Mom of 2 Beats Cancer 4 Times, Runs Boston Marathon

When Mary Shertenlieb stood at the Boston Marathon start line this April, she carried more than race-day nerves. She carried 13 years of fighting acute myeloid leukemia, four separate cancer diagnoses, and the memory of missing last year's race while undergoing treatment.

The MIT philanthropy professional and mother of two teenage boys completed her fifth Boston Marathon this year, finishing what she calls a gift. "I feel so lucky that I get to do this," she says.

Shertenlieb's cancer journey began in 2013 with her first leukemia diagnosis. She endured three rounds of treatment and received a stem cell transplant in 2014 from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute team that still cares for her today.

By 2018, she was in remission and ready to run. She completed both the Boston and New York City marathons that year, crossing each finish line with gratitude.

But cancer wasn't finished with her. In November 2024, a strange mark appeared on her breast. The biopsy revealed something her doctors had rarely seen: her leukemia had returned as a solid tumor instead of affecting her blood.

"It's the kind of diagnosis that is so unusual that there is no standard therapy," her care team explained. They worked together to create a treatment plan that combined radiation and chemotherapy while keeping her goals in mind.

"I was scared," Shertenlieb admits. "But at the same time, I thought, if there's anybody who can figure it out, it's this team."

She rang the bell marking the end of radiation treatment and entered remission again. Her doctor offered her a targeted medicine to prevent future recurrence, but the side effects interfered with her marathon training.

The team made an adjustment: pause the medication, run the race, then restart treatment. "We asked her if she was sure she wanted to run the marathon," recalls her nurse practitioner Ilene Galinsky. "Of course she would."

Why This Inspires

Shertenlieb hasn't just survived cancer four times. She's turned her recovery into purpose, raising $156,000 for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute that saved her life. Her medical team had to adjust cutting-edge cancer treatment around her marathon schedule, showing how patient-centered care honors what makes life worth living. Through hip replacements caused by necessary steroids and chronic graft versus host disease from her transplant, she keeps lacing up her running shoes. Her determination reminds us that healing isn't just about surviving but about choosing what brings us joy and running toward it.

Her husband and two sons cheered for her at mile 13 and again at mile 20 this April. She crossed the finish line cancer-free, proving that sometimes the greatest victories happen one mile at a time.