Sharla Sieve remembered at ‘See The Good 5K Walk’

THE SIEVE SIBLINGS, from left, Mitch, Ben, Alex, Maddie and Olivia were thrilled that the second annual “See The Good 5K Walk” featured almost 400 attendees and raised over $15,000 on Sept. 8.  (Dan Tomasello Photo)

 

By DAN TOMASELLO

LYNNFIELD — Sharla Sieve’s life and legacy continues to make a positive impact in town and beyond.

Almost 400 people came together to honor Sharla’s memory during the second annual “See The Good 5K Walk” on Sunday, Sept. 8. Sharla passed away from a heroic battle with stage 4 metastatic colorectal cancer in December 2022 at the age of 49. She left behind five children: Alex, Ben, Maddie, Olivia and Mitch.

See The Good Foundation member Jenna Camann said the walk raised just over $15,000 this year. She said the 5K’s proceeds will be donated to the Sharla Sieve Liver Pump Foundation at Massachusetts General Hospital and will also be used to support local tennis initiatives. A number of walkers wore orange because it was Sharla’s favorite color.

Lynnfield High School girls’ tennis head coach Craig Stone welcomed the almost 400 walkers to the event. He recalled that he taught physical education to Sharla and her three sisters when they attended Summer Street School. He also coached Sharla when she was a star tennis player on the Pioneers.

“Being able to see someone grow from elementary school to high school is especially rewarding,” said Stone. “It was very rewarding to see Sharla’s achievements and accomplishments at the high school level.”

Stone noted that he also taught and coached Sharla’s five children.

“Being able to coach Sharla’s daughter Maddie at the high school brought everything full circle for us,” said Stone. “The high school girls’ tennis team continues to honor Sharla each and every year with the Sharla Caico Sieve Team Spirit Award. It is voted on by the players and is given to the player who exemplifies camaraderie, enthusiasm, encouragement and support for the sport, coaches and teammates. Those are all characteristics that Sharla exemplified as a player, as a teacher, as a mother, as a coach and as a valued member of the Lynnfield community. She has touched all of our lives.”

The walk’s attendees gave Stone a round of applause.

Olivia, who brought the clinical program to MGH that made hepatic arterial infusions available for colon cancer patients, thanked the almost 400 attendees for coming to the “See The Good 5K Walk” and supporting her and her family. She also thanked her friends, teachers, church members and “countless others” for supporting the See The Good Foundation and remembering her mom.

“She is beyond deserving of it,” said Olivia. “We all know that if love could have saved her, she would have lived forever. Even though she has been gone for some time now, I still see her everywhere: When I see a bright orange sky at the end of the day, hear a Luke Bryan song come on or when I am babysitting and there is a persistent red cardinal that pecks on the downstairs window every day without fail.”

Olivia noted that people “often regret the things that we don’t say because, in our minds, the last opportunities we get to say them are further down the line than we think.”

“Being sat down at 15 and being told that your mom only has a few weeks left to live is a pain that no one should have to go through,” said Olivia. “It wasn’t enough time for me to process that she would be gone. When it finally sunk in, it was too late for her to speak back to me. I never truly said goodbye and I never had the chance for her to fully understand what I needed to say because with great love comes great pain, and with great loss comes the greatest pain of all. The lack of closure was something that snuck up on me. I was not expecting it to be one of the hardest parts of my grief journey. I always thought it would be holidays, birthdays and major events that would be the hardest. And as difficult as they are, I realized what was bringing me immense sadness and loneliness was that she never understood and heard what I needed to say to her. And although people tell me she absolutely knew how much I loved her, it doesn’t help. I know that she is aware of my unconditional love for her, but not being able to say every last word and say thank you was what killed me.”

Olivia said what gave her “closure” was the support that she and her family received from the community as well as hearing stories about how the Sharla Sieve Liver Pump Foundation has benefited colon cancer patients.

“One young mother, Meghan Milonopoulos, who lived in Western Massachusetts with her husband and three young kids, was one patient whose life was extended by the pump,” said Olivia. “Instead of traveling to New York for her treatment like my mom had to, she was able to receive it in Boston. She didn’t have to go through the extra trouble of being away from her kids longer than she had to. She received the treatment that every cancer patient deserves easy access to even though it is not always possible. My mother died so that others can live better lives.”

Olivia said hearing stories about how the Sharla Sieve Liver Pump Foundation has benefitted colon cancer patients helped her cope with her mom’s passing.

“I never thought I would be able to get over the thought of losing her until it became a reality,” said Olivia. “And at a point, I thought there was nothing that could help me cope with that pain until I saw the good that happened from it. Countless people’s lives have been saved and prolonged due to the Sharla Sieve Liver Pump Foundation implemented at Mass General Hospital. Everyone standing here right now has contributed to benefitting the quality or saving a life due to your presence. And for that, nothing makes me happier and I know for a fact there is nothing that would make my mom happier. So love long and hard, hold the ones you care about close, don’t let a day go by where you don’t tell someone how much they mean to you, try the best you can not to take the little things for granted and ‘See The Good’ because it is always there.”

After Olivia concluded her remarks, she was given a thunderous round of applause and her older sister Maddie gave her a hug.

The almost 400 participants walked from the Town Common to Newhall Park.

Ben, who was one of the first people to cross the finish line, thanked the almost 400 walkers for lacing up their sneakers and honoring his mom’s life and legacy.

“It was another great turnout this year,” said Ben. “I want to thank the organizers for putting the walk together and making it a great day for everyone. I want to thank my siblings and everyone who participated in the walk. It was a great day.”

Maddie said all of the walkers had one thing in common.

“We all love and miss my mom so dearly,” said Maddie to a group of walkers at the end of the event.

The walk also holds a special place in the hearts of Sharla’s friends.

“The walk was great,” said Jenna Camann. “It was a reflection of who Sharla was and still is to all of us. It’s about her five kids, her family, her mom and all of her friends who were incredibly close with her.”

Retired Recreation Director Julie Mallett concurred with Camann’s sentiment.

“Sharla was shining down on us on this beautiful day,” said Mallett. “The walk was very uplifting.”

Paula Farese was touched that almost 400 people “came together to remember Sharla.”

“Sharla is still in our hearts and is still in our minds,” said Farese.

Stacey Cook said Sharla would have been incredibly touched that a number of LHS student-athletes walked in her late friend’s memory.

“Sharla’s impact continues,” said Cook. “Sharla’s legacy is that she changed people’s lives.”