Williamsville resident will run in Boston Marathon

Williamsville resident Jordan Thomas is set to run the Boston Marathon with the MassGeneral Marathon Fighting Kids' Cancer… One Step at a Time on April 21.

Thomas will be among thousands of runners setting out on the 26.2-mile course. His run is more than a personal achievement; he is also running to benefit the lives of the young patients at Massachusetts General Hospital for Children.

Drawing on a personal connection to the hospital - his cousin and current roommate Lisa Russell had a transplant and underwent cancer treatment there at a young age - Thomas has been inspired to help others in similar situations.

"I believe that but for great research and medical care, Lisa might not be here," Thomas said of Russell's triumph over the disease.

The team began in 1998, when a group of 10 runners raised almost $50,000 to support the pediatric cancer program. Now, a team of 122 runners has banked a cumulative $4 million, and the number continues to rise.

The hospital's Pediatric Hematology Oncology Division directs 100 percent of this money, funding new treatments and programs that enhance the quality of life for its patients.