Michelle O’Brien is running Boston with her daughter to fight cancer
"We hope the funds we’re raising, thanks to the generosity of so many, will help more cancer patients get more time to fulfill their dreams."
In our “Why I’m Running” series, Boston Marathon runners share what’s inspiring them to make the 26.2-mile trek from Hopkinton to Boston.
Name: Michelle O’Brien
Age: 53
From: Needham
This is my first Boston Marathon and I’m running it with my oldest daughter, Kate. Three years ago I was diagnosed with breast cancer, only to learn one month later that endometrial cancer was present, too.
“You’ve been struck by lightning twice. But you’ve got this,” a doctor told me. The cancers were stage 3.
Kate and I are running 26.2 miles for Dana Farber because without a doubt they saved me and gave me room to breathe while their teams of specialists sorted out how we’d tackle my diagnosis, physically and mentally. I finished treatments last July — and is it crazy to say I’ve never felt stronger?
Since 1999, members of our extended O’Brien family have run Boston for Dana Farber, and to join that effort after everything that family, friends and Dana Farber have done for me is an honor beyond words.
The Boston Marathon represents a unique mix — the world’s fastest athletes, everyday recreational athletes, race qualifiers and charity teams — but when we’re training on the Newton hills, we’re the same, smiling and nodding at each other, as if to say, “You’ve got this.”
Kate and I run because we hope the funds we’re raising, thanks to the generosity of so many, will help more cancer patients get more time to fulfill their dreams. Keep going. You’ve got this.
Editor’s note: This entry may have been lightly edited for clarity or grammar.
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