Help Cancer Patients Save Their Hair

I never liked my hair... until I was threatened with losing it.

In 2022, I was diagnosed with Stage 1 HER2-positive breast cancer. While my treatment plan offered a cure, I still had to face twelve weeks of chemotherapy.

One of my biggest fears was losing my hair. As anyone who has gone through cancer treatment knows, so much feels out of your control. Hair may seem like a vain and trivial worry by comparison, but during that time it represented my identity, my confidence, and my sense of normalcy during a very challenging time.

I had the good fortune to cold cap during chemotherapy. Because I could afford it, I was able to keep most of my hair, and that made an enormous difference in how I felt, both physically and emotionally, throughout treatment.

In my opinion, cold caps should be available to every cancer patient undergoing chemotherapy, regardless of their financial situation. Too many people are forced to choose between paying for treatment-related expenses and paying for a chance to keep their hair.

It's been eight years since my last marathon, and, by luck, I received an entry to run my 14th New York City Marathon. I'm taking this opportunity to go the distance again while raising money for a cause that is deeply personal and important to me.

HairToStay's mission is to help cancer patients preserve their hair, confidence, and sense of self during chemotherapy by providing financial assistance for scalp cooling treatment.

If you're able, please consider making a donation to help someone face cancer with a little more dignity, hope, and well-being during a very difficult time.

Thank you for supporting my 14th NYC Marathon journey and, more importantly, for helping HairToStay make a lasting difference for cancer patients everywhere.

This fundraiser is in honor of several dear friends and breast cancer survivors—Virginia, Traci, Amanda, and Sandra—and in memory of my sister-in-law, Caroline, and my dear friend and colleague, Claire, two of the most loving, gritty, hysterical, straight-shooting bad-asses ever. I love and miss you both.