Women’s rowing team raises $18K in support of team member diagnosed with lymphoma

When Mary Dixon ’08, a former member of the Holy Cross women’s varsity rowing team from St. Louis, was diagnosed with stage 2 lymphoma last month, her teammates immediately knew they had to do something to help.

On Sept. 14, just one day after Dixon was diagnosed, Alyssa Trometter ’08, from Gladwyne, Pa., began to research different organizations that raise money for cancer research. She found the “Light the Night Walk,” a signature event of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society that is held annually throughout the United States to raise funds for cures.

The team started contacting people they knew would help — such as family members and friends — and were met with overwhelming support. Twenty-nine students participated in the walk on Oct. 4 on the Boston Common and the final amount raised was an impressive $18,428 — the second highest amount among any team in the Massachusetts chapter, according to Rebecca Longworth, campaign coordinator for the Massachusetts Chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

“All of the girls on the Holy Cross rowing team wanted to help our former teammate and instantly became involved in starting to fundraise,” says Trometter. “As her best friend I knew we had a team of girls that really wanted to help her and I thought it could be a way we could all join and fight toward finding a cure for this disease.”

In addition to Trometter, the following students who walked or raised money included: Laura Andrews ’09, Jennifer Beaudoin ’09, Clare Bracikowski ’09, Katherine Byrns ’11, Jamie Carusi ’08, Johanna Cubelli ’09, Mary Cullen ’10, Mary Dixon ’08, Katie Donnelly ’10, Michelle Dwyer ’09, Elisabeth Flaherty ’09, Erika Furtado ’08, Abigail Hammond ’10, Maura Hogan ’09, Jaclyn Jankowski ’11, Emily Joseph ’09, Allison Kaufman ’08, Mary Maher ’08, Meridith Malysz ’09, Monika Mangsen ’10, Caroline Paul ’10, Mara Piltin ’10, Christine Repoli ’08, Caitlin Rushworth ’08, Kelly St. Germain ’09, Andrea Simari ’10, Emily Turner ’10, and Victoria Vergara ’08.

Dixon also participated in the “Light the Night Walk,” raising $5,640. She is being treated at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, which receives funding support through the annual Walk to Cure Cancer.