Last year we completed this exact marathon with our mom. We took turns pushing her in her wheelchair all the way to the finish line. It was a moment of togetherness, community, and hope. Recently, we rewatched a video taken that morning as we set up at the starting line. With her blue-and-gold pom-poms in hand, she said, “Yay. We’re defeating this thing!” We, her children, returned this year, this time without our beautiful mother. Cancer can take so much from families. It can feel daunting and scary, almost too difficult to put into words. But it can never take the love, guidance, and hope she instilled in us and her community. A retired teacher of over thirty years, she fed the homeless, thrived in her baking classes and the YMCA. She made friends everywhere. Her spirit lives on in every fighter, every survivor, and every person she touched—but most importantly, she lives on in her children. Thank you, Mom, for being a light in this life. In her words: “We’re defeating this thing!”.