Very early on in Christine's battle with cancer, someone told me "cancer is a family disease". At first, the words were almost meaningless, as poignant as a "live laugh love" TJ Maxx poster. This was, I thought, her fight. As her struggle endured and her condition worsened, I thought back to those words often. Her battle with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer was not waged alone; Katie, myself, Max, Zoe, Juliet and Luca, and everyone else in her life who knew and loved her (a remarkably long list) fought the battle alongside of her, as witnesses to suffering beyond comprehension, and as sufferers ourselves in ways we could not have fathomed. In her passing, we're all left to pick up the pieces, fill the void in our (and our childrens') lives and cope with the PTSD of what we witnessed and endured. So, yeah, cancer is a family disease, one that persists long after the cancer cells are done multiplying.
I rediscovered running shortly before Christine's diagnosis. After her diagnosis, running became a refuge. A welcome hour or two of suffering I've chosen alone with my thoughts, away from the the suffering at home that came not by choice. Running is awful, no doubt, but the sore muscles and gasps for air are chosen and temporary. Living with Christine's struggle gave me strength to pound pavement. Running is suffering for the promise of more life instead of cancer's promise to rob you of it.
I'm running the 2024 Boston Marathon for Dana-Farber, the organization that gave us countless extra days-weeks-months with Christine in our lives. No one should suffer like she did, or like her family did and still does, but in reality, many more will. We have an obligation to use our many blessings to eradicate this awful disease, and I hope you'll join me in that effort. The Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge team runs and raises funds with thousands of special people like Christine in mind. From Hopkinton to Boston, I will carry her memory every step of the way.
One hundred percent of every dollar raised by the DFMC team supports the Claudia Adams Barr Program in Innovative Basic Cancer Research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. These funds are fueling some of today's most promising basic cancer research.
Thank you for your support! Together, we're headed toward the ultimate finish line: a world without cancer.
