I am lacing up my running shoes with a purpose—to support those battling cancer. I’ve always been a proud mama’s boy, and I wear that title like a badge of honor. My mom isn’t just my best friend; she’s my hero. Her strength has shaped every part of who I am, how I approach life, how I fight through challenges, and how I show up for others. Twenty years ago, when I was in college, my mom was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. I watched her wake up every morning in pain but never once let it define her. She just kept moving forward, one day at a time.
A decade later, cancer entered our lives for the first time. She was diagnosed with Lymphoma. I remember the fear in my gut when her and my dad told me, but more importantly, I remember her being the one who stayed strong for me. She faced surgery, treatment, and recovery with quiet ferocity. She is a woman with the most powerful will power I know when faced with a challenge: she overhauled her diet, embraced a balance of western medicine and eastern healing, continued her fitness to stay physically as strong as she could, and put everything she had into her recovery. And she beat it.
Then, just two years ago, I got the call I never expected to come again: a routine screening showed my mom now had bone cancer. I’ll never forget her words: “I have cancer again, and I’m going to beat it again.” That moment said everything about who she is. She’s now a year into chemotherapy and remains the most upbeat and determined person I know and still committed to her lifestyle of fighting to win. She’ll take a day off for treatment and then, to no surprise, she’s right back in the gym. That’s where it hits home for me. The gym has become our shared sanctuary. About a year ago, I took her to Barry’s Bootcamp for the first time and now she’s hooked. The room lights up when she walks in; everyone knows her as the unofficial “mom” of the studio. They all know her journey and are as inspired by her as I am. Every day she calls me to tell me she’s on her way to Barry’s and what she’s excited to work on and then calls again after to tell me a new weight she lifted or new speed she was able to run on the treadmill. She is an absolute badass.

For me, fitness and running is my own personal sanctuary too. Every mile I run, I think of her. Every time I see myself in the mirror at Barry’s I can see her smile looking back at me.
When I learned about Haymakers for Hope, it felt like the right time and the right match. The mission, to fight for those who fight, mirrors exactly what my mom has done her entire life. Running the Copenhagen Marathon for Haymakers for Hope isn’t just about crossing a finish line; it’s about honoring her courage, her willpower, and her refusal to ever give up. I want to run this race for her and for everyone who’s been in a fight they didn’t choose but refused to lose. I want to be part of a team that channels pain into purpose and turns endurance into hope. My mom has taught me how to fight, and now I want to run to prove that her fight continues through me.