26.2 To Beat Cancer

Although my personal fundraising page is no longer active, you can still donate. If you would like to provide any additional support, please make a gift here.

My 26.2 Columbus Marathon miles this year are inspired by Lisa Pollard, Ben Meddles and Baileigh Molnar. I will be raising funds throughout the remainder of 2022 to honor their individual and unique cancer journeys. All proceeds raised will be donated to The James Fund for Life. The James Fund for Life supports the priorities of the OSUCCC – James including life-saving research, clinical trials and new technologies.

Lisa Pollard is my mom. She defeated breast cancer in March of 2019. What inspires me about my mom’s journey was her faith over fear mindset. She had a relentless faith throughout every high and low of her journey. When things got hard, my mom always turned to God and trusted in His plan. I never saw my mom afraid of what was ahead of her. She remained optimistic every step of the way through prayer and reliance on faith. My mom’s bravery was contagious. Doubt was easier for our family to overcome because of her unwavering determination throughout her journey. It was my mom’s bravery and determination that inspired me throughout my first marathon in 2018. The hug I was able to share with my mom after crossing the finish line was one of the best hugs I’ve been able to share with someone so far in life.

Ben Meddles is my grandpa. He gained his wings as a guardian angel in October of 2021 after a tenacious battle with bladder cancer. I am running this year in memory of the wonderful 25 years I was able to share with him. My grandpa’s journey inspires me because he fought until the very end. The thing I hold closest to my heart about my grandpa’s journey is that he selflessly held on long enough to meet my son and his first great grandson. The weekend my son was born was the same weekend my grandpa was moved to hospice care. On October 25^th, I was able to introduce my grandpa to his great grandson. On October 26^th, my grandpa left us to be in Heaven. Hoping to find some closure, I looked at my grandpa’s answers on a game we played at the baby shower where guests predicted the date and time of the baby’s birth. I found that my grandpa’s guess was the closest out of them all. He was only off by 24 minutes. It’s like he was unconsciously aware of the timing things would need to happen for him to meet his great grandson. It means the world to me.

Baileigh Molnar is my college roommate and friend. She defeated Hodgkins Lymphoma in February of 2022. Baileigh’s journey inspires me because of her compassion and determination to help others. Baileigh approached her journey with cancer very transparently and vulnerably as an opportunity to raise awareness around the disease. When she was diagnosed, she chose to share her journey and all that she learned along the way on public Facebook and TikTok accounts. Through doing this she was able to help others be informed about symptoms to be aware of. Also, she was able to connect with people on similar paths and provided them comfort in knowing that they were not on the journey alone. She made it a mission to educate all that she could reach on chemo and radiation therapy so that the unknowns wouldn’t be so frightening.

Thank you all for the continued support!