‘Each step I take is for my mother and people preventing’

Boston Marathon

Erika McMahon is working for Group AFSP to lift funds for suicide prevention efforts.

In our “Why I’m Working” sequence, Boston Marathon athletes share what’s inspiring them to make the 26.2-mile trek from Hopkinton to Boston.

Title: Erika McMahon
Age: 42
From: Scituate, Mass.

On July 4, 2022, I misplaced my lovely mother, Beth, to suicide. However her life was a lot greater than the way it ended. She was selfless, sensible, a proficient artist, prolific gardener, and deeply cherished. As a single mother for a lot of my childhood, she labored tirelessly, defied odds, and nonetheless confirmed up for me in each method. Her power and care formed the mother I’m and the mother I attempt to be. She was joyful, deeply compassionate, and boundlessly artistic. She was not outlined by her melancholy. The way in which she handed was a second, a blink, in a life she lived with deep love and take care of others.

Working the Boston Marathon with Group American Basis for Suicide Prevention, or AFSP,  is my method of honoring her and preventing for a future the place fewer households endure this sort of loss. AFSP’s work – by means of training, advocacy, and assist for these affected – saves lives, and each step I take is for my mother and for these preventing.

Boston is my residence, and the Marathon represents resilience, power, and the ability of neighborhood. Working for AFSP is without doubt one of the most significant issues I’ll ever do. 

For my mother and for individuals who are preventing. One foot in entrance of the opposite. See you on the end line!

Editor’s observe: This entry might have been flippantly edited for readability or grammar.