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Cassie Ramos lost her mom to cancer. Now she’s running in her memory.
"My mom's spirit in my heart and the support and words of encouragement from friends, family, and donors to the challenge, will be the 'wind beneath my wings.'"
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: Cassie Ramos
Age: 37
From: Randolph
I’m running the marathon for the first time for the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge (DFMC) in honor of my mother who died of colorectal cancer at 58.
My mother came to the U.S. in 1980 from Haiti. She raised five kids in the Greater Boston area, doing everything she could to ensure that we all had the best education and were good people who loved God. In 2012, she was diagnosed with Stage 4 colorectal cancer. I had just gotten engaged about a month before her diagnosis and wanted to postpone my wedding so we could concentrate on her treatment. As a woman of faith, she said, “It’s in God’s hands now. We’re not going to stop living because of this.”
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She underwent chemotherapy and hung on to see me get married, her first grandchild, my nephew, be born, and me graduate law school, among other life celebrations. In the spring of 2014, the cancer came back stronger and we lost her in August 2014.
My mother was always my biggest supporter, encouraging me to be a woman of courage and confidence and take big chances. I never ran more than 3 miles before the pandemic hit in March 2020, but had excess time and energy now that my hour commute no longer existed. My good friend was training for the marathon to be held that spring, and when it was canceled, I told her I’d train to run a half marathon with her in June that year. And when I saw what a training plan would look like for that, I scaled back to a 10K by June. I hit my goal of running a half marathon in April 2021, while continuing to work full-time and raise two kids, 6 and 3, with my husband.
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The flexibility of working from home led to my decision to take the leap and train for the Boston Marathon. But my personal quest, no matter how difficult it will be for me, pales in comparison to the challenge facing cancer patients and their families. By participating in the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge (DFMC), I’m supporting Dana-Farber Cancer Institute’s goal to find better therapies and, ultimately, cures for cancer. All funds—a full 100 percent—raised by DFMC benefit the Claudia Adams Barr Program in Innovative Basic Cancer Research at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, widely recognized as one of the largest and most successful programs of its kind. Based on a rigorous and highly selective process, the Barr Program funds the brightest, most creative scientists making basic research discoveries that are transforming cancer treatment. Barr Investigators have made numerous major breakthroughs resulting in improved survival rates and quality of life for thousands of patients everywhere.
Together, my mom’s spirit in my heart and the support and words of encouragement from friends, family, and donors to the challenge, will be the “wind beneath my wings.” I hope to make my mother proud as I embark on one of the greatest challenges of my life in training for and running the Boston Marathon.
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Editor’s note: Entry may have been lightly edited for clarity or grammar.
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