Alexa delos Reyes, 9, of Clackamas, has been named a Hero of the 24th-annual Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk.

As a Walk Hero, Alexa will inspire an expected 9,000 walk participants, who will walk up to 26.2 miles along the historic route to raise money for cancer research and patient care at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. The one-day fundraising event slated for Sept. 9 aims to raise $7.5 million. Since its 1989 inception, the walk has raised more than $80 million.

A Braille reader, Alexa was diagnosed with brain cancer in May 2004 and is being treated at Dana-Farber’s Jimmy Fund Clinic. She loves Justin Bieber, music, school and her big brother Cameron.

“When I grow up, I want to be an architect or a chef,” she said.

The Walk Hero Program matches Dana-Farber patients with Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk teams (Alexa is matched with Team Neuro), providing an opportunity for walkers to connect with children and adults who are being treated for cancer. The Walk Heroes often become a part of a large group of people committed to fighting the disease for which they are being treated. Walkers offer friendship and support to the patients and their families.

On Friday, July 20, Walk Heroes, their families and the teams walking for them, will meet for the first time at the Hero Match Party at Fenway Park. The event provides an opportunity for all involved to get to know each other, enjoy a meal together and take in a Boston tradition, a Red Sox game at Fenway.