Lauren — Running for her sister

Although the feeling of running the NYC Marathon will never be replaced I feel satisfied and proud that I did my best and that canceling the marathon did not take me away from something I believe in.

After Hurricane Sandy hit, it was an emotional time for all. Personally, I was so excited to run the NYC Marathon for Team Every Mother Counts and even more because I run for my sister who passed after giving birth 5 years ago. When I ran the marathon last year with everyone from Every Mother Counts, I’d never felt such sisterhood before. When I felt low my teammates helped push me forward and I did the same for them.

When I found out the marathon was canceled I still wanted to complete a run for Every Mother Counts and for my sister, Pam. The thought of running alone on Sunday November 4th though brought tears to my eyes and made me feel weak. That’s when my boyfriend, who is in top shape but probably has not run over 6 miles in the past few months, said “I’ll run with you.” Many neighbors and friends met us along the way with signs and water and just to cheer us on.

Although the feeling of running the NYC Marathon will never be replaced I feel satisfied and proud that I did my best and that canceling the marathon did not take me away from something I believe in. We are still changing lives and helping mothers one step at a time.