By Ashley Chamberlain
April 25, 2008 07:00 am Countless hours of work, training and preparation go into Marathon Monday. For most Massachusetts students, it is just another day off school, but for those who participate, volunteer and organize the event, it means a whole lot more. For one local woman, Karen, it meant fundraising and running the 26.2 miles for the cancer survivors, victims, and those currently in treatment that she knows personally, a number that is above 20 right now. Although this was Karen's second marathon — the first time she ran on her own and raised only a little over $6,000 — this year was far different. Karen ran for the Dana-Farber team this year, along with 550 teammates, and while funds are still pouring in, she has currently raised over $11,000 and is still collecting donations. All of the money goes directly to Dana-Farber researchers who are working hard to find a cure for cancer, one of the most terrible sicknesses that strikes families everywhere. Karen ran for a 6-year-old girl, Emma, who is suffering from cancer. At the 25th mile, she took off the medal she had been wearing around her neck the whole race and gave it to Emma. In return, the little girl became the center of attention of the prestigious Boston Marathon for a few minutes, and she gave Karen the inspiration to continue on. "When I felt like giving up, I just remembered why I was running and for who," she told me. "I knew whatever pain I was feeling, it could not have been as bad as what the people suffering from cancer were going through. Even when I would burst into tears, I knew I could keep going." It took a little over four and a half hours for her to complete the marathon, a time that is very respectable and hard to earn. Although she said she slowed down the last five miles, she had the strength to continue from a few other sources besides Emma, including her family and friends who stood at three separate points to cheer her on, and also a family that she has become very close with after they lost their toddler to cancer several years ago. Over her years of working with Dana-Farber, she said that the best part has been watching the advancements of research and seeing more and more people who are diagnosed with cancer survive. "I can't really describe what it feels like," said, "except that I feel like I'm making a difference." Every penny that goes to cancer research does make a difference. Saving one life is worth it, and through the Boston Marathon, many organizations and nonprofits receive large donations to continue helping others. With time, effort, dedication and persistence, everyone can make a difference in some way for an organization or cause that will help others, and finding the right one is easy, but that does not mean it will not cost you blood, sweat and tears. The best achievements and rewards come from the hardest work. There aren't enough great stories passed along like Karen's, and unfortunately as a society we are so compelled to read every negative aspect of the world around us, that there is not enough room for the stories that make a difference, touch our hearts, and lead us to do great, helpful and amazing things. Maybe if we continue to share the good, it will spread the inspiration, and with hard work, dedication and motivation, the possibilities of changing the world are endless.
Ashley Chamberlain, a 2005 Pinkerton Academy graduate, is a junior at UNH. She is in her fourth year as a Derry News columnist and intern.
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