"Team Hanscom" walks for research

  • Published
  • By Tech . Sgt. Jennifer Foster
  • 66th Air Base Group Public Affairs
HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. --  "Team Hanscom," formerly known as "The Real Housewives of Hanscom," is walking 26.2 miles for the second year in a row to raise money for pediatric low grade brain tumors during the Jimmy Fund Walk Sept. 8.

The group of dedicated participants from Hanscom joined together last year to walk and raise funds and the group is excited to walk again this year.

According to www.jimmyfund.org, since its founding in 1948, the Jimmy Fund has supported the fight against cancer in children and adults at Boston's Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, helping to raise the chances of survival for cancer patients around the world.

Brittany Albert, team co-leader, and her family moved from Newport, R.I. during the summer of 2012. Earlier that same year, Albert's four-year-old daughter, Mackenzie, was diagnosed with a low grade brain tumor.

"We noticed my daughter walking funny and then she started losing strength in her arm," said Albert. "My neighbor encouraged us to take her in for an MRI, so we did and found out she had a low grade brain tumor on her brain stem."

Mackenzie had surgery in June 2012 to remove most of the tumor and then spent a week relaxing with family at Camp Sunshine in Maine.

According to their website, www.campsunshine.org, the camp is a place that provides respite, support, joy and hope to children with life-threatening illnesses and their families, and that is where Albert met the team leader of Team H.E.A.L.S.

Team H.E.A.L.S., which stands for Hope, Endure, Awareness, Love our children and Support pediatric low grade astrocytoma, was started by a group of families with children that have pediatric low grade brain tumors. The team's hope for last year was to raise more than $10,000 because only then would they be able to designate where the money would go within the Dana Farber cancer institute.

Albert asked if "The Real Housewives of Hanscom" would be willing to join Team H.E.A.L.S. to ensure their monetary goal would be reached, and they enthusiastically agreed.

That was the beginning of the super team that raised more than $29,000 in 2012 and is hoping to do the same this year.

"We have a goal of $30,000," said Albert. "We think this is achievable because we are determined to keep raising awareness for our kids and are passionate about finding a cure."

The team, which so far comprises of two members from Hanscom and eight from Team H.E.A.L.S., will start training in the coming weeks.
Each member of the team joined for different reasons, but they are all eager to work together to reach a common goal and help support cancer research in every way they can.
"We had such an amazing response from the Hanscom community last year and this time we're hoping more people will want to walk with us and help raise funds for such an amazing cause," Albert said.

The team will tentatively walk Sept. 8. If interested in joining the team to walk or would like to show support in a different way, contact Brittany Albert at balbert1205@gmail.com or 781-862-1598 or contact Heather Julseth at pamperedliving@live.com or 937-369-1937.

For more information on the walk that has raised more than $87 million since 1989, visit www.jimmyfund.org or to see the progress of Team H.E.A.L.S., visit www.jimmyfundwalk.org/2013/teamheals.