Sunny skies and temps in the 70s may be a little hot for many Boston Marathon runners Monday, but the forecast is ideal for UMass ALS Cellucci Fund runner Chris Benyo and his wife, Denise DiMarzo. Benyo will push DiMarzo, who has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, in a custom wheelchair designed for the race.
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| Chris Benyo pushes his wife Denise DiMarzo, who has ALS, up Heartbreak Hill during the 2014 Boston Marathon. (Photo courtesy of Sue Rothberg) |
Benyo and DiMarzo, who live in Illinois, are two of six people representing the UMass ALS team at the Boston Marathon to raise awareness of and funds for breakthrough ALS research underway at UMass Medical School. ALS is a progressive, neurodegenerative disorder affecting the motor neurons in the central nervous system.
“Monday looks like it will be good for her,” said Benyo, explaining that it will mean less layers of clothing for Denise, whose ALS had caused extreme skin sensitivity. “I’d like it to be even a little warmer just so she’s more comfortable.”
DiMarzo’s new wheelchair, provided by Team Hoyt, was built by Southbridge Tool & Manufacturing Co., Inc. in Dudley.
“There are no pressure points, which is one of the problems she had with our other chair,” said Benyo, who will be pushing his wife, along the 26.2-mile route from Hopkinton to Boston for the second time. “This chair has been made to our specifications, and I’m confident it will be perfect for her.”
This will be Benyo's 45th marathon and his eighth with DiMarzo; it is their second Boston Marathon., DiMarzo was diagnosed with ALS in December 2010, just six months after they were wed. Prior to the diagnosis the couple had begun training to run marathons together.
When asked about his work with Team Hoyt Running Chairs, Michael DiDonato said he and his coworkers draw their inspiration from the runners and their riders.
“Chris and Denise are a wonderful team. Denise is a warrior. She is truly inspiring,” he said.
This is the fifth year the Cellucci Fund has taken part in the John Hancock nonprofit marathon program. The partnership provides official race numbers to those who commit to raising $7,500 to support ALS research at UMMS. The Cellucci Fund marathon teams have raised more than $225,000.
The fund has generated $3.9 million since it was established in 2011 in honor of former Massachusetts Gov. Paul Cellucci, who died from complications of ALS in 2013. The money raised goes to fund ALS breakthroughs happening across UMMS and in the laboratory of Robert H. Brown Jr., DPhil, MD, the Leo P. and Theresa M. LaChance Chair in Medical Research, chair and professor of neurology, Gov. Cellucci’s personal physician and one of the world’s leading ALS researchers.
To learn more about the 2016 UMass ALS Cellucci Fund Boston Marathon team and meet the other members, Jamie Miller, Sue Beaulieu, Kerri Floramo and Angela Mioglionico, visit the UMass ALS Cellucci Fund website.
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