In September 2020 my life changed forever when my six-month-old daughter Francesca was diagnosed with brain cancer

Francesca was a healthy and hearty girl who loved to nap on her dad on long walks in her carrier. She loved to watch Sesame Street videos and smiling at me. She was an outgoing, bold and curious baby whose huge, deep brown eyes loved to follow whatever I was doing. She loved eating and being held close.

Within a week of her diagnosis we moved to Boston to give her the best shot. There, she stole the hearts of the nurses and doctors at Boston Children’s Hospital. Hospital staff would gasp with joy at her incredible, infectious smile. They treated us like family and in the midst of the pandemic, became our family. 

Cancer took Francesca’s life on Christmas Eve.

The kindness of the people in Boston – the struggling restaurant in Fenway Park that gave us a free meal when they learned our daughter had cancer, the nurses who were by our side while Francesca died.

We will never, ever forget the good people who were there for us in our darkest moments. 

But every single day there is another child like Francesca. A child who dies. A family whose lives are shattered with their diagnosis. A devastated family learning their child's relapsed.

Unfortunately, we as a society aren’t doing enough for these kids.

I am running the Boston Marathon for them.

Every dollar raised will support childhood cancer research at Dana Farber, whose doctors treated Francesca.