UPDATE,
Thank you to everyone that has donated so far. We are actually upping our goal to $6000 for the race. A little work left to do but I think we can get there.
Thanks so much,
Jed and Shaun
My Story,
I am very excited to be running the Boston Marathon with the rest of the V Foundation Team and my friend for the past 20 years, Shaun Oliver.
Shaun and I have been good friends since I met him in late 1999 working at the New England Revolution in Major League Soccer. We also worked together at the Boston Bulldogs and the San Jose Earthquakes. We are both transplanted New Englanders and excited about running this marathon in Boston. Six months ago, I brought up the idea of running the marathon in 2019 and I asked if he wanted to join me. He was all in. We are both motivated by the loss of our mothers, who both battled cancer in recent years and we are excited for the challenge.
My reason for wanting to run dates back to 2017. My father and I attended the Red Sox-Rays game at Fenway Park on Patriots Day. After the game, we walked by Beacon Street and Commonwealth Ave to see the marathon runners going by. At the time, my mom was going through a tough time with Lewy Body Dementia. This disease came a short time after my mother had fought through breast cancer in 2014. Needless to say, my dad had been going through a rough 3-4 year stretch.
While we were watching the runners go by on that great spring day, my dad said that he was having one of the best days he had had in a long time. He had spent the previous months trying to help my mother and keep his own sanity. I was happy that he was having a good day but I was also sad that my mom was struggling and my father was struggling by extension.
As I watched the runners go by just a short distance from the finish line, I told myself that I wanted to be one of the runners crossing that finish line.
I want to run this marathon for a few reasons. First, I want to help raise funds for cancer research. My mother battled breast cancer in 2014 and I also had my own cancer battle in 2004. I understand how difficult those times can be for the individuals suffering with the disease and for the family members that support them.
Second, I want to cross the finish line of the marathon in front of my dad. His perseverance during the last four years and his constant support of my mom are an inspiration for me.
Lastly, I want to show my children that you can set difficult goals and achieve them.
We are trying to raise $5,000 for the V Foundastion.
Thank you for your support. Below is some more info about the V Foundation.
Jed
The V Foundation was founded by ESPN and award-winning NC State basketball coach Jim Valvano. Coach Valvano was diagnosed with cancer in 1993. When he created the Foundation, Jim knew that it was too late for research to save him, but he spent his last months alive creating a legacy of hope for others diagnosed with this debilitating disease.
In the past 25 years, The V Foundation has awarded more than $225 million to cancer research and related programs nationwide.
Jim Valvano’s “Don’t Give Up . . . Don’t Ever Give Up!”® spirit is alive now more than ever, and it is the perfect motto to carry us through the iconic 26.2 mile journey from Hopkinton to Boston. With continued support, we will forge ahead with innovative research. Join us on Team V or support us through a donation – either way, you are making a difference and saving lives. There is not a moment to lose in the fight against cancer.
