and eight weeks of radiation therapy at a nearby hospital. After receiving a second opinion by the MCC experts at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, James completed his treatment at Dana-Farber with 12 weeks of chemotherapy, and has now been in remission for over a year.
A disease that is on the rise, reported cases of MCC have tripled in the last 20 years. However, MCC receives relatively little research attention compared to other forms of skin cancer. For this reason, James and his wife, Elianna, will help to take charge of this disease by lacing up their sneakers as first-time participants of the Boston Marathon® Jimmy Fund Walk presented by Hyundai.
On Sunday, Sept. 21, the husband and wife duo will be among more than 8,500 people who will walk in the 26th annual event to collectively raise more than $7.5 million for the Jimmy Fund for lifesaving adult and pediatric patient care and cancer research at Dana-Farber. The Nuzums will tackle the Wellesley High School 13.1-mile route under the umbrella Team Merkel, a new Walk team comprised of Dana-Farber MCC patients like James, and their family, friends, and doctors. The team’s goal is to raise $10,000 in order to help advance research for MCC.
Find out what's happening in Charlestownfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
On the evening of Sept. 21, the Prudential Center and The Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge will glow in red and yellow to mark the 26th annual Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk.
This year’s event will bring the Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk’s 26-year fundraising total to more than $100 million. To register for the 26th annual Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk presented by Hyundai (#JimmyFundWalk) on Sept. 21, or to support a walker, visit www.JimmyFundWalk.org or call (866) 531-9255. Registration is easy and walkers can enter the discount code NEWS for $5 off.