Lindsay Sheehy and her mom, Kathryn Clauss
It was just last February that life changed drastically when we received the devastating news that my mother, Kathryn Clauss, was diagnosed with a Glioblastoma, the most aggressive form of brain tumor. Despite a valiant fight, Mom passed away a mere 8 months after diagnosis, leaving her 5 kids and 6 grandkids, among countless others, way too soon.
When she was first diagnosed last year, I decided to join the B*CURED NYC Marathon Team to support Mom’s fight against this horrible disease. My Mom had run several marathons herself including New York just a few years earlier, and I knew that she would be thrilled that I too was now going to run this race. I was lucky enough to have my husband, my brother and several of my closest friends insist on joining as well. Our 12 B*CURED runners were able to raise over $85,000 to advance the fight against brain cancer.
As Mom’s condition deteriorated, my training became one of the few ways for me to release some of the pain, anger and grief, among many other emotions, that were so all consuming. Mom passed away on October 29th, just 5 days before the ING NYC Marathon. While the race was the farthest thing from my mind throughout that week, deep down I knew I’d still be running it. We held a beautiful and emotional funeral service for Mom on Saturday, and on Sunday my husband and I woke up in the early morning darkness, found our running gear, and headed to the Staten Island Ferry to join about 50,000 others on their way to the starting line. We started the race unsure of how we’d make it. We ran, and we didn’t stop, and we finished. I felt Mom every step of the way, and I knew that she was looking down on me and helping me to dig deep when I thought I didn’t have anything left to get me through the race. Overwhelming sadness, fatigue, knee injury and all she was going to get me to that finish line.
I ride for Mom, and I ride for B*CURED because it’s not fair that any family should have to go through what mine went through. I am hopeful that there comes a day when a story like this can have a happy ending.