Help Catherine raise money

In May, I will be running in the Pittsburgh Marathon as part of the Run for a Reason program, in support of the Mario Lemieux Foundation.

The Mario Lemieux Foundation is deeply committed to advancing cancer research and improving treatment options for patients and families. Through its work at the Mario Lemieux Center for Blood Cancers, the Mario Lemieux Lymphoma Center, and the Mario Lemieux Immunotherapy Center, the foundation funds groundbreaking research that translates into clinical trials and innovative therapies — treatments that quite literally save lives.

Those treatments saved my mom’s life. They are the reason she is still here with us.

Exactly one year ago, on February 14th, 2025, my mom was diagnosed with Stage 4 Diffuse Large B-Cell Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma — an aggressive, fast-growing blood cancer. At the time of diagnosis, she had a 9cm tumor growing in her sacrum, multiple lesions throughout her spine and ribs, and a tumor in her kidney.

The news absolutely shook our family to our core and completely changed our lives.

My mom spent a total of six months of 2025 in the hospital, with her longest stay being 3 months. She fought the hardest fight there is. To say she is strong is an understatement — she is extraordinarily resilient, fiercely courageous, and relentlessly determined.

Her cancer relapsed three times after her first line of treatment. There were many uncertain days and long nights spent in hospital rooms waiting for scans, praying for answers, and holding onto hope with everything we had. But today, by the grace of God, the dedication of her incredible team of doctors, and access to cutting-edge treatments — she is cancer free. Now, we continue to pray every single day that God protects her and keeps this awful disease away forever.

The kind of research funded by organizations like the Mario Lemieux Foundation is exactly what saved my mom’s life. Donations to the foundation help fund the cancer centers and research programs that families like mine depend on during the most unimaginable seasons. They drive the development of therapies that turn fear into hope and diagnoses into survivorship.

We are beyond thankful for the doctors and nurses who saved my mom’s life. We are endlessly grateful for every researcher, every breakthrough, and every person who supports this mission. Above all, we are overwhelmingly blessed that my mom is the warrior she is.

For my entire life, my mom has pushed me to do hard things. She taught me that with determination, discipline, and faith, absolutely anything is possible. She has always been my biggest role model — but this year she showed me what true strength, courage, perseverance, and unshakeable faith really look like.

So this year, I am doing a hard thing- running 26.2 miles for my mom — my warrior, my hero, my role model, and my greatest blessing.

If you feel inclined to donate to the Mario Lemieux Foundation and support families like ours, please consider contributing using the link below. Every donation helps fund the research that saves lives. 💚🎗️