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AUGUSTA – In spite of the disease that stole years from her life and kept her housebound for a year after her successful bone marrow transplant, cancer survivor Jessica Lovejoy Doody is grateful.
Grateful for the expert care and support she received at the Harold Alfond Center for Cancer Care and in Boston through the center’s collaborative relationship with the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
Grateful for a return to health after being diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia – a very rare form of cancer – in March 2014.
Grateful for the support she received from family, friends and her employer during her cancer journey. And, on Saturday, Oct. 13, grateful to be a marshal for the 15th annual Walk for Hope, a 5K walk that raises funds to support area residents receiving cancer treatment locally.
Registration for the walk begins at 7:30 a.m. at Mill Park, downtown. The walk starts at 9 a.m., rain or shine. The cost is $20 per person, waived for cancer survivors and fighters. Children younger than 18 must be accompanied during the event by a registered adult participant and there is no fee for those 8 years old and younger.
Doody, 41, of Randolph, will lead hundreds of walkers through the streets of Augusta in an inspiring and often emotional event that celebrates cancer survivors and fighters and honors the memory of those who have lost their battle.
Doody is passionate about her children and finding positivity in the world, and says she is deeply moved by her role.
“The work they do at the cancer center is just amazing,” she said. “They provide so much support and such good care,” she said. “I feel honored to participate in the Walk and to raise money to help someone else. It’s my way of giving back. I want to do whatever I can to help people.”
Doody, an executive assistant at the Maine State Employees Association, was an MSEA field representative in early 2014 when she began experiencing extreme fatigue. She attributed it to long hours of traveling for her work, but then discovered a lump in her stomach. Blood work and a bone marrow biopsy led to a cancer diagnosis – and a whirlwind of appointments, tests and personal and family life turned upside down.
She received chemotherapy and had a bone marrow transplant at Brigham and Women’s Hospital that summer. She stayed in Boston for a month after her transplant and then made regular return visits after she went home. She now goes back yearly.
“And I have about 10 more months to go before they can say I’m ‘cured,'” she said, adding that while she’s not 100 percent to where she was pre-diagnosis, “my health and energy are a lot better.”
Doody acknowledged that the physical, emotional and financial hardships of her extended cancer treatment were difficult.
“It impacted my whole family. I was out of work for almost a year. At the time, my youngest biological child was going to be a senior in high school, so it had an especially big impact on him,” she said.
A lot has changed in the years that followed, however, as her health improved. Doody has seen twin daughters Autumn and Sierra and son Andrew successfully transition to adulthood and then doubled her family in 2017 when she and husband Scott adopted three young brothers into their family.
Now an established cancer survivor, Doody has focused on helping others going through their own difficult journeys at various benefit public suppers and events and, most importantly, through the Walk for Hope.
In 2017, she participated in the event for the first time, proudly wearing her survivor sash as she walked with her aunt, Kris Barron, and other members of Team Lipman & Katz. She’ll rejoin the team next Saturday and
Barron, who nominated Doody to be a marshal, will be thrilled to walk beside her.
“I love her with all my heart,” Barron said, “and she has overcome some much since March 2014. She truly is an inspiration. To learn more about the event or to register, visit give.mainegeneral.org/hope.
