Big Steps In Cancer Fight

Valerie Schumacher just celebrated her second “cancerversary.”

That’s what she calls the day marking her second year of remission since being diagnosed with breast cancer on Aug. 27, 2009. To stay alive, she underwent four months of chemotherapy and seven weeks of radiation, as well as an intravenous antibody treatment. On Sunday, she’s going for a walk.

Together with thousands of other cancer patients, survivors and family members, Schumacher is tracing the route of the Boston Marathon as part of the 24th annual Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk. The 26.2-mile walk is to raise money — an expected $7.5 million — for adult and pediatric patient care and cancer research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute through the Jimmy Fund.

For Schumacher, who also lost her husband, mother and several friends to the disease, the walk is a chance to fight a cancer “epidemic.”

“Everyone’s been touched by cancer. Or if they haven’t been yet, they will be," Schumacher said. "So I wanted to be able to do something about it.”