A MESSAGE FROM Laney's Fundraising Page
When I think about the “why” behind so much of what I do, my dad always comes to mind. He was the best man — and the best distance runner — I knew. In 2021, just months after I ran my first half marathon with him by my side, he was diagnosed with Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM), a rare and aggressive brain cancer. The healthiest person I knew — a personal trainer and marathon runner — was suddenly given just one to two years to live. This changed everything for my family and I.
Over the next two and a half years, I watched my dad endure two brain surgeries, multiple rounds of radiation and chemotherapy, and eventually, cancer that spread to his spine. I watched him lose the ability to do the things he loved most — including running — when he became paralyzed from the waist down. And yet, through it all, he remained the kindest, most positive person I’ve ever known. He never complained. His strength and outlook on life continue to inspire me every single day.
His story changed how I see movement. It taught me that we so often take for granted what a gift it is to have a body that works. If you are lucky enough to have legs that move and a body that’s able, that alone is more than enough. I wake up every day grateful simply to move — because I’ve seen firsthand what it’s like to have that taken away. I run for my dad, and for all those who can’t.
That’s why I’ve decided to run the 2026 Chicago Marathon with the Children’s Brain Tumor Foundation (CBTF), raising money for children and families facing the same devastating diagnosis my family faced. Brain cancer remains one of the most underfunded cancers relative to its mortality rate, and I’m proud to support an organization that drives research forward while providing year-round programs for families — from diagnosis through treatment, survivorship, and bereavement.
This will be my third marathon, and I’ll be running it at home in Chicago — the city where my dad lived in his 20s. This race is deeply personal. Your support in helping me reach my fundraising goal means the world to me, my family, and those currently affected by brain tumors.
