As I run the 26.2 miles from Hopkinton to Boston, I'll be doing so in honor of the many people I've lost to cancer, and in support of all those fighting against this fierce disease.  

Embrace a Family is a non-profit organization in our town that supports families in the community enduring overwhelming hardships due to cancer. Cancer's financial and emotional strain on a family can be devastating. The Embrace A Family program is a means for families to access a local lifeline for support so they don't have to battle cancer alone.

They help by:

• Providing non-medical support such as transportation, groceries, child care, utility bill assistance, and other expenses that can ease the strain on a family.
• Offering preventive care, such as bringing Dana Farber's mobile Mammography Van, operated by the Dana-Faber Cancer Institute, to Natick annually.
• Sharing support and resource information such as nutrition, web links, and local support groups run by licensed social workers.

I'll be running for Embrace a Family in honor of my wife's  mother, Rhonda Cantor Shapiro, who I never got the chance to  meet, my Grandpa Leslie and Nana Joyce, who Alex missed the opportunity of meeting, and the MANY other loved ones we know fighting or supporting a loved one battling cancer.

Any donation you make toward my $5000 fundraising goal will be greatly appreciated. Every dollar counts.