DONOVAN RUNNING TO SHOW HER STRENGTH
Memorial Middle School teacher takes on challenge while battling breast cancer
It was a sendoff befitting a hero. Through the eyes of her colleagues and family, that’s exactly what Siobhan Donovan is And with good reason.
The Memorial Middle School teacher walked through a mock marathon through the halls of the school Friday afternoon, cheered on by fellow staff members in celebration of the 35-year- old taking part in the 128th Boston Marathon on Monday, culminating in a celebration in the Memorial Middle School library.
Running a marathon is no easy task on its own. But the eighth-grade teacher faces bigger challenges than simply navigating 26.2 miles through the streets and into downtown Boston. Donovan is currently battling stage IV breast cancer and will take time away from the school to begin an aggressive cancer treatment after running the marathon.
“I was intimidated by it a little, but I said yes because why not? If I say next year, I don’t know if there’s going to be a next year,” Donovan said Friday. “So I started training and looking back, that hasn’t been as challenging as I thought it would be. The running has become a therapeutic thing for me. It’s not about the miles or minutes; it’s a reminder of my strength and a time when I can reflect on what I’ve been through and why I’m doing this.”
Gifted a number for the Boston Marathon, Donovan will be joined by her sister, who will run the race for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.
Donovan was told by doctors that her cancer had progressed in February. Her oncologist said she’d be able to delay treatment until after the Marathon, with the 35-year- old thinking that meant it would be pushed off for a month or so after the race.
That’s not the case.
After putting in 26.2 miles on Monday, Donovan will begin an aggressive treatment on Wednesday.
“The last few long runs, that’s been on my mind,” she said. “I’m gearing up for the next battle and honestly, running isn’t the hardest thing that’s going to happen to me in my life.”
She first learned of the cancer diagnosis while pregnant with Ozzie, the youngest of her three children. Since the birth of her son, Donovan — whose other children Shea, 5, Bo, 3, and Ozzie attended Friday’s celebration with their father, Mike — has used running as a distraction and as a means of therapy.
“I had always done sports, always been competitive and athletic. Running was something I knew you should do, but it was like a punishment,” she said. “Once I was diagnosed, I would run every time I had chemo. That was every Thursday. I’d be up with a newborn early and just decided to go for a run. One mile, two miles. … Sometimes I would be slow or walk, but it became a tradition.
“It was a reminder to myself of how strong I was physically and mentally. When I’d go and sit down in that chair later in the day for hours for chemo, I needed to be reminded of how strong I was and that I was so much more than the cancer. That was not going to be the definition of me.”
Her dedication to training for such a monumental goal hasn’t gone unnoticed. Her co-workers dubbed Friday “Siobhan Donovan Day” and praised her courage and dedication. Donovan’s husband, Mike, isn’t shocked by her desire to accomplish something big, but has been moved by his wife’s attitude toward any and all challenges.
“It’s been amazing and inspiring. She’s always been dedicated and passionate with whatever she’s working on,” he said. “It’s
cold and she’s still up early every Saturday for her long runs to get them in. It’s impressive
“As much as the marathon training is impressive, throughout her entire cancer journey, she’s made exercise a huge priority for her. She collected her chemo bracelets and there was always a workout before each of them. She’s been an inspiration for us and we’re just lucky to live with her every single day.”
Siobhan was surprised by the outpouring of support by her co-workers. It wasn’t simply for the Boston Marathon; Friday was her last day at work for the school year with her treatment set to begin.
“It feels amazing because when you’re having hard times and dark times it really is the support of family and friends that powers you through,” she said. “It’s how you see the light in every day. II’S the light at the end of the tunnel and I’m so lucky to have so many people behind me.
“I’m truly so excited and not intimidated at all. I’m going to finish the race. There’s no doubt in my mind. I’m really just thinking about taking in every moment of it and celebrating how far I’ve come.”
With what she’s facing after the race, Siobhan’s prediction doesn’t come off as boastful or arrogant. Greater challenges await and have given her a new perspective on things.
“I’ve said this to a few other people, but I’m not out there running toward a finish line or for time,” Siobhan said. “Every step is toward my daughter’s first day of kindergarten, it’s toward my son’s eighth-grade graduation or their proms. It’s toward their weddings and growing old with my husband and being grandparents together. That’s what I’m running toward.
“I’m running so 10, 15, 20 years from now, whenever it is that I’m not here, my kids will see photos of me crossing that finish line and they’re going to say ‘Oh yeah, that’s my mom. She did that while she was fighting cancer.’ I want them to have that.”