‘I run in honor of and in memory of so many who have fought cancer’

"I run and raise money for Dana-Farber because I know research is where the hope is."

April 13, 2024

1 minute to read

In our “Why I’m Running” series, Boston Marathon runners share what’s inspiring them to make the 26.2-mile trek from Hopkinton to Boston.

Name: Julie-Ann Shapiro
Age: 59
From: Lexington

I started running with the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge team in 2014, when my father was being treated at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. I had no idea at the time that I would consider raising money for cancer research to be, by far, the most important and satisfying work I do.

I run and raise money for Dana-Farber because I know research is where the hope is. 100% of what I raise goes directly to the Claudia Adams Bar program, whose researchers have helped transform cancer treatment, leading to improved care, quality of life and survival for so many. I have raised over $200,000.00 to date, and I want to do more.

I am inspired by so many, including my late father, and my three sisters-in-law, Lisa, Jenny and Sue, along with my patient-partner, Norah, a DFCI patient who was diagnosed with incurable brain cancer at the age of 7 — she is now nearly 16! I am also inspired by my in-memory partner, Kyle, who passed away at 21 years old, and I help his mother keep his memory alive.

I run in honor of and in memory of so many who have fought cancer — their names on my Dana-Farber race singlet are my “why” for raising money, and I am far from done.