MANSFIELD – A Mansfield mother participating in the Pan Mass Challenge for the first time said she’s looking forward to giving back to the organization that saved her and her daughter’s lives.
Two-time cancer survivor
Sarah Krajewski is a two-time cancer survivor. At 16, she was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma and in 2021, breast cancer. Her breast cancer diagnosis also brought shocking news.
“When I found out I had it, the bigger surprise was that I was actually 10 weeks pregnant,” Krajewski said.
Krajewski endured a grueling journey of battling cancer during her pregnancy and caring for her two young daughters, Amelia and Addy. She also suffered from morning sickness, worsened by the toll of chemotherapy and the surgery to remove the cancerous tumor.
“It’s funny because it doesn’t make it easier, but it takes the focus off of yourself and puts it completely on your baby.”
Krajewski said she found the will to keep fighting through her family, friends and team of doctors at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
‘The people around you make you strong’
“The people around you make you strong,” Krajewski said. “So my friends, my family, my husband, my kids. Everyone helped me through that time. So even when I was having a hard time, they were just amazing.”
Krajewski and her daughter Annabelle walked the path of cancer together and fought courageously against it. She is now ready to cycle 77 miles from Bourne to Provincetown to give back to the organization that helped them.
“PMC is what I can do instead of focusing on all the negative things that happened to Annabelle and me,” Krajewski said. “I say, OK, I’ve been through this, but now look what we can do? We can do hard things. It’s something I tell my girls all the time, really: We can do hard things.”
This year’s Pan Mass Challenge ride takes place on August 3 and 4. WBZ-TV is proud to be the media partner of the Pan Mass Challenge.
