Ten months after giving birth to my son, I was diagnosed with de novo Stage IV HER2-positive, hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. Overnight, I went from a healthy new mom planning my future to learning my cancer had already spread. I celebrated my son’s first birthday in between chemotherapy treatments, lost my fertility to the treatment that is keeping me alive, and had to grieve the future I thought my family would have. But I also made a choice: I wasn’t going to stop living. Today, thanks to incredible advances in research, my cancer is stable, and I’m training to run the 2026 TCS New York City Marathon with Team Baldwin – a goal that once would have felt impossible.
More and more young women, especially those diagnosed with de novo metastatic breast cancer, are finding themselves in this reality. We need answers, better treatments, and ultimately a cure – not just for those diagnosed tomorrow, but for those of us living with metastatic disease today. Every breakthrough in research has given me more time. More birthdays with my son, more miles on the road, and more hope for the future. That’s why I’m running. Every mile is for my family, for every person facing metastatic breast cancer, and for the belief that research changes – and saves – lives