Two years after being diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer, Hanover resident Heather McCready is preparing to participate in her first Jimmy Fund Walk to support cancer research and patient care at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
McCready, 44, was diagnosed in the summer of 2024 with stage 3 invasive lobular and ductal breast cancer. Treatment and recovery from surgery prevented her from participating in the past two Jimmy Fund Walks.
This year, she plans to walk in person on Sunday, Oct. 4, and has formed a fundraising team called Heather’s Heroes. Her two children are also raising money for Dana-Farber.
McCready said she continues to manage some of the physical effects of cancer, but the emotional impact has often been more difficult. Creating the team and fundraising for Dana-Farber has given her a way to channel some of that anxiety into supporting other patients and families.
She said she plans to walk in honor of other cancer patients she has met, people who died before a cure was available and the physicians who cared for her throughout her treatment.
“Even though the disease was mine, and in my body, and my experience, there was not a single moment when I fought alone,” McCready said. “Cancer does not discriminate. It has touched every single person I know in one way or another.”
McCready was 42 when she received her diagnosis. She has said one of the most reassuring moments after learning she had cancer came when her doctor emphasized Dana-Farber’s experience treating the disease.
She carried that reassurance with her through the months of treatment and recovery that followed.
The 2026 Jimmy Fund Walk for Dana-Farber, presented by Hyundai, raises money to support adult and pediatric patient care and cancer research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
Participants can choose among four routes, including a 5K beginning at Dana-Farber’s Longwood Medical Campus, a 10K from Newton, a half marathon route from Wellesley and a marathon route from Hopkinton. A virtual option is also available.
The Jimmy Fund Walk has raised more than $197 million for Dana-Farber during its 37-year history.
Registration and fundraising information is available at JimmyFund.org/Walk.
