I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in June 2012. It rocked my world, but at the same time the diagnosis taught me so much in giving back; random acts of kindness has shown me the inner strength that I didn’t know I had.

I began treatment and ramped up my workouts at the same time, and my doctors say that is why with every change in chemotherapy I never had side effects. Running was my saving grace because that’s when I did my best crying and praying! Six months after my stem cell transplant, I ran in the MMRF 5K with friends and family, then I decided to run my first half marathon. I ran a Ragnar race (that was an absolute blast) and am constantly looking for the next challenge. I was so excited to get selected for the Moving Mountains for Myeloma Havasu Trek as hiking in the Grand Canyon has always been a dream of mine and now I get to do it and raise money for such a fantastic cause! It’s going to be a quite a challenge, but I’m up for it and will push though the tough parts as I have so many times before.