About the project
My name is Emily Ryan. I am an ultra-marathoner. I am also an advocate for early cancer detection and treatment. This year, I was fortunate enough to be one of the 100 selected runners for the Badwater 135 mile ultra marathon through Death Valley in July 2015. This race is called the "World's Toughest Foot Race" due to the distance and the conditions participants are required to overcome. The training required to complete this journey is incredibly difficult and requires dedication and a support crew, much like the journey one faces when confronted with a cancer diagnosis. For this reason, I set out to achieve two goals - to finish Badwater and to increase awareness for the importance of early detection and treatment by raising money for The Canary Foundation.
My goal with this website is to honor 135 individuals ("my heroes") who have been touched by cancer during the course of their lives, one for each mile I will run. In addition to your 100% tax-deductible donation, I will also be creating a page for each individual that is being honored. I welcome your photos, your stories, your memories of someone close to you who has had their life impacted by cancer. It could be a friend, a parent, a child... it could be you. I want to put 135 faces on my miles so that as I run, I will be running alongside someone else, someone who's become "my hero". It is only through the sharing of these personal stories and your donations that we can come together to make a difference and to work towards better treatment and outcomes through early detection.
I encourage you to explore the individuals who have already been included and to contribute your own story. I welcome your support and I look forward to honoring your loved one as one of "my heroes".
My goal with this website is to honor 135 individuals ("my heroes") who have been touched by cancer during the course of their lives, one for each mile I will run. In addition to your 100% tax-deductible donation, I will also be creating a page for each individual that is being honored. I welcome your photos, your stories, your memories of someone close to you who has had their life impacted by cancer. It could be a friend, a parent, a child... it could be you. I want to put 135 faces on my miles so that as I run, I will be running alongside someone else, someone who's become "my hero". It is only through the sharing of these personal stories and your donations that we can come together to make a difference and to work towards better treatment and outcomes through early detection.
I encourage you to explore the individuals who have already been included and to contribute your own story. I welcome your support and I look forward to honoring your loved one as one of "my heroes".