It has been 10 years since Dave Penta last ran a marathon. He always said the only way he would run one again was if it was the Boston Marathon while supporting a good cause. This year, he is taking on the challenge for the best reason he knows.
In 2025, after three years of treatment at Massachusetts General Hospital and Mass General Brigham Cancer Institute for glioblastoma, Lauren, Dave’s wife of 28 years, passed away. But not before giving her all to her treatment and filling her final years with what she loved most. An avid fan of beach days, lobster rolls, and Jimmy Buffett, and a dedicated eighth grade science teacher for many decades, Lauren lit up any room she walked into and left an indelible mark on all those around her, says Dave.
Thankful for the care that made those years with Lauren possible, Dave is lacing up his sneakers again and will be running with the Mass General Marathon Team in her honor.
Doing Anything and Everything
In the summer of 2022, Dave noticed that Lauren was exhibiting some unusual symptoms, including vomiting, intense headaches, and unintentionally driving on the wrong side of the road. The couple visited Mass General Brigham Cancer Institute to figure out what was going on, and within a few days, Lauren was diagnosed with glioblastoma, a highly aggressive, terminal brain tumor.
As it grew, the tumor pushed Lauren’s brain structures away from their normal positions, diminishing her cognitive abilities and prognosis. Mass General Brigham neurosurgeon Bryan Choi, MD, PhD, recommended surgery to remove the tumor, a procedure without which Lauren would only have a few months left to live. She agreed to the operation without hesitation.
“Dr. Choi was phenomenal. He was able to remove 98% of the tumor and told us that we’d take it as it comes,” says Dave. “Even though it was terminal and was going to grow back, Lauren wanted to do anything and everything.”
Over the next three years, Lauren received multiple radiation and chemotherapy treatments, enrolled in clinical trials, and underwent a second surgery. Behind her every step of the way was her care team at Mass General, which Dave says made all the difference.
“The staff were just wonderful, anybody and everybody we ever talked to in any department. It was comfortable and comforting knowing that when you walked in, they cared, they listened, they understood, and they made you the most important thing,” he says. “To me, that’s what quality care is. Having all of that allowed Lauren to spend 100% of her energy on her, which is exactly where it needed to be.”
Living Life to the Fullest
Despite its intensity, treatment never slowed Lauren down. In between the 200 total trips they took to Mass General, she and Dave embarked on a series of adventures that they kicked into high gear once she was able to retire.
“I took a bunch of time off, and we just travelled everywhere up and down the East Coast. It felt like we put 30,000 or 40,000 miles on the car,” says Dave.
Through it all, Lauren remained steadfastly committed to treating her cancer as aggressively as possible. “We just kept saying, ‘What do we do next? What do we try next?’” says Dave. “She just kept going and going. She was absolutely awesome.”
But in May 2025, the tumor grew back again, this time inoperable due to its spread. Lauren’s medication also had lost its effectiveness, and her mobility was becoming increasingly limited.
“Realizing our time was short, I retired, too. We kept going to the beach. Just kept doing everything we could,” says Dave.
In September, Lauren experienced a stroke. She spent the next two months recovering at Mass General and Spaulding Rehabilitation. “We got her well enough to go home. That was the goal,” Dave says. “Three weeks later, she passed at home in my arms.”
Fulfilling His Promise
While Lauren was undergoing her first surgery, Dave recalls spending a lot of time walking around Mass General, waiting.
“I had almost nine hours to walk around the hospital, and I passed a sign probably a dozen times about running the Boston Marathon for Mass General,” he says. A couple months later, Dave brought the idea of running the marathon in her honor someday to Lauren. Lauren’s response was iconically her.
“She said, ‘Well, you’re going to have to wait a while,’” Dave recalls with a laugh. “I replied, ‘The longer the better.’ It was the unspoken truth that it would happen after she passed.”
As Marathon Monday nears, Dave has felt the grueling training program become even more difficult. “The marathon isn’t the end, but it is the point that she and I talked about that I should start moving forward,” he says. “So, it’s not surprising that it’s getting harder. I suspected it would.”
The thing that keeps Dave going on the hardest days is remembering the commitment he made to Lauren. “That’s why I get out of bed every day to train for this marathon, plain and simple,” he says. “I promised her, and I’m going to do it, even if I have to crawl across the finish line.”
Dave also takes comfort in the fact that he knows Lauren would be happy with the way he is honoring her,
running for the place that made possible the last three years of memories together.
“She always wanted to keep going and didn’t want to be known for cancer. She even named her wig Gladys. Nothing really bothered us until we were nearing the end,” says Dave. “After everything, knowing that I’m being true to myself and to her is so important to me.”
Dave feels immensely proud of Lauren and the example she set, and he hopes others can take inspiration from her approach to life, too. “Just enjoy the moment. Enjoy the moments with people and live to the fullest every day. That’s what we did,” he says. “Keep going and never give up.”
To support Dave’s fundraiser for Mass General, click here.
