Help Caroline raise money

This year will be my 10th year running the Pittsburgh Marathon for Light of Life Rescue Mission as part of the Run for a Reason campaign. Over the years, I have raised nearly $25,000 for organizations that use running as a pathway to recovery and nearly $6,000 of that directly for Light of Life. 

But this isn’t just about miles logged or dollars raised.
This is personal.

Running entered my life at a time when I needed it most. When my competitive soccer career ended, I felt a void, a longing for purpose, discipline, and the drive to compete. Running became my outlet. It taught me resilience. It showed me that strength is built one mile at a time. It gave me goals to chase and a community that lifts each other up without hesitation.

And eventually, it gave me a way to run for something bigger than myself.

Nearly 16 years ago, I met Jacob. We connected instantly. He was brilliant, compassionate, athletic, and endlessly generous. He was the kind of person who could walk into a room and leave with lifelong friends. Together, we welcomed a beautiful baby boy into the world.

What should have been the happiest chapter of our lives slowly became one of the hardest.

After a painful soccer injury, Jacob was prescribed powerful pain medication. Within months, addiction took hold. It cost him the nursing career he loved at UPMC. It led to heroin. It led to years of recovery attempts, setbacks, hope, and heartbreak. We lived on a rollercoaster, moments of sobriety and promise, followed by the crushing weight of relapse. He missed holidays, birthdays, milestones. Addiction slowly stripped away his confidence, his stability, and pieces of himself.

People often have opinions about addiction. But walking beside someone through it changes you. I saw firsthand that Jacob hated his addiction more than anyone ever could. He fought it. We fought it. Addiction is not a lack of willpower. It is a disease that isolates, deceives, and devastates.

On August 27, 2016, I received the call I had feared for years. Jacob overdosed. He was gone.

Addiction didn’t just take his life.
It took a father from my son.
It took a partner from me.
It took a future we had imagined.

But it did not take our ability to create meaning from the pain.

During Jacob’s struggle, missions like Light of Life were a beacon in the darkness, offering support, dignity, and hope to individuals and families navigating homelessness, poverty, and addiction. Jacob once shared that when he felt strong in recovery, he wanted to give back and help others fighting the same battle.

This is how I honor that dream.

Every mile I run is for him.
For my son.
For families who are still in the fight.
For people who deserve access to treatment, compassion, and a real chance at recovery.

As a teacher and lifelong learner, I knew I wanted to do more. After Jacob’s death, I earned my master’s degree in clinical mental health and substance use disorder counseling. My mission is to help people see addiction for what it truly is, a disease, not a moral failing. When we change how we view addiction, we change how we treat people. We expand resources. We remove shame. We save lives.

That is why I run.

Your donation is more than financial support. It is, a bed for someone seeking shelter, a meal for someone who feels forgotten, counseling for someone ready to choose recovery, hope for a family who feels alone.

Together, we can change the narrative around addiction. Together, we can help Light of Life continue to provide the support so many desperately need.

If you feel moved by this story, I would be deeply grateful for your support , whether through a donation, sharing this page, or simply holding families like mine in your heart.

Every mile matters.
Every dollar matters.
Every life matters.

Thank you for helping me run for a reason.

You can also read my full memoir here.