On Sunday 7th April, we will run the Paris Marathon together- sort of!

A lifelong (16 marathons) runner father fostered passion for the sport within his young daughter; over the years it flourished as she became a cross country state champion then university runner as she studies law overseas in London and Paris.

Filled with immense pride, a father's promise to join his daughter for her first marathon was dashed when he was diagnosed with a previously unknown heart condition-- hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Newfound caution was needed; racing and extreme conditions were off limits; running within limits, however, was not.

With proper cardiology counsel, testing, and retooling a 'race' plan, a father's promise is back on track!

After starting together, across the streets of Paris on behalf of blood cancer patients across the world, in the year that the Olympics comes to Paris, Elizabeth will run her first marathon; her dad, Michael, will cautiously run 13.1 miles then walk/run the remainder.

Both cannot wait to meet at the finish line!

As a daughter and aspiring barrister, and father, leukemia physician and researcher at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, both are committed to this cause. In a household where dinner conversation often reflects the rewarding work of developing new therapies for chronic myeloid leukemia and sharing in the lives of so many patients, it is only natural for us to align with Team Cure Leukaemia--with its roots funding research nurses to improve access to clinical trials for patients in the UK and now running more clinical trials through the Trials Acceleration Programme.

We run for patients like those in our photos above--

Kristina, committing to travel back and forth from London to New York after a new diagnosis of CML, in order to receive her treatment on a clinical trial, and Ciro, in longstanding remission from his CML, participating in a clinical trial to hopefully gain a successful second treatment free remission, or functional cure, off medication-- while also being treated for prostate cancer.

Clinical trials have allowed both Ciro and Kristina to gain access to a novel medication called asciminib-- which Michael worked to develop over the last 10 years.

Every bit counts- thank you in advance for any support. Please help clinical research and patients alike to Cure Leukaemia!