Thank you for taking the time to read my page and learn about why I am running.  Simply, I am running for David, my son.  I am not a runner, in fact, I really dislike running.  However, I CAN run whereas my son cannot.  David was diagnosed with glioblastoma in Nov of 2019 at the age of 14.  He was just starting his freshman year of high school and was enjoying everything about this new phase of life.  He was in the marching band, honors classes and swimming for his club and high school swim teams.  David, his twin brother Nathan and his older sister Riley were all on the high school swim team together and they were crushing it.  

All of this came to a halt with David’s diagnosis.  His tumor was inoperable, aggressive and required 6 weeks of radiation and then chemotherapy.  David was devastated as you can imagine but he never gave up or let it stop him.  He scheduled radiation for 6 am so that he could attend high school classes after.  He continued to swim when he could and made sure to spend time with his family.  Covid hit and we were lucky to spend time as a family together playing games, gardening, painting and traveling.  David loved to travel and we made sure to get that in even during a pandemic.  His cancer returned and spread in November of 2020 and he had another round of radiation and entered a clinical trial in GA.  Unfortunately he passed on June 6, 2021 one month shy of his 16th birthday.

Now back to why I am running and why Disney.  David loved Disney and actually did a kid’s marathon with his brother at Disney world a few years back.  His two sisters, brother and I would go often and it was our happy place.  I have been reluctant to go back now that David is gone but I know David's presence will be felt as I raise money for kids like him.  

When David was sick I was searching the internet for any information that could help find a cure, treatment or enhanced quality of life and somehow I ended up on finding Dragonmasters.  I was first drawn to their slogan “Hug like David”!  My David gave fabulous too!  It turns out the founder of the foundation has a David who also died from Glioblastoma.  As I dug deeper I really liked their mission and I believe that they make a significant impact in this battle.  I feel honored to be a part of this even in this small way.

Please read:  https://dragonmaster.org/about-us/#story