In 2013, my sister Stacy, my husband Steveo, and I ran the Brooklyn Half Marathon together. Steveo and I had done it before, but this was Stacy’s first. As with any long race, there came that moment when you spot the mile marker and wonder if you have it in you to keep pushing to the finish line. I’ll never forget how Stacy got through that tough part—she visualized one of those little wind-up toys, where a tiny chick keeps putting one foot in front of the other. Even if the steps slow, it just keeps moving forward.

Last August, during the final fitting for her wedding dress, Stacy discovered a lump that turned out to be Stage 2 Triple Negative breast cancer. (If “Triple Negative” sounds like good news, it’s not.) Now, in 2025, Stacy is channeling that same determined spirit, fighting with all she’s got to cross a very different kind of finish line.

From the sidelines, I’ve been cheering her on with my love and support, but it never feels like enough. I can’t take away her cancer, but I can join her fight. That’s why I’ve signed up to run the Half Marathon again—this time, for Stacy—and to raise funds and awareness for breast cancer research and early detection through Team Think Pink Rocks.

Training for 13.1 miles during a harsh Upstate New York winter isn’t easy, but it’s nothing compared to what my sister is enduring. So I’m running for her, visualizing that wind-up toy, and putting one foot in front of the other in support of Stacy and everyone battling breast cancer. Together, we’ll get to the finish line.

To learn more about Stacy’s story in her own words, follow along on Instagram @badassbattlecrew, or her blog http://www.badassbattlecrew.com