Erica Gallagher never thought she would run a marathon, but when her father was diagnosed with Lymphoma a few years ago, she decided to run the Inaugural Illinois Marathon for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Though she saw running as a "one-time deal," the experience left such a great impression on her that this year, she will be running the Chicago Marathon with the MMRF Power Team for her uncle Larry, who is currently living with multiple myeloma. Larry is, in her words, "an incredible guy;" he is fun loving, sophisticated, intelligent, and down to earth. "The treatments he has sustained are excruciating," she says, "but he bears them with courage, determination, and a sense of humor that are truly inspirational."
A busy mom of 3, Erica used excercise to keep her sanity during the transition from part-time worker to stay-at-home mom. After a torn ACL and the replacement surgery that followed, she set running and triathlon goals to keep her knee mobile. Her grueling training and fight to the finish line at the Illinois Marathon made her appreciate her father's struggle with cancer in "a more personal and insightful way." "While I never considered stopping, there were definitely moments when I wasn't sure how I would continue," she says." I have a feeling at least some cancer patients go through that thought process."
