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Kayla Roche is running to raise money for multiple myeloma research in honor of her late father

"On the 32-month anniversary of his passing, there's no better way I can think to honor my father."

Kayla Roche poses with her dad
Kayla Roche's father died from multiple myeloma and she is running the marathon as a platform to raise money for research on the cancerous disease. Kayla Roche

By Maya Gacina

1 minute to read

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. If you’re running the marathon, you can share your #WhyImRunningBoston story here.

Name: Kayla Roche
Age: 24
From: Holly, Michigan

I’m running the Boston Marathon in October to honor my father who passed away from multiple myeloma in 2019.

My father adopted me when I was 8 years old and gave me the resources and stability to develop into the woman I am today — a proud Harvard graduate, cancer researcher, and medical student. As a former runner and cyclist himself, my dad encouraged me to get involved in running at a young age, and some of my fondest memories with him are the Saturday afternoons when he’d drive me to our local track and time laps for me.

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After watching the Boston Marathon for the first time while I was in college in 2016, I called my dad and told him that I wanted to run the race one day. I distinctly remember him telling me: “And I’m sure you will, because there’s nothing you’ve set out to do that you haven’t.” On the 32-month anniversary of his passing, there’s no better way I can think to honor my father than through using this honorable race as a platform to fundraise in support of multiple myeloma research efforts.

Editor’s note: Entry may have been lightly edited for clarity or grammar.

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