After the birth of my first daughter 14 years ago, I discovered running as a way to care for myself while navigating the joys and demands of motherhood. Before long, endurance sports became an important part of my life. I added cycling, completed several triathlons and many half marathons, and found both physical and mental strength through training. As a native New Yorker, running the TCS New York City Marathon had always been on my bucket list. That dream took on an entirely new meaning in 2023 when, after a routine mammogram, I was diagnosed with bilateral hormone receptor-positive invasive ductal breast cancer. I underwent a bilateral mastectomy followed by four additional reconstructive surgeries, and by the spring of 2024 I had slowly worked my way back to running while adjusting to life on endocrine therapy and immunotherapy. Then, this past September just as I was regaining my footing, a routine surveillance scan revealed a rare kidney tumor unrelated to my breast cancer. Surgery to remove my kidney was thankfully curative, but once again I found myself rebuilding—one step at a time.
As I recovered, I realized that this was finally the year to chase my longtime dream of running New York City, but this time with a purpose far greater than crossing the finish line. Joining Team Baldwin allows me to turn gratitude into action by raising money for breast cancer research that will change lives for future patients. More than anything, I hope my journey shows my two daughters what resilience looks like—that even when life throws unexpected curveballs, we can choose to keep moving forward with courage and hope. I often describe myself as a reluctant warrior. I am private by nature, and sharing my story does not come easily. But if telling it helps raise awareness, inspires even one person facing cancer, or contributes to research that brings us closer to a cure, then every mile will be worth it.