Northborough resident fights to find a cure

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Northborough resident fights to find a cure
Northborough’s Meghan Soens is getting ready to step in the ring.

NORTHBOROUGH – Meghan Soens is stepping into the boxing ring to fight for a cure against cancer.

A few months ago, Soens decided to participate in the Haymakers for Hope’s Belles of the Brawl, which is a 501(c)(3) charity organization that hosts boxing events to raise funds for cancer research, awareness and survivorship. 

The Northborough resident has known people both personally and professionally who have had cancer. 

Her mother-in-law died of lung cancer eight years ago. Her father-in-law was recently diagnosed with stage two lung cancer. Two of her friends are breast cancer survivors.

As the Area Vice President of Sales at Boston Scientific, which is a biomedical engineering firm that manufactures medical devices, Soens had the opportunity to work on product development projects for devices that are able to detect the early stages of colon cancer. 

“People can get their early cancer removed without having big surgeries, which is a huge deal for the state of medicine, but more importantly, for a patient,” she said. 

Soens added, “[Working on product development for the devices] has been really exciting. It’s a great company. Because of the status of the company, I’ve had the opportunity to work side-by-side with some top notch physicians in the field of [gastrointestinal] cancers.”

The fight against cancer and fighting in the boxing rink share some similarities, according to Soen. 

“I chose this [to fight], but nobody chooses cancer. I see some parallels … my father-in-law had just finished his third round of chemo. For me, I get to end my fight after three rounds, but he has one more to go,” she said. 

The fight against cancer and boxing are also similar because boxers stand up and fight against each other, and people stand up and fight against cancer, she said. 

The Northborough community has been supportive of her, and some plan to cheer her on at the MGM Music Hall in Boston, where the event will take place on Sept. 29 at 7:30 p.m. 

Plus, residents have helped her raise money for the Haymakers for Hope’s Belles of the Brawl by participating in the silent auction she held online.

The Northborough DICK’S Sporting Goods, Wegman’s and “a whole list of small businesses” donated money to her and also provided prizes for the silent auction. 

She noted that through the silent auction she sold Red Sox tickets and between the tickets and the other items sold, she raised $3,500, which is a portion of the nearly $30,000 she has raised. 

“Haymakers is an interesting organization and when you learn more about it, people get super into it,” she said. 

To donate to Haymakers for Hope Belles of the Brawl go to: https://donate.haymakersforhope.org/give/220831/#!/donation/checkout

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