Kerry Fajardo
For Kerry Fajardo, running the 130th Boston Marathon with Team BMC is deeply personal. It’s a chance to support excellent care at Boston Medical Center and honor her recent journey with breast cancer.
Fajardo is the director of case management at BMC South, where for more than 10 years she has led a team of nurse case managers and social workers who support patients and families during some of their most difficult moments. She spent years working as a nurse before transitioning to case management and is an expert at guiding others through crisis and transition. But facing cancer herself in 2024 was entirely different. “When the biopsy came back, I couldn’t even process what they were saying to me,” she remembers. “I understood their words, but I felt they couldn’t possibly apply to me.”
Throughout her journey with breast cancer, which included surgery, chemo, radiation, and hormone therapy, Kerry never stopped running. “I need to run,” she explains. “That’s my meditation and my connection to the world. It’s how I hit the ground in the morning. It’s my time.” There were days Kerry was too sick to do a lot, but even a slow mile made all the difference.
“I didn’t run very fast, and I didn’t run very far,” she says. “But I did it for me, and I felt like myself. I needed to push through.” —Kerry Fajardo
At the same time, Fajardo felt deeply supported by her BMC South colleagues who consistently checked in on her. “They never left my side,” she says. “I wasn’t just their leader. They cared, and that was huge.”
Today, Fajardo is grateful to be cancer-free and committed to her long-term health. “For so long, I was telling everybody else that they needed to take care of themselves, and I didn’t do it myself,” she admits. “I used to always cancel doctors’ appointments because something more important would come up. Now, I show up to my appointments.”
On Monday, April 20, Kerry will lace up her running shoes and join Team BMC in Hopkinton. With every mile she runs, she will be giving back to her team and helping to ensure that patients across the BMC system receive the same compassion, support, and opportunity for healing that she values so deeply.
This year, 72 Team BMC runners are fundraising and training for the Boston Marathon as part of the Bank of America Boston Marathon Official Charity Program. Together, they’re aiming to raise $850,000 to advance BMC’s mission. Learn more about Team BMC and the Boston Marathon.