I was only 7 years old, too young to fully understand the depth of our loss, but old enough to feel the void she left behind. Her absence has been felt every day since, in the quiet moments and in the stories shared around the dinner table. Isabel wasn’t just my grandmother; she was the thread that wove our family together, teaching us the meaning of strength and resilience through her life and her battle.

As I run in this year’s fundraiser, I do so with a heart full of her memory. This is for the grandmother who never got to see me grow up, for the woman who would have been there cheering me on, and for the countless others who have fought, and continue to fight, this devastating disease. Every step I take is for her, and for a future where no one else has to lose someone they love to breast cancer.

My grandmother may not be here to witness this journey, but I know her spirit is with me, guiding me forward. I run to honor her, to celebrate the love she gave, and to help ensure that her story, and the stories of so many others, inspire real change.

Please, join me in this fight. Together, we can create a world where memories like mine are not filled with loss, but with hope and healing.