In late 2009, Amy Wiggin and her family decided to move from Nantucket to Mattapoisett. Her husband, Ken, had a job on the mainland, and was gone for a few days each week. So they uprooted their family of six, relocated to the SouthCoast, and she even secured a new job as a part-time teacher. Their plan to simplify their lives had worked. Their four kids were enrolled in their new schools and were adjusting well and things calmed down a bit.
Shortly after the Wiggin family began to enjoy its newfound equilibrium, Amy was diagnosed with Stage I ovarian cancer.
“It was a real eye-opener,” she said. “You don’t plan on waking up one day and finding out you have cancer.”Luckily, her doctors detected the cancer in its earliest stage, which made treatment safer and easier. Wiggin sought treatment at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.
“I had one big surgery where they removed the cancer and I didn’t need any chemotherapy or anything further,” she said.
Wiggin was fortunate enough to have caught her cancer early, but many people are not diagnosed until later stages, in some cases, at points where the cancer is so advanced, treatment is no longer an option. After Wiggin was declared cancer-free, she decided that she wanted to use her new opportunity at life to do something to give back.
On April 16, Wiggin will be running for the first time in the 116th Boston Marathon as a member of the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge team.
“It’s always been a goal of mine to run a marathon, even since I was young, but I’ve definitely never been a runner,” she said.
The Dana-Farber team set a goal to raise $4.8 million this year, with each runner committing to raise between $3,500-$4,000. Since 1990, Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge runners have raised $52 million for cancer research“.This is my way of giving back to Dana-Farber for everything they did for me and for all the help they give other people,” she said.
She will be joined on the road by her friend, Gerald Lanagan, a local man who participates in high- endurance sports as a regular hobby. He has run several marathons and participated in triathlons and Iron Man competitions.
Lanagan also has a deep connection to the people of Dana-Farber. His father, Jim, was diagnosed with cancer and was successfully treated by the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Today, his brother, Tim, is receiving treatment there for his own cancer.
“It used to be that cancer was a death sentence. But it’s great to fight for these guys and to run for Dana- Farber. My brother gives me strength, seeing him fight it,” he said.
Wiggin submitted her application in October of 2011 and received confirmation of her place on the team in November. She began training in January, running a few miles a few days a week, but steadily increasing her distance to build her endurance.
“A marathon is 26 miles, so I’d say the biggest part of this has been the time commitment,” she said.
These days, she runs solo three to four days a week, anywhere between three and six miles. On Saturdays, she’s been running with other members of the Dana-Farber team, sometimes joining 50 runners up near Boston for sprints that cover almost 20 miles.
“It hasn’t been easy, but it’s been worth it. I’ve met so many great people because of this process,” she said.
When Amy Wiggin finally takes to the start line, she is in it for the long haul. “I don’t care how long it takes me, my goal is to cross that finish line.”
By Eric Tripoli