Still Seshu Strong: Kandukuri hikes Mount Greylock for Jimmy Fund
“Seshu Strong” was the rallying cry of Grafton High School’s Class of 2011. They wore it on their wrists as a blue silicone bracelet. They chanted it when their classmate, Seshu Kandukuri, stepped up to receive his diploma.
His father, Rao Kandukuri, continues to embody the spirit as a team leader in the Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk in memory of his son, who died in March 2012 after a battle with cancer.
Earlier this month, Kandukuri and his Seshu Strong team decided to raise hope among cancer patients and their families during the COVID-19 pandemic by taking their hope “as high as they could.”
Literally.
Kandukuri, along with local students and co-captains Sneha Prasad, Sreeja Chaparala, and Ajay Vempati, climbed Mount Greylock, sporting their custom Seshu Strong Jimmy Fund t-shirts and carrying their banner 7.5 miles to the summit at 3,391 feet.
Kandukuri has now participated in the Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk for a decade and while this year’s October 4 walk will not take place along the Marathon route, his team will still be there — virtually. Participants this year will walk in their neighborhoods, hiking trails or even treadmills to raise money for the Jimmy Fund, which supports adult and pediatric patient care and cancer research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
To support the Seshu Strong team, go to their page.
The Jimmy Fund Walk has raised more than $145 million in its 30+ year history. To register for the Walk (#JimmyFundWalk), to support a walker, or to volunteer, visit www.JimmyFundWalk.org or call (866) 531-9255.
