Lexington Business Owner Honors Father in Breathe Deep Boston 5K Walk

Three years ago, Nicole Caron, owner of Great Harvest Bread Company, in Lexington, and Michelle Roselli, of Woburn, lost their father, Peter Caron, then 73, to complications of lung cancer after a three-year battle with the disease.

In an effort to prevent other families from losing loved-ones to this disease, and to honor their father, the sisters became involved with LUNGevity Foundation’s Breathe Deep Boston 5K Walk, a one-day fundraising event which raises money to support critical lung cancer research, advocacy and support across the country.

On Saturday, Nov. 1, the sisters will lace up their sneakers at DCR’s Mother’s Rest Area at Carson Beach in South Boston to walk in the ninth annual Breathe Deep Boston 5K Walk. They will participate for the second consecutive year under the umbrella “Team Caron,” a group of friends and family members.

Soon after Peter passed away on Dec. 31, 2011, Nicole and Michelle’s mother, Lorraine, purchased an in memoriam brick at Boston’s City Hall Plaza as a way to keep Peter’s memory alive. Last summer, Nicole and Michelle were walking past the brick and stumbled upon a Breathe Deep Boston 5K Walk table at a lung cancer event. “We wanted to fundraise for lung cancer research and put our stamp on it. The Breathe Deep Boston 5K Walk is unique and our involvement would make our dad proud,” says Roselli.

Prior to the event, the sisters are volunteering on the Breathe Deep Boston 5K Walk’s event committee, working to secure sponsorships and rallying children’s entertainment for the event. As the owner of Great Harvest Bread Company, in Lexington, Nicole is a financial sponsor of the event and has been able to secure Olivia’s Organics as another financial sponsor.

In 1993, Peter endured radiation treatments at Mass General Hospital (MGH) for esophageal cancer. In 2008, he was diagnosed with lung cancer and underwent chemotherapy, radiation and surgery to remove his left lung. He achieved remission, but for years battled emphysema in the other lung. He would take the subway to his treatments and to keep busy, for years, he made large lunch deliveries for Nicole. Eventually, he developed pneumonia and wasn’t able to conquer it. At the same time the family was helping Peter through his treatment plan, Nicole and Michelle’s brother, Scott, then 40, was treated for lymphoma.

“We walk for our father and also a family friend, Liz Sullivan, who is battling lung cancer, and in honor of her husband who died of melanoma,” says Roselli.

“Our father received the most amazing care at MGH and hospice,” says Nicole. “We didn’t find something to become involved in and passionate about until lung cancer affected our family and we found Breathe Deep Boston. They are such a great group of people working toward one purpose, so that one day more people will survive the disease.”

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States, claiming approximately 160,000 lives every year. It can afflict anyone, regardless of smoking history, gender, or ethnicity. Currently, only 17 percent of people diagnosed with lung cancer survive five years post-diagnosis. With early detection, there is hope of long-term survivorship.

The Breathe Deep Boston 5K Walk is one of more than 80 LUNGevity events that take place annually across the country. Since 2002, they have collectively raised nearly $16 million for the LUNGevity Foundation, the nation’s largest private organization dedicated to research for the early detection and treatment of lung cancer. Founded in 2006, the Breathe Deep Boston 5K Walk has alone raised more than $1 million. This year’s goal is to raise $250,000.

Participants often walk in honor of someone currently battling lung cancer or in memory of someone lost to the disease. Individuals and/or businesses are encouraged to sign up as teams. The event will take place at DCR’s Mother’s Rest Area at Carson Beach in South Boston. The walk will kick-off at 11 a.m. and the course is stroller and wheelchair-friendly.

To register for the Breathe Deep Boston 5K Walk on Nov. 1, or to support a walker, visit lungevity.org/boston or call (312) 407-6100. Participants can enter the discount code BREATHE for $5 off the registration fee. November is lung cancer awareness month.