Bridget Widmaier has participated in the New York City marathon twice. The first time, in 1995, she stopped during mile 18 and did not cross the finish line. She finished the race the following year, unaware she was two months pregnant at the time. On Nov. 1, she will participate for a third time, this time as a breast cancer survivor.
Widmaier’s family moved to Damariscotta when she was 6 years old. Her parents, Stephen and Karen O’Bryan, still live in Damariscotta. A graduate of Lincoln Academy, Widmaier was involved in a variety of sports, including basketball, field hockey, and soccer.
During her college years, she worked at a restaurant in the Hamptons where she met Kurt Widmaier. The couple married and had three children: Kurt, 18, Connor, 16, and Kirsten, 13. The family lives in Long Island and travels back to the Damariscotta area a few times a year to see Bridget’s parents.
When Bridget was pregnant with Kirsten, the doctors found a cyst in her breast and told her she should start getting mammograms as a precaution.
“At the time, I was 34,” Bridget said. “Usually women don’t start getting mammograms until they’re 40 or so.”
Bridget followed her doctor’s advice and began to get regular mammograms as well as sonograms. In March 2014, she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
“The day I found out I didn’t believe it,” Bridget said. “I remember I asked what test they were going to do to confirm it was a mistake, but they told me it wasn’t.”
Bridget wasn’t the only one who was taken aback by the news. Her children described their reactions as a mix of fear and confusion, while her husband said the diagnosis also shocked friends and colleagues.
“Most people who know my wife think she’s indestructible,” Kurt said. “She eats well, she exercises, and for this to happen to her really opened up a lot of people’s eyes.”
Bridget received treatment at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan. When she was originally diagnosed by sonogram, the doctors believed Bridget could be treated with a lumpectomy and radiation. However, an MRI revealed more cancer. The doctors recommended a mastectomy for treatment, and Bridget chose to have a double mastectomy as a preventive measure.
Bridget credited her husband for being supportive throughout her treatment. When she was diagnosed, Kurt accompanied her to every doctor’s appointment. When Bridget got out of surgery, Kurt was waiting for her with a miniature stuffed Grover, her favorite character from “Sesame Street.” It was a toy similar to one she had as a child.
“There’s a lot of waiting and fear of the unknown during the surgery,” Kurt said. “I ended up walking in Manhattan to collect my thoughts and thinking of ways to make her smile.”
After four surgeries, Bridget’s oncologist declared her cancer-free last October. She will go in for checkups every three to four months and will remain on medication for the next four years.
“It really was a life-affirming experience,” Bridget said. “I was very fortunate to have such amazing care afforded to me, from the treatment options to the after care.”
Bridget wanted to find a way to give back to the community that had provided so much to her. The idea to run the marathon again came from Bridget’s son Kurt, the same son Bridget was unknowingly carrying the last time she ran the marathon in 1996. A few years after Kurt was born, Bridget gave him the medal she received for finishing the marathon. Since then, he has always wanted to participate in the marathon.
Kurt said this year seemed like the perfect time to run the marathon since he would be turning 18 and his mom was better.
“Now I can finally run it with her and not have her carry me like last time,” Kurt said.
“Instead you might be carrying me!” Bridget said, laughing.
Bridget and Kurt will run the marathon as members of Fred’s Team, a group started in honor of Fred Lebow, who co-founded the New York City marathon in 1970. Lebow was diagnosed with brain cancer in 1990 and, like Bridget, received treatment at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. He later designated the center as the marathon’s first official charity.
Lebow ran his final New York City Marathon in celebration of his 60th birthday in 1992, the same year he and a group of runners raised almost $1 million for Memorial Sloan Kettering. He died in October 1994.
Since its creation in 1995, Fred’s Team has raised more than $60 million for Memorial Sloan Kettering to be used for cancer research and patient care. Bridget and Kurt have raised more than $6,500. In order to participate as members of Fred’s Team, they need to raise $13,000; however, they have a much higher goal in mind. With one of Kurt’s friends, Sal Tortora, Bridget and Kurt started a group called Team 10 From 10,000. They hope to raise $100,000 by getting 10,000 people to donate $10 each.
“It seems like such a little amount, but if enough people donate, it can really make a difference,” Bridget said.
The money Bridget and Kurt raise will be directed to breast cancer research and treatment at Memorial Sloan Kettering. The marathon will take place Nov. 1, and donations can be received up to two weeks after the race.
Connor and Kirsten are both too young to participate in the marathon this year, however, they both intend to join their father at the finish line to cheer on their mother and brother.
“I’ve watched the marathon twice now with her, and I don’t intend to miss this one,” Bridget’s husband said. “If she runs, walks, or crawls, I will be at the finish line waiting for her.”
In addition to raising money, Bridget sees running in the marathon as a way to give back to a community that has supported her as well as a way to share her story with others.
“Being proactive is a huge part,” Bridget said. “If any type of cancer runs in your family, be aware and get tested. One in eight women get breast cancer in their lifetime, and my goal is to help make it 100 percent treatable.”
More information about Bridget and her story can be found at www.fredsteam.org or on Twitter at https://twitter.com/10from10000.
