My team
My Story…
Hello Friends and Family!
I am super excited to have joined an amazing charity team, Vineyard Havens, for the 2025 Falmouth Road Race. Vineyard Havens has a special connection to me as their mission is to provide all-expenses-paid trips to Martha's Vineyard to families affected by cancer.
As many of you may know, Martha's Vineyard has been my family's summer vacation spot for almost 25 years. What once started with a small family in Biggers Cottage has grown to a family of over 40 who make their way over to the island year after year. All of us have grown to love the island and everything that it offers. Whether we're taking advantage of the beautiful beaches, tossing a frisbee on the green, doing the traditional jaw bridge jump, or taking a walk into town, we always have a great time.
The biggest fan of the island was probably my mom. She loved to soak in the sun all day, enjoy a good book on the porch, and visit Donovan's for a Dirty Banana. My mom was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2008, but she didn't let this ruin her spirit. She loved going to the island year after year. It was her happy place—a week away, with nothing to do but bask in the glow of the sun and listen to the ocean waves. We sadly lost my mom in the fall of 2018.
Vineyard Havens helps families like mine get to experience the joys of the island. I believe everyone deserves this opportunity & I am asking for your help.
I am running in the 2025 ASICS Falmouth Road Race. I am a part of the Vineyard Havens charity team, in which I have a goal of raising $1000. Please help me reach this goal and help this amazing organization change the lives of families affected by cancer.
Description
A cancer diagnosis, along with its vigorous treatment protocols, can be traumatic for both patients and caregivers. The American Cancer Society (ACS) estimates that as many as 1 in 4 recent cancer patients have PTSD while caregivers can also develop PTSD. According to the ACS, one study found that almost 1 in 5 families with teenage cancer survivors had a parent with PTSD. It is Vineyard Haven’s mission to ease the trauma, isolation and fear of cancer for patients and families by replacing thoughts of cancer with the joy, peace and happiness that comes with a very special week away.
The Jimmy Fund Clinic assesses their current patient-families for a respite week away based on both medical criteria (i.e., ability to travel) as well as “family backstory” which includes financial means, level of trauma (from diagnosis through surgery, treatment, relapse, etc.) and overall desire to “get away from it all.” These families are then referred to Vineyard Havens for intake where we match the family to an amazing beach house and begin to help the family’s dream about their week away on Martha’s Vineyard. For some families, monopoly on the back porch and grilling out on the deck is sheer joy and more than enough.
One teenage boy with relapsed leukemia, a first generation American, had only lived in apartments with a stove - never an oven - so his dream was to bake real chocolate chip cookies in a real oven at the beach house. For others, they want to try everything: fishing, clamming, a sailboat ride at sunset or a biplane ride around the island. But no matter which kind of respite families choose, they all share a few things in common: each family gets a beautiful beach house for the week, professional family beach photos, round trip car ferry tickets, and a refrigerator stocked when they arrive to their vacation home - all paid for by Vineyard Havens.
Recent Donors
| Donation date | Donor name | Donation amount |
|---|---|---|
| Mar 20 | Liv Kingston | $28.10 |
| Mar 20 | Charlie & Chrissy Nolan | $55.35 |
