SOUTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. (WPRI) — The Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk will be held on Sunday to raise money for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, and the event has a Rhode Island connection.
Teams who take part in the walk are matched with a “hero,” or a Dana Farber patient. Pictures of the heroes are placed at all the mile markers to help motivate people as they walk.
Linda Dziobek of South Kingstown has been receiving personalized care for her ovarian cancer at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute for 10 years.
Dziobek is the hero for the team “Ovarian Cancer Brigade.” Many of her teammates have lost loved ones to the disease.
This year’s walk is Dziobek’s fourth time being a hero. Last year, she stood by her mile marker sign to cheer people on.
“People came up and hugged me,” Dziobek recalled. “They touched the photo. You know, you can’t help get pulled into that …. sense of community, the joy and the emotion.”