11/23/2021

“This year, we are running for her.” – Team BS

Why do you 5K?

For Kendra Sherburne, it’s her mother Becky. Becky is a mother, grandmother, friend, nurse, community leader, and an outdoor enthusiast. She is an avid biker, hiker, and runner and in addition to countless races, she has participated in the Seacoast Cancer 5K many times and helped raised money for the Seacoast Cancer Center.

But this year, it’s different.

Becky was recently diagnosed with Stage 4 metastatic melanoma with mets on her brain, lungs, and her GI tract. For someone who lives such a healthy, active lifestyle, this was an unexpected shock for anyone who knows Becky. But true to Becky’s character, she isn’t backing down and is fighting cancer with everything she’s got.

“My mother is my best friend and the most fearless, hardworking, loving person I know,” Kendra said. “I can’t begin to express how much she has done for my brothers, myself, and my children. She has pushed us to reach every goal we have ever set while conquering her own goals every day.”

Kendra and Becky both work at Wentworth-Douglass Hospital. Since Becky’s diagnosis, the Seacoast Cancer Center has quickly become a big part of their family’s lives. “They are simply amazing,” said Kendra. “It is my goal to try and support them as much as possible, for my mom.”

Inspired by the work of the Seacoast Cancer Center and the treatment and care her mom was receiving, Kendra wanted to give back. The Seacoast Cancer 5K was the perfect way to honor her mother’s work as a nurse, her love of running and now, as a patient.

“My mom would definitely be running the 5K this year if she could,” says Kendra. “This year, we are running for her.”

Kendra is Team Captain of Team BS, in honor of her mother. Team BS took the record for the top fundraising team in the history of the Seacoast Cancer 5K, having crushed their goal of $5,000 with over $34,000 raised this year!

Kendra is happy to be giving back to the cancer center in honor of her mother and hopes that her efforts and that of her Team BS teammates, will help other families on this journey and one day, lead to finding a cure for this awful disease.

“I think it is safe to say that every single person has been affected by cancer in some way,” Kendra says. “She is why I run.”