A Beautiful Life

Choosing Bentley was “the best decision of my life,” says Kevin P. Martin Jr. ’86, MST’92. Why? Because, Martin says, it’s where he met Lisa (Carbone) Martin ’86, MST ’92, his wife, the mother to their four children and, most recently, his biggest champion in his battle with stage 4 prostate cancer. “It was love at first sight, and we’ve built a beautiful life,” Martin says.

He and Lisa met in an accounting class while undergrads. They married in 1991. Martin, who is today a CPA, initially chose Bentley to follow in the footsteps of his father Kevin P. Martin Sr. ’63, P ’86 ’92, whom he describes as his hero. Ever since, Martin has felt profound kinship with the university community: As a church deacon in Milton, Massachusetts, where he lives, he presided at the funeral of former Bentley President Joseph Cronin, as well as the wedding of Cronin’s granddaughter and baptism of her child. And Martin visits campus yearly to recruit for his accounting firm, CohnReznick — as well as relive some of his happiest memories. “I just enjoy walking the halls, eating the pizza and reminiscing,” he says.

Earlier this year, just months after his cancer diagnosis, Martin crossed the finish line of the Boston Marathon. When he first signed up to run in support of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, he had no idea he would soon be a patient himself. In addition to raising $60,000 as part of the race, Martin also learned important lessons about the power of love, faith and hope: “With will and determination, the human spirit is bottomless,” he says.

In the wake of conquering Heartbreak Hill, Martin is pouring his more recent reflections on perseverance into the forthcoming book I Am Well: A Cancer Journey. He previously authored All Is Well: Life Lessons from a Preacher’s Father, which shared some of the wisdom that Martin’s father imparted during his experiences with ALS. In fact, that book’s title is the final note his dad wrote in a journal he kept by his hospital bed. With I Am Well, Martin wants his own journey to provide hope to anyone facing an arduous road ahead. “Everybody’s situation is different,” he says. “I’d like to think my story is about leaning in and pushing through.”

And in fact, his steely resolve to outrun cancer is already enlightening others: “When I finished the marathon, I sent the first picture to my oncologist who said I probably couldn’t finish,” he says. “How do you like them apples?”