Run the Falmouth Road Race

Run the 54th Falmouth Road Race for Next Step on Sunday, August 16, 2026! This year we were awarded 15 bibs through the Numbers for Nonprofits program. The fundraising minimum to join Team Next Step is $1,300. Before race day, we’ll offer ways to stay connected as a close, supportive Team Next Step community and after the race, you can join us at our celebratory BBQ near the finish line for runners and their friends and families. This is your chance to secure one of the most sought-after bibs in the country and run a beautiful oceanside course for a life-changing cause.

YOUR IMPACT

This historic 7-mile race is more than just a run for Next Step—it’s a chance to make a life-changing impact. By joining our team, you’ll help teens and young adults living with serious illnesses connect with their community, gain the self-advocacy skills needed to navigate complex adult healthcare, and build the confidence to see a future where their illness does not define them or limit their goals. Our young people can attend Next Step programs at no cost to them or their family because of amazing volunteers like you. You truly are changing lives by running with Team Next Step.

QUESTIONS?

Contact us if you have any questions about joining Team Next Step, Lindsey Dacey, Next Step Development Director: lindsey@nextstepnet.org

Click here to read stories from Team Next Step

Click here to watch young people talk about their Next Step Experience

 

2026 Falmouth Road Race application

Fill out the form below if you are ready to commit to running the 54th annual ASICS Falmouth Road Race for Next Step.

Name(Required)
Address(Required)
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Singlet(Required)
Size of shirt or singlet(Required)
Runner Release Waiver and Fundraising Agreement(Required)
Runner signature(Required)

Support our Boston Marathon Team

Team Next Step is back to run the historic Boston Marathon! This year we have five amazing athletes running the 130th Boston Marathon on Sunday, August 20th. Their support will help us welcome even more seriously ill young people into the Next Step community where they will make new friends, set goals with mentors, and create a sense of self beyond their diagnosis. Please join the team and donate any amount to one of our runners or to the entire team in the link below.

Donate Now

Thank you Adam Farkes, Daniel J Kim, Michael Loban, Lexi Minicucci and Cameron Ritz for volunteering your time and for all of your hard work in supporting our mission. You truly are changing lives. A special thank you to the Bank of America Marathon Official Charity Program for welcoming us back for another year. We are so grateful for your partnership in this important work.

QUESTIONS?

Contact Lindsey Dacey, Next Step Development Director, if you have any questions about supporting Team Next Step: lindsey@nextstepnet.org

Comic Book Celebration & Art Exhibition Success!

Thank you to everyone who came out to our Comic Book Celebration & Art Exhibition in Cambridge, MA! So many people turned out to celebrate not just our comic book series, When Lightning Strikes, but to also hear from young people a healthcare professional an the challenges of the transition out of pediatric care to the adult healthcare system.

Former Patriot and Super Bowl Champion, Devin McCourty, moderated an important discussion with Next Step participants, Ashanti and Niara, who talked about their experience creating When Lightning Strikes, and the importance of representation of characters with sickle cell in media, and Dr Sharl Azar who talked about the specific challenges of this transition process for young people living with a chronic illness. A special thank you to Niara and Ashanti for sharing their experiences of living with sickle cell disease.

Without the generosity of so many people and organizations, events like this wouldn’t be possible. Thank you to our event partners LabCentral and Digital Silver Imaging for the beautiful venue and the amazing comic book display. Thank you to our Lead Sponsor, Rockport Mortgage Corporation, and Pfizer, our Superhero Sponsor, and to all of our Sidekick sponsors, Novo Nordisk, Ipsen, Genetix, Beam Therapeutics, and Sanofi. We are so grateful for your partnership!

It truly was a special night, thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate with us!

Read When Lightning Strikes

Rare Disease Month: Our Spring Programs

February is Rare Disease Month, culminating with Rare Disease Day at the end of the month.

As we recognize and celebrate this important month, we’re excited to share that we’re offering several free online and in-person community, music and mentorship programs this Spring 2026 for teens and young adults, ages 13-29, living with rare disease.

When you join the Next Step community, you’ll get to:

  • Meet other young people living with a rare disease
  • Opportunities to write an original song about your life
  • Connect with a mentor to help you reach your goals

 

Our Spring Programs

Questions?

Email Kepler Jeudy, Next Step Program Director, or Casey Casey, Next Step Nursing Director & Partnership Coordinator, if you have any questions or need more information about our programs.

kepler@nextstepnet.org

casey@nextstepnet.org

Read our comic books!

In the Fall of 2020, teens from Next Step’s STRIVE mentorship program discussed representation in superheroes and noticed a gap. While many superheroes had “weaknesses,” there were no heroes with chronic illnesses — and specifically, none living with sickle cell. From that conversation, Kara Jackson was born — a hero who, like them, had friends she trusted didn’t know how to talk to about her diagnosis. A hero who, like them, had big dreams but didn’t want others to limit her because she could get sick. Kara might also — like them — push too hard, make mistakes — and need space to learn from each one and move forward.

This project, like all Next Step programs, uses the arts to create a safe space for young people to engage in conversation with peers about what it means to grow into adulthood with a chronic illness. It aims to raise awareness about sickle cell disease and let other youth facing similar challenges know that they are not alone.

When Lightning Strikes 2 (2026)

 

16-year-old Kara is about to start her first year as a student at Iqhawe School for superheroes. Requesting accommodations, joining Iqhawe’s student street patrol program, and meeting a new health provider without her parents gives Kara a challenge that her powers can’t fix: Finding the courage to voice her needs. But when a mysterious villain begins targeting people who have superpowers, Kara must trust that her voice will be enough to save her friends, her school, and her city.

Thank you to Vertex Pharmaceuticals for their generous support in the creation of our second comic book.

When Lightning Strikes (2022)

 

14-year-old Kara Jackson has sickle cell — but she won’t let that stop her from competing in the Power Games, a tournament for aspiring superheroes. When her arch-nemesis, Niko discloses her condition to the tournament officials without her consent, Kara must prove to everyone that she is stronger than they think.

 

Questions?

Contact us if you have any questions about our comic books or joining our community, music and mentorship programs:

Kepler Jeudy, Next Step Program Director: kepler@nextstepnet.org

Casey Casey, Nursing Director & Partnership Coordinator: casey@nextstepnet.org

Next Step Comic Book Celebration & Art Exhibition

Join Next Step on Thursday, March 12, 2026, from 4:30pm to 7pm EST at LabCentral in Cambridge, MA for an unforgettable evening celebrating the first public exhibition of our two comic books, When Lightning Strikes, featuring the journey of Kara, a young superhero living with sickle cell disease.

Register Here

Experience a vibrant gallery exhibition, an inspiring panel discussion, and connect with the creative minds behind the project. Enjoy delicious snacks and drinks while learning how teens living with sickle cell disease harnessed creativity and community to navigate the transition from pediatric care to adult care. Plus, don’t miss the chance to meet former Patriots Super Bowl champion Devin McCourty, who will be joining us at the event!

 

We are so fortunate to be joined by guest panelist, Dr. Sharl Azar, a nationally recognized hematologist and advocate serving as Medical Director of the Comprehensive Sickle Cell Disease Treatment Center and the Robert K. Kraft Chair of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School.

Register Here

QUESTIONS?

Email Alice Sich, Next Step Events and Operations Coordinator, if you have any questions about this event at alice@nextstepnet.org.

 

LOCATION & PARKING

LabCentral

700 Main Street

Cambridge, MA 02139

Recommended parking options for this event are, Osborne Triangle, which is adjacent to LabCentral, Tech Square Garage, and then metered parking on the street.

Virtual Comic Book Launch: Tuesday, January 27th!

Join Next Step on Tuesday, January 27th from 7pm to 8pm EST for an exciting virtual gathering as we celebrate the release of our second comic book, When Lightning Strikes 2, created by and inspired by our incredible young people and artists. The story marks the return of Kara, the main character who lives with sickle cell, as she faces the next chapter of her journey—tackling new challenges, responsibilities, and possibilities ahead.

This event is your chance to go behind the scenes, hear how the comic came to life, and celebrate the creativity, resilience, and voices of the young people in our community.

What We Will Talk About

  • Celebrate that we’ve made this comic book!
  • Medical transition: the importance & challenges
  • Why Next Step?

Watch the Webinar

Questions?

Contact Kepler Jeudy, Next Step Program Director, if you have any questions about this virtual event or receiving a copy of When Lightning Strikes 2: kepler@nextstepnet.org

Double your impact before the New Year

There are just 2 days left in 2025 — and just two more days to help us match a $15,000 gift from a generous friend of Next Step. Your gift today can go twice as far, giving seriously ill young people the hope, confidence, and opportunities they deserve.

Make Your Donation Go Twice As Far

Young people with serious illness often feel their diagnosis is a roadblock Donors like you help them discover that their future is full of possibilities — that they can dream big, find their voice, and chase their goals.

“Recording my song gave me a sense of possibility — that i am more than this disease and have a future to work for.”

NEXT STEP PARTICIPANT

You can double your support of Next Step by helping us match a $15k gift before the New Year. Matching the gift will provide a full year of Next Step programming for six young people who could use a safe community—and the reassurance that they are not alone on their journey.

Please make your year-end, tax deductible donation today so we can begin 2026 ready to empower even more teens and young adults to build their brightest future.

Happy New Year to you and your loved ones.

Bill Kubicek

Executive Director & Founder, Next Step

Double Your Impact Before the New Year

Help match a $15,000 gift before the new year!

Thanks to a generous donor, now every dollar you give by December 31st will be matched—up to $15,000. You can DOUBLE YOUR IMPACT and create even more possibilities for teens and young adults living with serious illness.

Double Your Impact

For many teens and young adults living with serious chronic illness, life can feel defined by limits—hospital visits, treatments, and unpredictable symptoms can make them feel isolated, unseen and unsure about their future. Because of you, seriously ill young people are setting goals, forming friendships, and imagining lives filled with possibility—helping them grow into adults with confidence, resilience, and dreams beyond their diagnosis.

At Next Step, young people discover that their illness does not define them, it informs them. They begin to speak differently—instead of “I am this condition,” they now say, “I live with this condition.” Next Step participants explore new passions, try new skills, and take the first steps toward goals they once thought impossible.

“Instead of falling off a cliff, now it feels like maybe I can fly.”

NEXT STEP PARTICIPANT

Together, we can help even more young people see a future full of possibilities. Your support last year made a real difference for young people living with serious illness. By renewing your gift today, you’ll help them turn uncertainty into hope, limits into opportunities, and dreams into reality—and right now, every dollar you give will be matched up to $15,000, doubling your impact.

Happy Holidays to you and your loved ones—thank you for making this transformation possible!

Give Twice the Possibilities

From Challenge to Possibility: You Make it Happen

Jamall often felt like he was navigating life like he was walking down a foggy road. Living with sickle cell disease brought daily challenges—pain, uncertainty and stress about his future.

But his first Next Step program, everything changed. Meeting other young adults with sickle cell gave Jamall the confidence and clarity to pursue creating writing projects and his passion for the piano. He finally saw a future beyond his diagnosis.

You can make this possible for even more young people by donating to the 2025 Next Step Annual Fund.

Give the gift of possibility

“Being part of the Next Step community has shown be that living with sickle cell doesn’t mean giving up on my dreams.”

JAMALL, NEXT STEP PARTICIPANT

You can make this transformation possible for even more young people—helping them to see that despite the challenges, their future is full of possibilities.

Happy Holidays to you and your loved ones—thank you for believing in our mission.

Bill Kubicek,

Executive Director & Founder, Next Step

Give the gift of possibility

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1 months ago

Today is @rarediseaseday. The 2026 theme, “More Than You Can Imagine,” highlights equity in care, representation and unseen challenges. 'When Lightning Strikes' was created by youth with sickle cell as they felt this population wasn't represented in media. https://www.nextstepnet.org/whenlightningstrikes/ Lightbox link for post with description Today is @rarediseaseday. The 2026 theme, “More...

Today is @rarediseaseday. The 2026 theme, “More Than You Can Imagine,” highlights equity in care, representation and unseen challenges. 'When Lightning Strikes' was created by youth with sickle cell as they felt this population wasn't represented in media.
...https://www.nextstepnet.org/whenlightningstrikes/

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1 months ago

🌍 It’s #RareDiseaseDay 2026! 💜 Today we stand with the 300 million people living with a rare disease. Together, we’re showing our colours, raising awareness, and inspiring change by talking about what equity means to us. 👉 Read more: https://t.co/T0KRlbRCJX Lightbox link for post with description 🌍 It’s #RareDiseaseDay 2026! 💜 Today we...

🌍 It’s #RareDiseaseDay 2026! 💜

Today we stand with the 300 million people living with a rare disease. Together, we’re showing our colours, raising awareness, and inspiring change by talking about what equity means to us.

👉 Read more: https://t.co/T0KRlbRCJX

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