Good Content from: Katie Crowell: Breast Cancer warrior, marathoner and, most importantly, mom

MORE: See her Good Runner story

Hope …  A word that can take on a variety of meanings. For me, it isn’t always a word I choose to use, rather something I look for in others as well as myself.  This year was a milestone of hope for me. I turned 40, ran 40 miles to commemorate it, watched my youngest daughter turn 5 and remotely educated my children among many other things. I recently ran virtually across Tennessee along with over 19,000 other people, some still on their trek hoping to finish and I am hoping to run my virtual Boston in less than a month.

All of these accomplishments are not something I take lightly. In June, I became a five-year Metastatic Breast Cancer Thriver. For someone who lives with this disease, five years is not always promised. I have had my five years of absolute uncertainty, medicine changes, cancer mutations, physical changes, as well as the emotional highs and lows that come along for the ride.

What has given me the mental fortitude for all of these things is hope. Hope that has been gifted to me by people like Dr. Susan Love. I knew who Dr. Love was before I knew anything about Breast Cancer or even heard the term Metastatic Breast Cancer (MBC). I was fortunate enough to meet Dr. Love and the incredible team surrounding her at her Annual Army of Women Event last fall.

The research her foundation is involved in is absolutely incredible. The Love Foundation is comprised of some of the most driven and compassionate people who I ever met. Meeting Dr. Love and her team gave me the gift of hope … Hope that I will have more options when treatments fail, hope that treatment side effects will be less compromising, hope that I may be here alive, living life as full as I can in another 5 or 10 years and for, most importantly, hope that my daughters will have access to better treatments and options should they ever need them.

I’m proud to be a mother, wife, runner, five-year Cancer Thriver and advocate for those who need a hopeful voice.