Resident Who Lost Three Siblings to Cancer Runs Boston Marathon in Their Honor

Every person who runs the Boston Marathon has some kind of motivation. For Marblehead's Jennie Sheridan, it's the drive to make something positive out of an almost unimaginable series of family tragedies.

In the space of three years, she lost two sisters and a brother to cancer.

Last year the Globe did a moving video in which Sheridan told her story.

Today's Marathon will be Sheridan's fifth run as part of the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge. She has already passed her fundraising goal for this year of $28,000 but you can make further donations at this page.

"The Claudia Adams Barr Program in Innovative Cancer researchers receive 100 percent of the gifts made and the program funds some of the brightest and most cutting-edge basic cancer research in the country," Sheridan wrote in an email to Marblehead Patch. "I am so grateful for the opportunity to run for Dana-Farber because I truly believe that research that is funded by our team will prevent other families from experiencing what our family did, and that together, we are making a difference."

Sheridan blogs about her experiences as a runner, among other subjects, in her blog: Be Good, Be Strong.