Marc Schwartz’s mom, Bonnie, was first diagnosed with breast cancer when he was just six years old. But because of research, Bonnie could be there for her family’s milestones and see her two sons grow up to become young men while being treated.
Devastatingly, after 17 years of treatment—and time with Marc and his brother, Scott, and their father, Lee—Bonnie passed away in September 2020 after her breast cancer became metastatic.
“If we did not have the advances in breast cancer research that we had at the time, my life would have taken a very different and drastic turn,” Marc, now 25 years old, said. “That many years of a mother’s love and endless memories is something you cannot put a price on.”
Marc, who had previously never run more than five miles a few times a year, went out for a run one day after losing his mom and said he felt deeply connected to her and “overcome with emotion.” He decided then that he wanted to run a marathon in his mom’s honor.
“If she was able to valiantly fight for 17 years without a single complaint, I could fight through 26.2 miles,” he said.
Marc joined BCRF’s team for the TCS New York City Marathon and set an initial fundraising goal of $5,000, which he raised in just minutes. He hit his next fundraising goal, and the next one, and has since raised more than $27,000 to support lifesaving research.
“These donations mean so much to me on many different levels,” he said. “Most importantly though, it reminds me of how special of a person my mom was and how many lives she touched.”
Training for the marathon as a first timer and during the pandemic was challenging, but Marc has pushed through exhausting runs and sore legs by channeling his mom’s strength and thinking of how proud she would have been to see him running a marathon for her.
Marc says he is grateful to breast cancer research for giving him years with his mom, and he wants to give other families the gift of time—and more.
“Supporting breast cancer research is important to me because I truly understand the impact that it can have—not just on the person directly diagnosed with this terrible disease, but also their loved ones,” he said. “I hope that the money I raised will afford others the same opportunity to make memories with their loved ones and hopefully help BCRF researchers find a permanent cure, so memories aren’t the only thing someone has.”
BCRF thanks Marc and all of our Team BCRF runners who collectively raised $141,000 for breast cancer research.
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