Cruising away their troubles for an afternoon
Cancer foundation fund-raiser a hit
QUINCY - The skies were overcast, the winds chilly, and 10 minutes into the cruise rain began falling. But onboard the small boat yesterday afternoon, five young adults, all cancer survivors, took in the sights of Boston Harbor, chatted about everything from Sarah Palin to In-N-Out Burger, and laughed a lot.
It was a long way from tests, treatments, and hospitals.
The survivors were guests of the I'm Too Young For This! Cancer Foundation, started nearly two years ago by Matthew Zachary, who was diagnosed with brain cancer two days after Christmas in 1995 and proudly touts on his business card: "Status: Still Here."
Zachary said his experience with cancer taught him that a new approach is needed, a new model, to deal with young adults afflicted with the disease.
"There was very little attention paid to the fact that I was so young, there was no thought to introduce me to people my age," he said yesterday, moments before stepping from the dock at the Marina Bay onto the boat.
Zachary, who lives in New York City, flew to Boston yesterday to go on the cruise and attend the fund-raiser "Stupid Cancer Happy Hour." Money from the event, attended by about 200 people, will go toward funding research for earlier diagnosis of cancer in people between the ages of 18 and 39. In that age group, Zachary said, cancer is often misdiagnosed or diagnosed only after it has advanced.
Another aim of the event was to get cancer patients away from the rigors of dealing with their disease and put them in a relaxed, fun setting. Three local businesses pitched in to make it happen. The Freedom Boat Club of Greater Boston donated the boat, and club members volunteered to navigate the vessel. The Launch at Marina Bay, a restaurant on the boardwalk, hosted a buffet, provided by caterer DMC Barbecue. A silent auction was held, and the restaurant had live music.
Approximately 70,000 adults between the ages of 18 and 39 are diagnosed with cancer every year, said Tom Murdock, the organization's chief operating officer and a cancer survivor. The foundation is a worldwide advocacy group for cancer patients and survivors from 18 to 39.
Though the weather became a steady cold drizzle, spirits stayed buoyed.
Harriet Diggins, 55, a member of the boat club, who took a day off from work to navigate for the group, looked at one of the participants and said, "I bet you're thinking right now, 'What did I get myself into?' "
The man, who had no jacket and using a trash bag to hide form the rain, just chuckled. 