Community Corner
MGH Doctor to Run Marathon for Young Townie
Dr. Howard J. Weinstein aims to raise $100,000 to help children diagnosed with cancer.
This April, a Boston doctor will lace up his shoes and run the Boston Marathon in honor of a six-year-old townie recovering from leukemia.
Dr. Howard J. Weinstein aims to raise $100,000 before the race, and aims to apply those funds to help Lily Waldeck and other children like her.
Garry Waldeck, a Charlestown resident since 1999, said that his daughter, Lily, started suffering from fevers last summer. They would come, then go, then return. Eventually, doctors ran blood tests and found that Lilly’s condition wasn’t a matter of repeated colds but a type of cancer.
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“Once we stepped foot into the ‘cancer’ clinic, we knew we were not there to get good news,” Garry Waldeck said. “Our little Lily was diagnosed with Leukemia. She was admitted to Mass General Hospital immediately, and given a blood transfusion.”
Waldeck said that his daughter took the news “like a champ,” and even said the overnight stay at the hospital was fun.
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Now, according to Dr. Weinstein, Lily is officially in remission, but her course of treatment will last a total of two years—and Waldeck said, she’s presently in a difficult phase.
“Her hair has just fallen out,” Waldeck said.
He said her appointments last for hours, and that some of the funds Weinstein raises raise will be used to pay for a group of people called “child life specialists.”
These specialists, Waldeck said, accompany the young patients during their drawn-out treatments. They might watch a movie with the kids, Waldeck said, or guide the kids through arts and crafts.
Lily’s favorite activity so far, Waldeck said, was when one of the specialists helped her make a Scooby-Do purse out of colored duct tape.
While the service buoy’s children’s spirits, Waldeck said, it also gives parents a chance for downtime.
By race day, Waldeck said, Lily should be in an easier phase of her therapy. She’ll be pushing toward her recovery, he said, and cheering on Dr. Weinstein. He already has a spot picked out for her at mile 20.
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