I run for the same reason that many do – to challenge myself, to push my limits, to prove to myself that I am stronger than I sometimes feel. But for me, this run isn’t just about crossing a finish line. It's about something much deeper, much more personal. I live with lupus. Every day, I fight a battle that most people can’t see. It’s a battle with fatigue that feels like it could drown me, a battle with pain that leaves me questioning how long I can keep going. Some days are easier than others. Some days, I feel like I can conquer the world. But more often than not, it’s a fight to simply keep moving forward. Lupus has taken a lot from me. It's taken time I can’t get back. It's taken moments with my kids, where I was too tired or in too much pain to fully be there. It's taken pieces of who I thought I was, replacing them with a person I didn’t always recognize. It’s made me question my strength, my will, and my worth. But what lupus will never take from me is my resolve. What lupus will never take from me is my love for my children, and the promise I made to them, that no matter how hard life gets, we don’t give up. I want my kids to grow up knowing that the hard things don’t stop us. That we don’t let pain, or fear, or illness determine who we are or what we’re capable of. I want them to see that no matter what life throws at us, we stand up and face it head-on. That’s why I’m running. Not just for me. Not just for a cause. I’m running to prove to my children, and to everyone who has ever doubted themselves, that we can do hard things. Even when the odds seem stacked against us. Even when the pain feels unbearable. Even when it feels like the world is trying to break us down. I run to show them that we are fighters, that we are survivors, and that we are never truly alone in our struggles. And I am fundraising for the Lupus Alliance Research because I believe that with more research, we can find the answers, the treatments, the cure that so many of us desperately need. I believe in hope, in science, in the future. So, every step I take in this run is for all the women and men like me, who have been fighting lupus in silence. It's for my kids, who will see the strength of their mother, and understand that it’s not about how many times you fall, but how many times you get back up. It’s not just a run. It’s a statement. It’s a declaration that lupus does not define me. And that we will keep fighting, for as long as it takes.