In 2014, Laura Reed, mother of four, ran her first Bank of America Chicago Marathon but knew something wasn’t quite right. What should have been an extraordinary moment was overshadowed by an unexpected returning illness.
“During my summer training, I started to suffer from what I thought was a really bad cold,” Laura recalls. “After nearly three weeks with a sore throat, I went to the doctor, and they noticed some of my blood work was off. I had a history of thyroid cancer, so they started to run tests to rule out cancer. While waiting for results, I kept preparing for the marathon.”
When the Chicago Marathon commenced that year, Laura sensed that her cancer had resurfaced, as she was experiencing the all too familiar symptoms from her previous battle a few years earlier. But she was determined not to let that hinder her participation. Enduring both pain and fatigue, Laura persevered toward the finish line.
Two weeks later, Laura received a phone call from the doctor that her cancer had returned, this time spreading to her lymph nodes. Mirroring her previous battle with the disease, Laura fought and emerged victorious once more.
Fast forward 10 years and Laura is joining Team Advocate to run her second Bank of America Chicago Marathon. She’s running in honor of her 14-year-old son James who suffers from severe obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and raising funds to support Advocate Children’s Heart Institute.
“James received his pacemaker at Advocate Children’s Hospital with Dr. Frank Zimmerman in June of 2022 at 12 years old,” Laura explains. “He has severe obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with severe mitral valve regurgitation. It is a mother’s worst nightmare to find out that there’s something wrong with their child, most especially their heart. I would give my heart to heal his.”
Laura expresses her deep gratitude toward Dr. Zimmerman and his team at Advocate Children’s as she prepares to run in this year’s Chicago Marathon.
“I joined Team Advocate in honor of my son, who has been given a new lease on life thanks to the doctors and their amazing care,” Laura says. “The peace of mind I have since James has gotten his pacemaker, knowing that he can pursue his dreams and achieve incredible milestones, is unbelievable. I’m just blown away.”
As a flight attendant by day, Laura is no stranger to the ups and downs in life and adds that running has been a powerful tool for her to regroup and discover how strong she is as a mother.
“I completed my last Chicago Marathon because I wanted to be able to watch my kids grow up knowing that they will fight and overcome anything life throws at them, just like I did," Laura says. “Setting goals like this for myself helps me stay in the present and makes me a better mother. It’s become much more to me than just a running journey.”
Inspired by Laura’s story and want to offer your support? Help Laura achieve her fundraising goal.