April 19, 2002
Marathon miles add up for a good cause
Known
as one of the most famous hills in the running world, Heartbreak Hill
in Newton — between miles 20 and 21 of the Boston Marathon —
has long been dreaded by marathoners. But for those running with the
2002 MassGeneral Marathon Team on Marathon Monday, it was a welcomed
site. More than 200 pediatric cancer patients, their families and friends
of the runners gathered at Heartbreak Hill to cheer loudly and enthusiastically
for the MGH runners.
The group of runners — known as the MassGeneral Marathon Team "Fighting Kids' Cancer ... One Step at a Time" — is made up of 58 physicians, nurses, staff, patients and others. The team members committed to raise $2,000 each to benefit childhood cancer research at MassGeneral Hospital for Children. Many of the runners were paired with pediatric cancer patients, ranging in age from 3 to 18, which helped to inspire them to persevere through the grueling 26.2 miles of the marathon.
Howard Weinstein, MD, chief of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology at MassGeneral Hospital for Children, started the MassGeneral Marathon Team in 1998 after an 18-year-old patient under his care died from incurable sarcoma. In the past four years, the team has raised more than $1.5 million for pediatric cancer research.
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