Growing up on the Upper East Side there were two realities that lead me to run in this year's NYC Marathon-
1- The NYC Marathon was an annual day filled with awe and some logistical annoyances.
2- Cancer's impact on my family and so many others.

As a child I remember my father z"l often moving our car on Saturday night before Marathon Sunday to avoid the challenges of crossing from 2nd Avenue to the FDR Drive. I also remember Dr. Jerry Gabry being the 1st person I knew to complete the marathon and the picture of him crossing the finish line on the windowsill. And of course there were the hundreds of people wearing tin foil around our neighborhood in the afternoon and evening (a group I can't wait to join!)

From an early age I learned that my paternal grandmother, Florence Oshinsky z"l passed away in the 1940s from Breast Cancer leaving two young children behind. As I grew, so did cancer's place in my orbit. A close friend in high school; friends and their parents, spouses and children; a student at YU whose family became like my family; and my father z"l and other members of my family.

And so my brother in law Jason and I are running for something way more important: to raise awareness and critical funds for Chai Lifeline, an indispensable organization dedicated to helping very sick children and their families.

Throughout the year, Chai Lifeline provides emotional, social, and financial assistance to more than 6,000 children and their families. Whether it’s counseling, case management, crisis and trauma intervention, meals delivered to hospitals and homes, transportation to medical appointments, insurance advocacy, i-Shine afterschool programming, Big Brothers and Sisters, or its medically-supervised Simcha summer camps, Chai Lifeline’s innovative services help families navigate the complexities of childhood illness and restore joy and happiness.

Training is not easy, but it pales in comparison to dealing with illness, as a patient, parent, sibling, or grandparent. And supporting my cause is a lot easier then training for the marathon!

I can't do this without your support. I need your help to raise as much money as possible for these kids. I’ve set a challenging goal for myself to raise $10,000 in support of Chai Lifeline. Your generous donation will help me move closer to my goal and make a difference in the lives of so many sick children. Let's do this together! 

Thank you for your support and feel free to come cheer us on at the finish line or along the route!

And a special thank you to my amazing wife Aviva for all her encouragement and support. I and we couldn't do this without her!

Daniel