Westwood Resident Walks To Save Lives

This Sunday, nearly 8,000 people will take the streets to walk in the Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk with hopes in hopes of raising at least $6.5 million dollars for cancer cure and research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

And joining the group will be Westwood resident Heidi Feyler.

Feyler, an infusion nurse at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, will be walking with Team G.I. Cancer-We Got Guts, which consists of 25 members from the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women's Hospital. 

Working at Dana-Farber helped to motivate Feyler to participate in Sunday's walk. It'll be her first time taking part in the event.

"You basically become a part of the person's family," said Feyer of her experience at Dana-Farber.  "You see all the new treatments and it motivates you to do more."

But Feyler is also motivated by the recent death her friend's son, Aidan Lostus. In 2009, Lostus lost a battle with ependymoma, a rare brain cancer in children. He was only 3-years-old, and was known for his lighthearted happy-go-lucky attitude.

"He had bright blue eyes, blonde hair and he just lit up the whole room," said Feyler. "We didn't think of him as a cancer victim. He was just Aidan."

Heidi reminisced about a trip they took to Canobie Lake park.

"He loved going on the rides, and he kept asking everyone 'how old are you?'" Feyler said. "We just thought that was so funny. The way he talked, he just seemed so much older. "It's as if he were here for a reason."

The experience with Lostus helped Feyler put into perspective the hardships of having a child who falls ill.

"I have children, and I know how difficult it can be when your child comes down with something serious," Feyler said.

Feyler's team that will be walking on Sunday will include cancer patients with family members, nurses and doctors who are dedicated to finding cures for cancer and improving the quality of life for their chronic patients.

In the past 21 years the Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk has raised more than $66 million for adult and pediatric cancer care. The money raised directly benefits New England residents and people from all around the world.

Walkers have four routes to chose from. The Hopkington route spans a full 26.2 miles, while the route from Babson College to Boston is 13.1 miles. The route from Boston College spans about 5 miles, and the Dana Farber route starting on Binney Street in Boston is 3 miles.

Feyler hopes to go above and beyond the minimum expectation for what her team is looking to raise.

"The minimum is $250," Feyler said. "But we hope to raise a lot more."

The participants in the walk will be escorted by the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association, which has been working with the Jimmy Fund since 1953.

A victory celebration for participants will be held at the finish line at Copley Square. For more information on the Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk, visit the Jimmy Fund website.