When Kim Grad moved to the North Shore to take the job as Abbot Library’s new executive director in July 2021, she was recovering from grueling breast cancer treatment.
She moved from Brooklyn, New York, leaving behind friends and family – her support system.
Grad dove into her work here and gradually began to realize how much her health ordeal had impacted her. That’s when she learned about the local nonprofit Sail Beyond Cancer North Shore, which offers free, three-hour sailing excursions aboard a 38-foot sloop named High Tea.
In 2022, Grad invited her mother and brother to experience a sail with her.
“Sailing is a wonderful thing for me,” said Grad, who grew up boating with her father on lakes in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
She remembers how it felt to be back on the water after all she had been thorough.
“The ocean breeze … It was a really nice family moment to reconnect and celebrate,” she said.
Shortly after, Grad decided to volunteer with Sail Beyond Cancer to help other patients.
“I appreciate the fact that I can give back and help others,” she said.
Sail Beyond Cancer started in Vermont in 2014 and expanded to the North Shore four years later. Marblehead resident Chris Brolly donated his Frers 38 sailboat to the effort. About 40 volunteers take cancer patients (and their friends or family members) on excursions. People can nominate a cancer patient for an outing or nominate themselves.
Betsy Fermano of Marblehead, herself a cancer survivor, chairs the Sail Beyond Cancer board of directors and helps on the excursions. The nonprofit runs about 30-40 sails each summer. More than 100 patients have participated.
“You can see the people exhale when they get on the water,” Fermano said. “They love making memories.”
One guest was an 11-year-old brain cancer patient who spent his recovery after surgeries watching sailing videos on YouTube.
“He was so excited to sail, so thrilled,” Fermato said. “It was very touching.”
Fermano remembers her first sail with the group about five years ago. They brought a case of prosecco on board.
“They were seeing the light at the end of their tunnel of treatment,” she said. “It was a celebration.”
Marblehead High rising junior Fionnuala Murtagh, 16, also volunteers with Sail Beyond Cancer as an ambassador.
“We help make the nominees and their families feel comfortable and welcome on board,” Murtagh explained. “I take photos and keep the conversation going. The people really want to get away from everything and just sail. It’s wonderful watching them be at peace on the water.”
Murtagh calls her work with Sail Beyond Cancer “humbling.”
“It gives me a purpose … watching someone who is going through such a hard time smile and feel good and have a lively conversation or tell stories, whether they’re happy or sad,” she said.
To learn more about Sail Beyond Cancer, nominate someone for an excursion, volunteer or donate, visit sailbeyondcancerns.org.
