2017 Co-Chairs Selected for North Shore Cancer WALK

(Salem, Mass) –North Shore Medical Center announced that it has selected Marblehead resident Dr. Allyson Preston and Newburyport resident Brittany Isherwood to serve as Co-Chairs of this year’s North Shore Cancer WALK on June 25, 2017.

Dr. Preston has taken part in the Cancer WALK for many years. She began participating when her children were in strollers; now her nine-year-old granddaughter is participating for the second time. She stepped up as Co-Chair of the WALK because, as a physician and breast cancer survivor, she knows first-hand what North Shore Medical Center and the Mass General/North Shore Cancer Center mean to the community. She wants to help ensure that they can continue to provide excellent, compassionate, and life-saving cancer care close to home.

“As a physician, I’ve been proud to be part of a team at NSMC that delivers world-class, locally based medical care to thousands of patients each year. When I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014, I had all of my treatment- from testing to surgery to chemotherapy - at North Shore Medical Center and Mass General/North Shore Cancer Center,” said Dr. Preston. “Stepping through the door as a patient that first day was unnerving, but I immediately felt wrapped in a blanket of caring and competence. The high level of care didn’t at all surprise me, but it had new meaning, as a patient.”

Brittany became involved with the Cancer WALK eight years ago, when she moved to the North Shore. It was one of the first community events she joined because she felt it would be a good way to give back and meet new people. It has now become one of her favorite days on the calendar. When she began participating in the WALK, she was part of a large and successful fundraising team from General Electric. Isherwood has changed jobs but is taking the spirit of the GE team with her and wants to exceed her past fundraising goal by 20 percent this year.

Brittany stepped up to be WALK Co-Chair this year because she knows firsthand the excellent care that North Shore Medical Center and the Mass General/North Shore Cancer Center deliver every day. A few years ago, she was diagnosed and treated for a benign cyst on her pituitary gland and received her care through North Shore Medical Center’s network of doctors, including Mass General/North Shore Cancer Center, Mass General Hospital and the Mass General/North Shore Center for Outpatient Care in Danvers.

“The WALK is a day of perspective. You feel the energy among the teams, the physicians, and the staff, said Isherwood. “Every one of us is impacted by cancer, and every WALK participant is carrying someone in his or her heart. For me, it’s my 16-year-old cousin who was successfully treated for a brain tumor when he was 10. He continues to be my motivation to stay involved and raise the bar.”

For more than two decades, the North Shore Cancer WALK has brought together mothers, fathers, children, grandparents, friends, neighbors, co-workers, businesses, teachers, and students all focused on raising funds for cancer care on the North Shore. To date, this community of extraordinary people has raised a remarkable $22 million. That mission will be celebrated again this year, as WALKers wind their way along the 10K (6.2 mile) route through Salem on an unforgettable journey, driven by determination and inspired by hope.

Proceeds from the WALK will support oncology services at North Shore Medical Center and the Mass General/North Shore Cancer Center. In the past, WALK contributions have supported new technologies, renovations, clinical trials, wellness services such as massage and acupuncture to help alleviate pain and nausea, as well as supportive care programs for patients and their families.

Registration is now open for the 2017 North Shore Cancer WALK. To learn more or register for the North Shore Cancer WALK, visit www.northshorecancerwalk.org.