Livestrong Gave Me My Family
That headline sounds like clickbait hyperbole, but I mean it in a very literal way. In the winter of 2018, mere months from our wedding, my now-wife Panagiota was diagnosed with breast cancer. At a time in our lives that should have consisted of deciding on flower arrangements and appetizer options, we were instead weighing out oncologists and treatment strategies. The whirlwind that was our lives during that time became even more intense when, in one of our first meetings with an oncologist, we were told that we should freeze some embryos because the chemotherapy treatment may make it so we would not be able to have children. We looked into the process and were heartbroken to see the price of every aspect of that process, not covered by our insurance of course. It felt like we were being told by the medical system that we weren’t allowed to have the family we dreamed of for economic reasons. That’s where Livestrong came in. Livestrong came in and fully covered aspects of the process to make it possible for us.
Fast forward to 2024 and we welcomed our second son Elliott; one of the embryos we froze in 2018. Elliott would not be here without Livestrong and I will never be able to pay them back for that smiley little potato, but that doesn’t mean I won't try. I am beyond honored to be running the 2026 Dublin Marathon for Livestrong to raise money for all of the amazing work they are doing. I have benefitted firsthand from Livestrong and, if you are able, I hope you will help me to pay it forward so that Livestrong can continue completing families like mine.
Thank you for taking the time to view my page, and thank you in advance for any contributions you make.
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Training Week 2
Monday 22nd Jun Week one of training is in the books! It wasn't so bad but I'm not starting from 0. I wanted to make this last year of my 30s a really epic one, so I've already done two half marathons and the 5 Borough Bike Tour. Hopefully that's going to give me a strong base to build on. This week, we've got three more run:
Training Week 1
Monday 15th Jun Hello Everyone! For the next 19 weeks, I'm going to be posting my training plan on this page so you can follow along with what I'm doing. I'll also be posting some photos and updates on long runs so keep checking back so see just how sweaty and disheveled I can get!Grateful For The Support Of My Donors
$220
Dana Welch
$77.02
Facebook Donation
$50
The Pierson’s
$520
Joe Keough
In memory of Grammy Keough
$50
Katherine Sieber
$50
Arnold Nordby
Inspiring
$28.43
Carol Giegel
God bless you and your family.
$518.60
Uncle Joe Keough
Best of luck! Thank you for doing this!
$28.43
Pesta
Go get Keough! Proud of you, baby!
$28.43
Kathy Barletta
Good luck with your fundraiser
$28.43
Faulkner-crowe Family
You put a lot of good in this world my friend and we are proud to support you!
$28.43
Suzanne Dwyer
You have a beautiful family. Good for you! Go team Ryan.
$22.72
Nancy Twarog
$28.43
Sue And Don
$29.86
Ryan Keough
$25
Hi Ryan. Thanks for your efforts running and raising funds and awareness for Livestrong. I had no idea they help families in this way and am thrilled for your family. My mom, Denise Welch, and your grandmother became good friends through your uncle, Fr. Joe. I saw the link to donate on his Facebook page. Sorry for the loss of your grandmother in May. I never met your grandmother and only met Fr. Joe a few times over the years, but I heard A LOT about him, and your family members over the years from my mom. He was kind enough to do her funeral mass at St. John of the Cross last month. He noted that she was one of “the church ladies… The good kind.“ I think they had some laughs and adventures together over their years of service. Anyway, donating here felt like a good way to acknowledge the light your family brought to mine. Wishing you and your family all the best.