For nearly two decades, John Lequin Jr. has run toward danger as a firefighter in Marblehead. This spring, he will run 26.2 miles for a different reason.
Lequin, 46, a longtime member of the Marblehead Fire Department, will compete in the 2026 Boston Marathon to raise money and awareness for occupational cancer among firefighters — a cause that became deeply personal last year.
“No one ever expects to hear the words, ‘You have cancer,’” Lequin said.
A diagnosis no one expects
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In November 2024, around Thanksgiving, Lequin noticed a small lump in his neck. He felt healthy and had no symptoms. While he can’t pinpoint a certain fire or event that may have triggered the cancer, he is sure it’s related to the many fires he’s battled.
Doctors determined the lump — about the size of a golf ball — was nodular melanoma that had spread to a lymph node. The primary source was never found.
Lequin underwent several months of treatment at Massachusetts General Hospital’s Danvers campus, including immunotherapy, which stimulates the body’s immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells.
“Each cell has a stamp on it,” he said. “Immunotherapy tells your body that the stamp on the cells is bad. The immune system kills it.”
The treatment worked. The tumor shrank by more than half before it was surgically removed. There was no metastasis, and all cancer cells were dead.
Lequin was out of work for six months while undergoing treatment but has since returned to the fire station. Other than trying to eat healthier and being more mindful — including diligent use of sunscreen — he said he feels fortunate.
“I’ve been to too many funerals for guys long into retirement — men and women — from occupational cancer,” Lequin said. “The mentality used to be that we were the smoke eaters, and our bodies would take a beating.”
The hidden risks of the job
Firefighting has changed dramatically in recent decades, he said. Modern homes contain plastics, chemicals and synthetic materials that release toxic substances when they burn. In recent years, new research has also focused on chemicals embedded in turnout gear itself.
“We’re still learning,” Lequin said. “There’s new legislation to get the chemicals they use to treat our gear out of our gear because they’ve found out in the last five years that the gear itself is making us sick.”
Through the firefighters’ union, members are encouraged to undergo specialized cancer screenings, including a comprehensive blood test that checks for multiple types of cancer. Access to the test is limited and distributed by lottery at union meetings.
That reality — that early detection can mean the difference between life and death — is what motivated Lequin to turn his recovery into action.
He is running the marathon on behalf of the Professional Firefighters of Massachusetts Foundation, a charitable organization that supports firefighters and their families and helps fund those cancer screening and early detection programs.
“My main focus is raising money so more guys can get this test and catch something early,” he said.
Lequin is the first firefighter to represent the foundation in the Boston Marathon. In just one week, he raised $6,500 toward an initial goal of $10,000. Encouraged by support from friends, family and the Marblehead community, he has since increased his goal to between $20,000 and $25,000.
‘A firefighter’s firefighter’
Marblehead Fire Chief Jason Gilliland isn’t surprised that Lequin is running the marathon to give back.
“He’s what we call a firefighter’s firefighter,” Gilliland said. “He’s good at what he does, and he goes above and beyond a lot. He’s always been that way. He’s well respected. He does student fire awareness teaching. He’s a good guy.”
Gilliland pointed out that Lequin used to participate in the American Lung Association stair climb in Boston.
“We would do it in full gear with tanks around 70 pounds,” Lequin said. “It was around 90 to 95 stories.”
He added, “The marathon will be the hardest thing physically I will ever challenge myself with, but the stair climb is a close second.”
Family, fitness and finding control
Lequin and his wife, Keri, live in town and are raising two children — a 20-year-old son who is a sophomore at Purdue University and a 16-year-old daughter, a junior at Marblehead High School who plays soccer and basketball and is beginning her college search.
Running has long been his outlet. He ran through college and competed in 10Ks but never attempted a marathon. After his diagnosis, running became therapy.
“When life felt overwhelming, I did what I’ve always done to cope with stress, anger and fear — I ran,” Lequin said. “It was the one thing I could control.”
Now, he logs 40 to 50 miles a week, often running laps around the Neck in Marblehead or using the treadmill at the station. He listens to music and audiobooks — he’s gone through nine in the past two months — as he trains.
He admits to some nerves about the famed Heartbreak Hill in Newton.
“You hear about it,” he said. “But I’ve always been a runner. I know how to handle that stuff.”
His goal is to finish in about 3 hours, 30 minutes.
Turning gratitude into purpose
Once he crosses the starting line in Hopkinton, the race will mean more than a time on a clock.
“When you donate, you’re not just supporting one runner or one race,” Lequin said. “You’re standing behind firefighters across Massachusetts who risk their health every time they answer a call. You’re helping ensure early detection, access to care and support when it is needed most.”
For Lequin, the marathon is about turning gratitude into purpose — and making sure that when another firefighter hears the words “you have cancer,” they also hear something just as powerful: “You are not alone.”
Learn more about Lequin’s fundraising efforts at classy.org/fundraiser/6902794.
