As a longtime journalist and writer, sitting down to write my statement for the TargetCancer Foundation, an organization that sponsors research and awareness for rare cancers—hit me with an all-too-familiar feeling: writer’s block. I have spent hours tooling and retooling the lede on stories, trying to find that hook that will captivate the reader and convince them to keep reading over whatever feature article I wrote on family office investment structures or whatnot. My years of marathoning, however, have taught me to visualize the eventual finish. Since this is a page about me running the Boston Marathon, I’ll take that as a cue to start with how I got here.  

If you had told me some 11 years ago that by 2023 I’d have completed as many marathons, I’d have given you some side eye, if not laughed in your face. I also wore Warby Parkers at the time, helping to amplify said eye. If you told me back in 2017 as I was convalescing after having broken my ankle in three spots that not only would I run the New York Marathon entry I subsequently had to defer but cross many more finish lines, I’d have said you were being even more saccharine than the tone on which this essay is likely verging. And if you told me this past summer that I’d be gearing up to toe the line in Hopkinton in April 2024, I might have chortled but my interest would have been piqued nonetheless. In September, however, a turn of events within the course of 72 hours led me to where I am today. 

Out of care and respect, I'll spare the details. Suffice it to say, however, that many turns and trials have taken me to the start of the Boston Marathon. With your help and support of the TargetCancer Foundation, you can help get me to the finish at Boylston. 

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Join me in my mission to support the TargetCancer Foundation, an organization dedicated to finding cures for rare cancers. Through my fundraising project on GivenGain, I aim to raise awareness and funds to aid in their research, patient support, and advocacy efforts. Together, we can make a difference and bring hope to those affected by these devastating diseases. Every donation counts, no matter how big or small. Let's stand together against cancer and help make a positive impact in the lives of those in need.