Jen Theroux is running for the hospital that saved her daughter

"I felt inspired to give back to Dana-Farber for all that they saw Gracie and our family through."

March 20, 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. If you’re running the marathon, you can share your story here.

Name: Jennifer Theroux
Age: 37
From: Derry, N.H.

My name is Jen Theroux, and I am running my first marathon as a member of the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge team!

My daughter, Gracie, was diagnosed with leukemia on December 23, 2019. She spent over seven weeks inpatient at Boston Children’s Hospital for her first phase of treatment.

On Valentine’s Day 2020, Gracie was discharged home to begin a two year outpatient treatment course at Dana-Farber. At the time that Gracie was diagnosed, I was six months pregnant with my son, Benjamin, and I had a four year old daughter, Lily.

A month after Gracie came home, in mid-March 2020, the world came to a grinding halt as the pandemic changed life as we know it. Two weeks later, on April 1, 2020, I gave birth to Benjamin. All the while, Gracie continued her outpatient course of treatment.

Led by Dr. Andrew Place, Gracie’s medical team saw her and our family though 26 months of treatment. Gracie completed treatment in February 2022, and she remains cancer free. Today, Gracie is a happy, healthy, and thriving kid.

At the beginning of 2023, I decided to begin running again with the goal of running the Boston Marathon for Dana-Farber. I hadn’t run in years. It has been eight years since I had run a road race and nine years since I had run a half marathon.

However, I felt inspired to give back to Dana-Farber for all that they saw Gracie and our family through. I made it a goal to run Boston 2024 for Dana-Farber. It has been an incredible gift to be able to train for a marathon and fundraise for Dana-Farber.

I am absolutely thrilled to be running for the Dana-Farber team!

Editor’s note: This entry may have been lightly edited for clarity or grammar.