Sara Garrell is a breast cancer warrior. She has not been diagnosed with the disease however her maternal aunt died from breast cancer, her mother is a breast and ovarian cancer survivor, and she is BRCA1 positive – she has a genetic predisposition to breast cancer. Her story is not unique however it is laudatory and instructive for anyone facing a seemingly insurmountable challenge. She and her fiance, Jason Simone, a volunteer soccer coach in Putnam County, decided to run a half marathon after her surgery to represent ‘a return to normalcy’. Here is her story in her words:

“I became connected to Miles of Hope a few years back when I met Cathy Varunok (Miles of Hope Co-Founder). I was getting my masters for occupational therapy and I spent some time shadowing her and doing massage therapy at some of the MOH events.
The name of the half was the Redding Road Race; this was our first half marathon. Jason and I did a tough mudder and a sprint triathlon together last year. This year we wanted to try something new. When we decided to do the race we knew we wanted to raise money for a foundation and to us this was the obvious choice. We loved that fact that money goes directly to families impacted by breast cancer in the Hudson Valley. MOH is such a wonderful foundation!
No one wants a connection to breast cancer but unfortunately we have one. My mother, my hero, a superstar, is a survivor of breast and ovarian cancer. Her sister sadly passed in her 30′s after her second battle with breast cancer. My mother found out she is BRCA1 positive and I unfortunately tested positive as well. As I’m sure you already know this genetic mutation puts a person at high risk for breast/ovarian cancer. After 3 years and 6 biopsies/cancer scares later I made the hardest decision of my life and had a prophylactic double mastectomy with reconstruction in August. The months surrounding the surgery were not easy by an means — toughest of my life.
This race was my first event since surgery. Jason and I kind of looked at it as my road back to normalcy. It felt so good to train for something again. Jason and I are so grateful to be able concentrate on the good things ahead and looking forward to getting married this August.”
-Sara