I’m taking on the 2025 TCS New York City Marathon with Fred’s Team, the official running program of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK)!!

Since March of 2016, MSK has been a huge part of our lives when a mass was discovered in the head of my beautiful mom Maureen's pancreas. Knowing their reputation as a phenomenal cancer center in the best city in the world (c'mon NYC!!!), the decision to go to MSK to was a no-brainer. She was fortunate enough to be taken under the care of Dr. Bill Jarnagin and his incredible team - truly just the tip of the iceberg of the most incredible care.

Dr. Jarnagin and his team, upon discovering that the mass in my mom's pancreas was full of pre-cancerous cells, performed a Whipple procedure wherein the head of her pancreas, her gallbladder, a piece of her small intestine, and half of her bile duct were all removed. While pre-cancerous at the time of discovery, by the time my mom's surgery was complete just a number of weeks later, the mass was considered a tumor with malignant cells and had nearly doubled in size.

Though the surgery removed the aggressive tumor, my mom's journey did not end there. Since the Whipple is such an intense major procedure, it is not uncommon for people to experience complications following their operation - and my mom has not been exempt from that. After her initial surgery, she continued to have issues which led to countless hospital stays for pancreatitis at MSK and local hospitals, two additional surgeries, and a ton of uncertainty about whether or not my mom would ever return to a normal, healthy life.

A testament to the incredible research (research that continues to be funded by YOU !!) at MSK, Dr. Jarnagin and his team decided to start my mom on a medication that only had an "off-label" use for treating pancreatitis - it's technically used and approved for treating conditions that have nothing to do with my mom's complications!! But wouldn't you know... IT WORKED! For over five years, my mom has been getting a montly injection to keep her pancreas from getting inflamed - or her "cranky panky" as she likes to call it .

While my mom does still go to MSK a few times a year, I am so grateful to say that her visits are simply to check in and get preventative scans. She is back to living her normal, healthy, fun-loving life.

As of April 2025, my mom, Maureen, will be free of pancreatic cancer for NINE YEARS!!!! And counting!! All of our lives would look very different today had my mom not gone to MSK.

Pancreatic cancer is the deadliest common cancer with the lowest five-year survival rate. As of this year, the currently reported five-year survival rate for pancreatic cancer is 13%, which has nearly doubled from 7% in the last decade. This is the third year in a row that number has increased by one percentage point! While the outlook on the statistics is grim, it's impossible to not feel hopeful knowing that the brilliant folks at MSK are constantly working towards making a difference and saving lives - including my mom's.

Though it's been an extremely challenging and emotional journey, the level of care we've received as a family by every single individual we have encountered at MSK has been phenomenal. The professionalism and empathy are truly unmatched. That is why I feel so honored and grateful for the opportunity to run the New York City Marathon to raise more money and awareness for them!
Any and all donations make a difference - a little bit goes a long way.

100% of Your Donation Supports Research
Named in honor of New York City Marathon co-founder and MSK patient Fred Lebow, Fred’s Team brings together passionate runners and supporters to lead the way against cancer. 100% of the funds I raise will go directly into MSK labs, where doctors and scientists have expertise in more than 400 types of cancer and work every day to find new cures.

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When you make a gift to Fred’s Team, you help MSK researchers develop better treatment options for the people who need them most. Together, we can make a big difference.

Thank you for your generosity!