My father was my greatest fan and most challenging critic. He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in October of 2010 and I lost him only a month later. Our greatest dream was that he would see me qualify for the Boston Marathon where we would go together for him to cheer me on.
The attached picture is the marathon I ran for him on December 5th, 2010 and qualified for Boston after nineteen attempts. I made it in 3:47. My fingers are pointing to him in Heaven and my rapture is for us both. I think you can see the joy and gratitude I feel for him in my face. I ran the 2012 Boston Marathon April 16th with my qualifying time from that race. He wasn’t there in person to see me run Boston, but I know somehow he was watching.
His passing was a devastating experience for me and I decided to do something to help change the world. I knew that I needed to spread the message and that my effort should be centered around my passion for running. When my father was sick he told me about The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. I am so glad he did. After his diagnoses, I looked more deeply into the mysterious illness that had taken my father. I did not like what I found. Pancreatic Cancer is the 10th most commonly diagnosed cancer in the United States but is the fourth leading cause of cancer death. This year, over 43,000 people will be diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer in the United States, and approximately 37,000 will die. This grim survival rate is one of the few that has changed little over the past 40 years. My goal is to raise $1,000,000 to support the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. Currently I have raised over $93,000. To meet my goal, I will be dedicating a whole year in which I will run a marathon a week in a different city. That’s 52 marathons in 52 weeks, and the first one started in Boston. I want to raise awareness and funds to crack the shell of this terrible disease.
I am 42, a proud mother of two great kids, ages 19 and 23. I just started running in 2008 and became a pace leader for the LA Roadrunners primarily, first-time marathoners for the LA Marathon 2011. I work as a real estate accountant in Brentwood during the week and I will be leaving my office every Friday evening and returning to work at 9am Monday morning. I love showing people that their dreams are possible. I run for hope, inspiration and love. I would love the opportunity to show people that you can do anything you put your mind to. When you do what you love, for those you love, that is when the miracles happen.
