January 12, 2001

No one would have thought that after undergoing a heart transplant and recovering from a diagnosis of lymphoma that Roger Bouchard would be able to lead a normal, active life. But not only is he living life to its fullest 10 years after his transplant and after nine years of being cancer-free, Bouchard recently won a walking marathon. On Nov. 19 in sunny Bermuda, Bouchard walked 26.2 miles in just five hours and 17 minutes, beating more than 350 other participants in the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's annual walk marathon.

Bouchard was 44 when he had a heart attack in August 1991. Fortunately, he recovered, but his heart had suffered severe damage and he needed a heart transplant. He was referred to the MGH where he came under the care of William Dec, MD, of MGH Cardiology. A few months later, Bouchard underwent a successful heart transplant.

"Roger is the type of individual we look for as a transplant candidate," says Dec. "He was young and vigorous before his heart attack, and he was highly motivated to get back to a healthy lifestyle."

The following August, almost a year after his initial heart attack, Bouchard was diagnosed with a non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a type of tumor found in the lymph system. Fortunately, the tumor, which was located on one of his lungs, was operable and was successfully removed.

Determined to return to a normal life, Bouchard started walking to get exercise. He began by walking short distances at a slow pace, but each time he would walk faster and for longer distances. In June 2000, he received a letter from the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society about a marathon-training program to raise money for the nonprofit organization, which is dedicated to finding cures for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma.

After attending a recruitment meeting to find out more information about the program, Bouchard knew without a doubt that this was something he must do. At right, Bouchard in training

"Three reasons came to me about why I should do this," says Bouchard. "I was already walking for my own health, so why shouldn't I walk for someone else? I also hoped that other transplant patients could see from my participation that life is going to start again after a life-saving operation. And finally, I hoped that people will think about organ donation and understand that this kind of decision can help save someone else's life."

Bouchard trained with 27 other people from New England for several months and personally raised $4,700 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Each member of the marathon training team was assigned a patient affiliated with the organization to walk in honor of during the marathon. Bouchard corresponded with 7-year-old survivor Nina Cobb during his preparation for the marathon.

His training took an emotional turn when his brother-in-law, Jake Doyle, became sick with cancer and died soon after being diagnosed. It was his brother-in-law's memory and thoughts of Nina that kept him going on the actual day of the marathon as he walked mile after mile, up and down a hilly terrain in uncomfortably hot weather. "Every time I slowed down, I would talk to Jake and ask him for some help," says Bouchard. "He and Nina inspired me to keep going."

Bouchard was surprised when he came up to the last few miles of the marathon — he felt great, no blisters on his feet and no shortness of breath. When he reached the finish line, Bouchard didn't realize at first that he had won. "Everyone kept congratulating me," he said.

"I was so ecstatic and overwhelmed with a feeling of accomplishment that it just didn't sink in that I had won."

After the triumph of winning and his return home, Bouchard is determined to keep walking and has pledged his time to become a mentor for others who join the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's marathon program. He spends time every day thinking about how lucky he is to be alive and active. And Bouchard thinks about the 19 year old who lost his life 10 years ago and the decision the young man's family made to donate his heart, which gave Bouchard the chance to live a full life. "Every day I think about what a miracle it was," he says. "I am so grateful to be here."