Megan Kelley

[Dan Kelley @DanKelley66]

Tomorrow is my #JimmyFundWalk. Hoping to leave as close to 5:30 AM as possible from Hopkinton to avoid missing as little of the #Patriots game as possible. I'll check back in at the finish line, assuming I finish all 26.2 miles. If I miss the start of the game, @BobSocci and @scottzolak will keep me posted until I return.

In the meantime, if anyone wants to donate to my efforts, this is what I posted before my first walk in 2018. Apologies for the lengthy post:

I am walking 26.2 miles in the Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk. Please read about my inspiration behind contributing to this great cause (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute): Can I walk 26.2 miles? Honestly, I didn't know. Even as I type this I have never done so before.

In 2011 my right leg had stopped functioning properly to the point where I was misdiagnosed with having PLS, told it would eventually morph into ALS, and that if things progressed slowly my most optimistic outlook would be living another 15 years. Most of this would be spent needing a wheelchair as well as help breathing and communicating. It was nearly 6 months before we discovered I had been improperly diagnosed with this condition.

In February of 2016 I had a seizure, and in the course of my convulsions managed to cause several fractures in my spine. This was largely due to a Vitamin D deficiency (osteomalacia) that had previously gone undiagnosed. I wore a back brace for several months, and when my back began to heal I developed nerve pain and other issues in my left foot and lower leg.

None of this, however, compares to what my oldest daughter Bridget has had to endure.

In September of 2016, Bridget went to Boston Children’s Hospital for a routine MRI before getting a tonsillectomy. They discovered during this test that something was irregular, and further testing showed that Bridget had t-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Any stress related to my own health issues seemed suddenly trivial. My daughter had cancer.

Bridget would need to undergo multiple "induction" phases of chemotherapy before getting into remission and would need a stem cell transplant once she did. By the time Bridget had received her transplant (from her youngest sister) and was ultimately discharged from Boston Children's Hospital on May 1, 2017, she had spent 157 days inpatient there. Although she continues to be monitored at The Jimmy Fund Clinic, and the fear of a relapse is always existent, Bridget is now over 18 months* (update: now 7.5 years) post-transplant with no major setbacks!

As a thank you to the amazing medical team that has helped get her to this point, as well as a way to help future families facing a similar life-changing childhood cancer diagnosis, I WILL walk 26.2 miles on Sunday. If Bridget could persevere through rounds of chemo, steroids, a stem cell transplant, fungal infection, pneumonia, and even compression fractures of her own, I know that I can complete a 26.2-mile walk in her honor! Please consider a donation to help my efforts if you can by clicking on this link:

https://t.co/Ay6iGu5QR2

[Megan Kelley @ciankelley]

@MBTA I’m out. Literally quitting the T today. Will figure out another way to get to and from work. It is too unreliable.

[Megan Kelley @ciankelley]

@MBTA 40+ minutes from South Station to NQ in a car (01863) that was literally 100°. Absolute torture.

[PatriotsFootballNOW @PatsFootballNow]

Patriots Football Now is a go! Welcome @DanKelley66 our head writer. Get ready for hard-hitting Pats coverage, no Fan Boy hot takes, no clickbait. Real, professional coverage:

https://t.co/bTg8xEsKFE

[Megan Kelley @ciankelley]

@MBTA The North Quincy Newport Ave parking lot was completely untreated after yesterday’s storm. Treacherous driving and walking this morning.

[Megan Kelley @ciankelley]

@MBTA is this accurate? 46 minutes between Red Line trains during rush hour with no other advisories?

[Megan Kelley @ciankelley]

@MBTA How long will the Newport Ave lot be closed?

[Kelley Kids Foundation @KelleyKidsFdn]

Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk is on October 2 and we need your help. Last year the Kelley Kids Foundation Walk Team raised $11,825 for a childhood cancer research grant; this year we want to hit $15,000!

Join our team, or donate to help! #JimmyFundWalk

https://t.co/KtPkgJOe7p

[marcus smart @smart_MS3]

Stepan Birmann is 12 years old and cancer free and that, everyone, is more important than anything else in the world! Thanks for supporting us man and praying for continued health my friend! That’s a true WIN!

[Dan Kelley @DanKelley66]

Tomorrow is a huge day in our house; my daughters 5-year anniversary of her stem cell transplant. On the eve of her big day, following a week of radiation, she received a message that brightened her spirits before her big day from @alyankovic! We can’t say thanks enough Al. ❤️

[Dan Kelley @DanKelley66]

A very long day of testing for my daughter Bridget today at Boston Childrens Hospital and The Jimmy Fund Clinic, but in the end all the test results looked great, as she nears her 5-year anniversary of being in remission!

[Wonder of Science @wonderofscience]

Earth at night seen from space.

[TODAY @TODAYshow]

Childhood cancer survivor, 29, revealed as crew member for all-civilian mission to space https://t.co/SbwD0zA7Bl

[Dan Kelley @DanKelley66]

Today is the 3-year anniversary of my daughter Bridget’s return to school after 15 months away for cancer treatment. I will share this every year because it makes me happy! Thank you for being there to capture it @wbz @JoeGiza @PaulaEbben

#BridgetTheBrave 💛🍀🦄
#ChildhoodCancer

[Megan Kelley @ciankelley]

@sueiscranky @MBTA Outbound from South Station to QC, the commuter rail conductor just told me starting tomorrow I can’t use my Charlie Card. True?

[Kelley Kids Foundation @KelleyKidsFdn]

Today’s the 2-year anniversary of our co-founder/inspiration Bridget Kelley being discharged after 157 days inpatient at @BostonChildrens. There may be some setbacks for #ChildhoodCancer patients (& families) but #BridgetTheBrave says finding reasons to smile definitely helps! 💛

[Megan Kelley @ciankelley]

@SeanLowe09 We are watching Lego Movie in anticipation of going to see Lego Movie 2 tomorrow. Big time stuff.

[Megan Kelley @ciankelley]

Southern California Journalist With Leukemia Urgently Needs Bone Marrow Donor Match https://t.co/IJTdxg6j3X via @hereandnow

[Dan Kelley @DanKelley66]

Hard to believe it’s been a year since my daughter Bridget returned to school after a 15-month absence for #cancer treatment. Today she went to school with less fanfare; just a regular, #cancerfree 4th grader! So happy for #BridgetTheBrave & so grateful for our amazing community!

[Lisa @ Jimmy Fund Clinic @JFCactivities]

The most emotional experience.
As soon as the crowds see the @TheJimmyFund sign on our boat & the beautiful kids filling it up they scream even louder💛Chants of JIMMYFUND!!
We love the @RedSox Thankyou💛