There were a ton of great signs along the Boston Marathon route on April 15—Wellesley College students at the Scream Tunnel brought their A games with funny and racy ones. But there was no better or more powerful message than the one held by 6-year-old Jaeger Dziama that read: “You Got This Winnie’s Mom! Love #TeamJaeger.”
Jaeger was rooting on Wellesley Police Officer Tana DiCenso, also known as Mom to Winnie, the lovable community resource dog that joined the department in 2020. DiCenso, and so many others, have been rooting for Jaeger and his family since he was involved in a lawnmower accident in town last June that resulted in him losing his lower right leg.
He has undergone many medical procedures over the past year, including rotationplasty, as documented on a crowdfunding page for the family. This resilient first grader is now back in action thanks to a prosthetic and ongoing physical therapy. Jaeger has shared his experiences with classmates and teachers, and enthusiastically cheered on Boston Marathon participants.
Officer DiCenso and fellow Wellesley police officer Allie Lucenta, 2017 classmates from the MBTA Transit Police Academy, ran the marathon together in support of #TeamJaeger “to recognize the strength and determination” of this young Wellesley resident.
The community can show its continued support by purchasing #TeamJaeger T-shirts to help with the Dziama family’s medical expenses. The fundraiser was going to wrap up with the marathon, but DiCenso said they’re glad to extend it.
“We all sported our #teamjaeger T’s with so much pride and cheered like crazy as they ran by!” said Laura Dziama, Jaeger’s mom, describing their Marathon Monday (both she and husband Justin have run the race in the past).
DiCenso was a first responder at the accident scene last June and applied the tourniquet to Jaeger’s injured leg.
“Both she and Allie are living proof that we are capable of getting through extremely hard things & then as a result we become better, stronger, more empathetic human beings,” Laura said.
The Dziama family has been very grateful to medical professionals at Boston Children’s Hospital, patients and families they have met along the way, and the community at large.
DiCenso’s been in touch with the family since the day of the incident.
“That little guy fought a monumental battle, and came out smiling,” DiCenso said. “I picked up seriously running pretty much right after the accident, and Boston was my second marathon (Allie’s 5th Boston Marathon). Running for Jaeger was a no-brainer!”
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Jaeger, Tana, and Allie are such an inspiration for all of us! Thank you for the coverage.
Beautiful! Thank you Bob, Tana, Allie & Jaeger 🫶🦿💪💙💛