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After a cancer diagnosis, Alison Livingston is running to support IMPACT Melanoma
"I feel so fortunate for the opportunity to run the Boston Marathon for a cause that is important to me."
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 story here.
Name: Alison Livingston
Age: 42
From: Framingham
I am running as part of Team IMPACT to raise funds for IMPACT Melanoma. I was diagnosed with nodular melanoma, a particularly invasive type, at age 29 when my daughter was only 2 months old. Because of the location of the tumor on my foot and the uncertainty around how far the cancer had spread, there was a chance that doctors would need to take toes (or more!) during the surgery. Running had been a huge part of my life as an athlete, so this news was devastating.
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Fortunately, following surgery and treatment, I lost all of the lymph nodes in my left leg but still have all of my toes! Doctors were able to graft together my foot, allowing me full function and the ability to run! My daughter is now 13 and we are able to do training runs together.
I feel so fortunate for the opportunity to run the Boston Marathon for a cause that is important to me, raising funds and awareness for IMPACT Melanoma’s great work around prevention and patient/family support. More significantly, I can show my daughter that I can go through something terrible like cancer and now use running as a platform to do good and make a difference in the world!
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Editor’s note: This entry may have been lightly edited for clarity or grammar.
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