Hello!
Some of you know that my wife was diagnosed with a rare cancer last year. I still remember Dec. 12th, 2019, like it was yesterday; because a lot of times, it still feels like yesterday. The day started off getting up super early to get to the hospital for routine surgery. ( It was the second time we had made this trip! The first time we found out Mandy was pregnant, and we couldn’t have the surgery.) After getting checked in, and getting into the back prep area, the medical personnel finally asked Mandy’s mom and me to go back to the waiting room.
Sitting there, I watched the screen until I finally saw Mandy’s number go from red to blue, meaning she was in surgery. Within five minutes, my phone rang. It was the nurse asking us to go to a different room because the doctor wanted to speak with us. (That’s never good, and I knew it.) I remember the doctor telling us that it was definitely cancer, and he didn’t need to wait for the results of the pathology. I had every emotion I could possibly have all at once. I was so scared for my wife and my unborn baby. I was scared for my little girl, Luna, and I was worried for my mother in law who just got told her baby girl had cancer.
After getting out of the hospital, and knowing my wife had some fighting to do, not only for her but for our little girls, I decided to do everything I could to raise awareness of this lethal cancer and to be as strong as I could for my family. I decided to run the Chicago marathon and raise money and awareness for the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation. I'm continuing this plight by committing to run a marathon every month for the next year. Please help me support this great cause and keep my wife around for my girls.
Thank you!
- Delorean and Mandy Ostrom
Tentative Schedule
January 9, 2022
Walt Disney World Marathon
Orlando, Florida
February 27, 2022
Publix Atlanta Marathon
Atlanta, Georgia
March 5, 2022
(day after my 37th bday)
Snickers Marathon
Albany, Georgia
April 24, 2022
Magnolia Silo District Marathon
Waco, Texas
May 22, 2022
Marathon
Suwannee, Georgia
June 18, 2022
Grandma's Marathon
Duluth, Minnesota
October 9, 2022
Bank of America Chicago Marathon
November 6, 2022
TCS New York City
Marathon
other events TBD
Media
Racing for Hope Journal Entry 14
Welcome back! So where we left off, I had just done my long run of 10 miles after Mandy got out of the hospital. What I didn’t tell you is I woke up that day with hip and back pain. It has persisted and worsened this entire week, and I haven’t been able to run…
Racing for Hope Journal Entry 13
We sit here a little over 3 weeks past marathon #3 and a little less than a month from marathon #4. The podcast I was interviewed for has now been released, and the love and support since have been amazing! Training has been hard recently, and I find myself lacking motivation at times. When it’s…
Racing for Hope Journal Entry 12
Race #3 was awesome, and it was followed by 3 days of some incredible rest! On the third day of rest, I was interviewed by the Marathon Training Academy Podcast. They have been a great source of information that has helped me on this journey. Their podcast has helped me in formulating a training plan…
Racing for Hope Journal Entry 11 – Marathon #3
Just a couple days after finishing marathon #2, I was back to running and training for the next race. Five days after race #2, we celebrated my 37th birthday. It was a short celebration because we had to drive 3 hours to the location of race #3. Waking up and preparing for the race in…
Racing for Hope Journal Entry 10 – Marathon #2
So, it has been 2 weeks since marathon #2, and I’ve had some time to reflect on it. I need to be transparent. The couple of weeks leading up to this marathon, I just wasn’t feeling it. I didn’t want to run. I was feeling like it was a burden and adding stress on Mandy.…
Racing for Hope Journal Entry 9
Well after the first marathon, it was back to normal life. Training runs, work, doctor appointments with Mandy, the everyday anxiety and fear that something is going to be wrong the next time we are at the doctor’s, and of course raising our little girls. We headed into February and cholangiocarcinoma awareness month with a…
Racing for Hope Journal Entry 8 – Marathon #1
Well, this was unbelievable! Leading up to the marathon, we shared our story on our neighborhood Facebook page. I shared about the run and why I was doing it. The support we got on Facebook and while running was amazing! I can’t thank all of those that came out or wrote encouraging words on those…
Racing for Hope Journal Entry 7 – Racing for hope after Christmas
Well, we missed Christmas and have spent a week in the hospital. The whole time I was so frustrated with the nurses and doctors. I felt the entire time no one would do anything for us. I know they are overworked and short-staffed, and it’s not a job that I would ever want. It was…
Racing for Hope Journal Entry 6 – Christmastime
Alright, let’s get down to business, shall we? After Mandy’s 2 year cancer-versary, we went to Minnesota to see some of her family. While there, we ended up in the emergency room for 10 hours! Mandy had an infection in her drain and bile. She was given antibiotics to help. After we came home, Mandy…
Racing for Hope Journal Entry 5 – 2 years after diagnosis
Sorry, it’s been a little bit since I updated you guys on everything but here we are back at it again! So this past Sunday was 18 miles on my training plan, man, was it tough! I got it done in just under 3 hours but one of the reasons it was so difficult was…
Mandy’s Perspective
This is my first entry. I was hoping to write an entry here and there to give a different perspective, a patient’s perspective. I was very fortunate to not suffer from anxiety or depression while growing up. I developed some anxiety after my daughter was born, which I figured was normal. It didn’t interfere with…
Racing for Hope Journal Entry 4
Video Blog for Week 5
