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Date: 9/28/2023
AGAWAM — Kathleen and James Paulin are getting ready to participate in the Jimmy Fund Walk on Oct. 1, which seeks to raise money for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. The 26.2-mile walk follows the same course as the Boston Marathon.
Kathleen first heard about the fundraiser event from a nurse at the school where she works. She and James, who are Agawam residents, want to help the cause in honor of a brother-in-law who died from esophageal cancer in November 2021.
“When we first heard about the walk last year, it was too late for us to train, so we decided to wait and do it this year,” Kathy said.
As they were training in the winter, the two remembered many other people in their lives who also have dealt with cancer.
“We had so many people who had touched our lives who had dealt with cancer,” Kathy said. “Some of them have survived, others have not. We have a family member now who’s going through a lot with it.”
The Paulins previously completed a breast cancer walk for Baystate Health. This is the first time they’ve taken on something of this magnitude, however. They have been training since May using a training regimen that James researched.
The two mapped out how many miles they’d have to do each week to prepare, the days they’d have to walk. “We map out loops around Agawam,” said Kathy. “We’ve been walking to Suffield, Connecticut, and then coming back down through Agawam.”
Kathy said they are hoping for a sense of accomplishment that they’ve done something to help people with cancer. Less seriously, she is hoping her sneakers hold up. She is onto her second pair already.
Other than her sneakers, she is not worried about much.
“Some days when it’s been a tough walk, because it’s been humid and it seems like we’ve been walking forever, I just keep saying to myself it’s nothing compared to what anyone who deals with this disease is going through,” she said. “If they can do it, we can do it.”
Last year, the Jimmy Fund Walk raised approximately $8.8 million. Besides the Paulins, two other Agawam residents, Sue Smith and Paul Weaver, will be joining this year’s walk. Those interested in participating, sponsoring a walker or finding out more information can do so at www.jimmyfundwalk.org.