Hit Me with Your Best Shot!

By day, Colleen Dalton is a social worker at Eliot Community Human Services, but a few lessons at a gym made her realize she was also a boxer. Colleen will step into the ring on October 12, 2023 at the MGH Music Hall and box for Haymakers for Hope, a nonprofit that aims to “knockout cancer by literally fighting for a cure.”

Colleen is dedicating her fight to supporting the Collaborative Care and Community Engagement Program—and the mission to close the gap in cancer survival for patients with serious mental illness.

We talked with Colleen about why this fight matters to her…

Why ENGAGE and the Collaborative Care & Community Engagement Program? 

Colleen is a clinical social worker who supports adults with serious mental illness and advocates for medical care. Her decision to support ENGAGE is also personal.  “On a personal level, I understand how important ENGAGE is.”  Colleen fights in honor of her mom Susan, who had schizophrenia and passed away from throat cancer. “My mom passed away 9 months after my Nana died, 9  months after my siblings and I learned about her diagnosis. My mom had kept her cancer diagnosis hidden from us for about 6 months. I only learned about her diagnosis because I saw it on a hospital discharge summary.” Colleen shared, “If my mom had been connected to a program like Engage, having support and oncology providers who had an understanding of mental health symptoms and diagnosis, that would have been beneficial.”

Why boxing?

“After my mom passed away in 2021, the gym and classes were a structured way to release and have community.” Colleen found a women-owned and run gym that welcomed all abilities and all different goals. “I started taking more boxing conditioning classes and individual personal training sessions with my boxing coach, I only started sparring right before applying to Haymakers!”

How do you balance training with your job as a social worker?

Colleen works full-time and fits training in whenever she can. When we talked, she was in between workouts – from the weight room in the morning and next headed to the pool. She has found enormous personal benefit from training including increased energy and improved mood.

What mindset helps?

“This is not a drill” lightens my mood and helps motivate me again.

Who will be rooting for you on October 12th as you step into the ring?   

“My sister, brother-in-law, brother, and lots of friends!” We will be cheering for Colleen too and hope that she can surpass her goal of $10,0000 to support the Collaborative Care & Community Engagement Program. Colleen is fighting to make sure that mental health is never a barrier to cancer care. We hope to see you there as we root for Colleen, recognize social work power, and come together to build community.