Swampscott dad, daughter to be honored by MGH

SWAMPSCOTT – Kristin Santanello and her father Daniel first joined the “Team” at the Massachusetts General Hospital Pediatric Hematology/Oncology unit in 1996 when Kristin was diagnosed with cancer.Thursday they will be honored for helping that team raise more than $325,000 through participating in a combined 13 Boston Marathons.”I will always do the best I can to support the team and won’t stop until there’s a cure, whether it’s running, cheering on runners or working as a nurse,” said Kristin Santanello, who turns 21 Monday and is studying nursing at Salem State University. “My next goal is to see a cure.””You take a bad experience and turn it into a good experience,” said Daniel Santanello, 54.Kristin and Daniel Santanello have been named members of the One Hundred by Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center. Each year the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center honors 100 individuals, groups or organizations who have contributed to the fight against cancer. The Santanellos will be honored as philanthropists for raising more than $325,000 over the course of 13 Boston Marathons, joining doctors, nurses, patients, advocates and others involved in the fight against cancer. They will receive their recognition in a ceremony Thursday night hosted by actor Matt Damon.The Santanellos’ fight against cancer began when a routine x-ray at the dentist’s office revealed a tumor on Kristin’s jaw. She was diagnosed at age 5 with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.”It was like a bad dream and you want to wake up, but you’re not able to,” recalled Daniel Santanello.Kristin began two years of chemotherapy. Daniel Santanello recalled waiting for Kristin during one of many doctor’s appointments for treatment, follow-up and more. He saw a poster looking for marathon runners to benefit the Leukemia Society of America. Always wanting to run a marathon, he signed up.In 1998, he and a friend formed a Mass General Marathon Team, getting a sponsorship from John Hancock and recruiting about a dozen other runners.Today, approximately 125 runners participate each year, and patients, nurses and doctors on the team greet and cheer on the runners as they pass Mile 20 in the marathon. Daniel Santanello ran for the next 12 years, raising more than $300,000 for the Cancer Center. Kristin has been in remission since completing chemotherapy.Last year, Daniel Santanello “officially retired,” he said, laughing.Kristin took his place, becoming the first patient to ever join the MassGeneral Marathon Team.”I kind of had flashbacks of all I had gone through,” Kristin said, recalling the 2011 race. “They’re all standing there, cheering you on ? I turned the corner on Hereford Street and had so many emotions, I realized I’m not only finishing the marathon, but finishing it as a role model to kids. If you continue to be positive and persevere, you can overcome it.”Kristin said being named a One Hundred was particularly appropriate this year. It was the first Boston Marathon in more than a decade in which no Santanello ran. “I went and watched, and it was weird not having someone running – it was very bittersweet,” admitted Kristin, who said that her school schedule prevented her from being able to train. “Even though I wasn’t involved running-wise, I had to still be involved and support the runners, because we’re pretty much a big family.”But she said the award has made her motivated to start training for next year and the future.”I can only hope that I’ll have someone to pass my torch onto when I’m older,” she said.Cyrus Moulton can be reached at [email protected].