Framingham residents Emily Lee and Gary Dawkins became friends after meeting at their former workplace in 1998. When Dawkins’s wife, Marie, was diagnosed with breast cancer four years later, Lee and her husband, Cheun, also became part of their support network.

“Emily and Cheun did our shopping on weekends, and they went to Chinatown for the coconut butter buns that always brought a smile to her face,’’ Dawkins recalled of Marie, who succumbed to her disease on Sept. 24, 2008. “When Emily called to tell me that Cheun had also been diagnosed with cancer [in April 2008], I just couldn’t believe it.’’

During the eight months in which Cheun was treated for epithelioid sarcoma, it was the Lees’ turn to lean on Dawkins and other co-workers for support — sometimes literally, when Cheun needed more physical assistance than Lee could provide in helping him in and out of bed.

Two weeks before Cheun’s death, according to Lee, he dreamed that Marie was flying overhead with her hand extended, but he couldn’t grab hold. When Cheun began struggling, Lee said she whispered that if he saw Marie again, he should take her hand so she could lead him to a better place. He died on Dec. 24, 2008.

“That’s when the bottom fell out of my whole life,’’ Lee said.

Lee, who by this time had taken another job, lost touch with Dawkins for nearly a year. After reuniting, they bonded over their shared experiences and have since become a couple.

On Sept. 25, they will honor their late spouses for the sixth year as cocaptains of the GEM (for Gary and Emily) Team in the Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk presented by Hyundai, which has four routes ranging from 3.1 to 26.2 miles. To date, the couple has raised more than $29,000 through their individual and team efforts in the event, which benefits patient care and research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

“We’re very grateful to all those who help us remember Cheun and Marie, and their legacies,’’ Lee said. “They’re always in our hearts.’’

For more information, visit jimmyfundwalk.org.

Cindy Cantrell may be reached at cindycantrell20@gmail.com.