Our friend Laura, our fellow running mate, lived in DC in 2009 while her husband was deployed in Afghanistan. While here, she worked hard, played hard, and trained hard for the Army 10 Miler in October. “If my husband can fight in Afghanistan for a year, you can run 10 miles,” she used to say, and recruited a bunch of people to run alongside her that year. Amelia and Laura then completed their first half marathon the next year.  

Not only did she get a lot of us to believe in ourselves, she never forgot about the importance in helping others. When she passed away last October of MDS, she left behind many friends and family, but also causes, volunteer work and projects that she cared about deeply.  

When Laura started training for races, she also raised money for the No Greater Sacrifice Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the children of our nation’s fallen and wounded Service members. Money donated to NGS provides scholarships and resources to improve these kids’ quality of life through the pursuit of higher education. In Laura’s email to friends and family, she explains why she chooses to support NGS:  

Supporting this cause was really hammered home to me over the last few months as I've seen the names of countless men from Matt's brigade (and four from Matt's platoon) who have left families behind. They are just a few of the thousands of men and women who have given their lives to support our country and our freedom. Giving back to their families is the least that we as a country can do.

We don’t think it’s fair that Laura’s fundraising and racing came to an abrupt end at such a young age, but we think a great way to carry on her legacy and remember her is to use this opportunity to run and raise in her honor. 

You can also donate your support by sharing this with your friends and family, supporting NGS, or register for your own race and raise money for NGS.   In addition, please consider joining the national bone marrow registry, Be The Match. When Laura was diagnosed with MDS, she found that a bone marrow transplant was her only cure.  

Joining the registry is a simple process and FAQs can be answered here. We hope that you’ll take a few minutes to join, knowing how much each member of the registry mattered to people like Laura.  

We are extremely excited to cross the finish line and honor Laura’s impact on our lives. We also hope we are able to walk to brunch and/or survive a Giants game after.