About a decade ago, Damian and Tarrah Zedower had that parents’ intuition that something wasn’t right with their two-year-old. Caden, who until recently had been an active little boy, just seemed off. He wasn’t his normal, bubbly self.
After a month of appointments and doctors, there was a diagnosis: Caden had acute lymphoblastic leukemia — one of the most common childhood cancers, but also one of the most treatable.
Everything “took off like the speed of light,” Tarrah recalled. Her head was spinning with the soon-to-be three-year treatment regimen for Caden. The new normal for their family was difficult to digest.
Fortunately, one of her co-workers knew Dr. Howard Weinstein at Massachusetts General Hospital’s Pediatric Hematology-Oncology division. Not only is he one of the best in his field, but he also founded the Mass General Marathon Team. With her son’s health in good hands, Tarrah needed to take care of herself.
“When we met in October or November, [Weinstein] was getting excited because all of the [Boston] Marathon’ applications were coming in,” Tarrah explained. “I looked at him and asked, ‘How do I get in on the training?’ He patted me on the shoulder and said that this year probably isn’t the year” because I had a lot more on my plate than I was aware of.”
But Tarrah disagreed. Training for a 26.2-mile race — up and down large hills, often in raw New England weather — was “exactly what I needed,” she said.
On Monday, April 20, Tarrah will be toeing the line in Hopkinton for the ninth time. Her husband Damian has run in three Boston Marathons, giving the couple 12 consecutive races.
“I needed something else to focus on, something to take me away from everything that was going on,” she said. “I was in such a headspace being helpless when Caden was diagnosed. I felt I needed to do something. This is my outlet. I feel like I’m doing something that is making a difference, even though I have zero control over his treatment and care.”
There are easier ways to give back, but the marathon kept pulling her back in.
“There’s something about running Boston. It becomes an addiction, for lack of a better word — a crazy addiction,” Tarrah said. “My husband and I thought this was the best way to give back for all that MGH has done for us.”
Caden, now an eighth-grader at Wayland Middle School, is clear of the cancer, but that hasn’t stopped Tarrah from getting up early or bundling up for a run. She loves the solace of running and the gratification she gets from raising money for MGH — usually $10,000 to $20,000 per year. The family, which includes Callie, a junior at Wayland High School, moved from South Boston soon before Caden’s diagnosis and Tarrah is proud to say she’s received support from both communities.
“Knowing Caden is still in treatment [with check-ups] and supporting other families is what keeps me going,” she said. “I owe it to all of the family, friends, and clients who have supported me since day one. Running the marathon is our thing now.”
The Zedowers help out in other ways besides running the marathon.“I do most everything that is asked of me,” she said. “I remember what it’s like to be that parent on diagnosis day. You need all of the support you can get. Sometimes a new parent talking to a parent who has come out on the other side, hearing of a kid healthy five years later, can give a little hope.”
To support Tarrah and the MGH Pediatric Oncology marathon team, visit www.givengain.com and search “Tarrah Zedower.”
