This Jamaica Plain husband is running to ‘fund the next generation of treatment’

"My wife—a young, healthy, non-smoker—underwent lung surgery to remove a concerning nodule. The shocking diagnosis that followed revealed she had a rare form of lung cancer."

April 13, 2025

1 minute to read

In our “Why I’m Running” series, Boston Marathon athletes share what’s inspiring them to make the 26.2-mile trek from Hopkinton to Boston. Looking for more race day content? Sign up for Boston.com’s pop-up Boston Marathon newsletter.

First & Last Name: Jimmy Wyman
Age: 44
City/State: Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts

Running has never been something I did or wanted to do. Then in 2022, our
family’s world turned upside down. My wife—a young, healthy, non-
smoker—underwent lung surgery to remove a concerning nodule. The
shocking diagnosis that followed revealed she had a rare form of lung cancer.
She’s one of the 2% of patients with RET-positive cancer, a mutation requiring
targeted treatment that only received FDA approval in 2020. Months later, we
were devastated to learn her cancer had spread.

As a husband and a father to two young children, I’ve struggled with feelings
of helplessness. Watching someone you love face cancer is overwhelming,
but I’ve learned there is something I can do. I can run—and in doing so, I can
fight alongside her by raising funds for Dana-Farber’s groundbreaking
research.

Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer death among women in
the U.S., yet it’s one of the most underfunded cancers in terms of research.
Every year, over 235,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed, with nearly 20% of
cases in never-smokers. Despite these statistics, stigma often keeps stories
like ours hidden.

Thanks to Dana-Farber’s innovative treatments, my wife is receiving care that
is working—care that didn’t exist just a few years ago. However, we know that
eventually, my wife’s body will build a resistance to her current treatment.
So why do I run? I run, to bring more awareness to this deadly disease. I run,
in hopes of helping to fund the next generation of treatment for RET-positive
cancer patients. I run, in hopes that my wife will be able to watch our kids
grow up.