When we were in middle school, my friend Cecilia was diagnosed with a brain tumor. It later turned out to be cancerous, and I still remember how  fast everything changed. One day we were just normal kids hanging out at the mall, going to the movies, or just wandering down Frederick Road in Catonsville. The next, her life was completely taken over by doctor visits, hospital stays, and treatments no kid should ever have to understand, let alone endure.

Suddenly, our normal hangouts became hospital visits. We'd spend time together at her house whenever she got discharged, only for her to get readmitted a short while later. Watching someone I cared about go through that was a heavy, eye-opening experience. It showed me how instantly a diagnosis can turn a family’s entire world upside down, and it taught me a lot about fear, uncertainty, and the strength it takes just to keep going.

That experience has never left me, and it’s exactly why this cause means so much to me. This year, I’m running the New York City Marathon with the Children’s Brain Tumor Foundation to support the kids and families who are in the thick of that fight right now.

If you are able to donate, your support will go directly toward funding critical research and providing the support systems these families desperately need. Every dollar helps me turn these 26.2 miles into something meaningful for them. Thank you so much for the support; it means the world to me!