In 1992, Andrea (my sister-in-law) was diagnosed with Leukemia. Having been diagnosed very late, she had to spend almost a year in hospital undergoing chemotherapy and a whole range of tests. Anastasia, her sister, became her bone marrow donor and was found to be a perfect match. 6 years later, Andrea was given the 'all-clear' by her doctors and had made a full recovery. So as a 'closure' to her long treatment, she decided to run a Marathon and raise money for 'The Leukemia Society of America'. And we all joined her.
Andrea, Anastasia and myself all trained for 4 months to run the 'Mayor's Midnight Sun Marathon' in Anchorage, Alaska, on June 19th 1999. But Andrea's Dad, John, had joined the Marathon at the last minute. He hadn't trained, but he wanted to run for Andrea, and what he lacked in training he made up in determination. He finished the race.