UCSF Head for the Cure 5K

On September 12th, Emily led a small group of friends and family in the UCSF Neuro-Oncology Head for the Cure 5K run/walk. Due to some of Emily’s limitations, she and Ben decided on remote participation instead of traveling all the way out to San Francisco. This was such a cool event because Emily was able to lead us through her childhood neighborhood and along one of her favorite trails.

For Emily, this 5K was symbolic of her past and of her future! In the beginning of 2020, she trained hard for a half marathon which was canceled due to the madness and chaos of the world shutting down. Yet, our Emily decided not to let the cancelation stop her from reaching her goal. She completed the entire run, by herself, in her neighborhood. Obviously not completely by herself as Ben, Ivy, and Ivan were there to cheer her on with each lap! Oh, and have you been to her neighborhood? It’s a beautiful winding maze of very steep hills. Emily will undoubtedly be running in many more events in the years to come.

After completing the Head for the Cure 5K, Emily and Ben hosted a gathering at their home to celebrate Ivan’s 8th birthday. Keeping with tradition, Emily made an awesome cake to represent one of Ivan’s current favorite things, fidget poppers. This is something Emily has traditionally done for her kids each year and it’s always pretty amazing. For a moment, life almost felt normal again as friends and family gathered and enjoyed overhearing the laughter of cousins as they played.