About

Running for Naomi: A Light That Will Never Fade

There are some people who move through the world with a gentleness that leaves a lasting mark on everyone they meet. That was Naomi. At just 34 years old, she was a soul completely full of love, life, and an unwavering kindness. She looked at the world with empathy, choosing a vegan life out of a deep, protective love for all animals. And then, there was her laugh. It was a wonderful, beautifully screechy, entirely infectious laugh that could instantly bright up the darkest room. To know Naomi was to know pure warmth.

Then, our world was tilted on its axis. Naomi was diagnosed with Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC).

What followed was a short but incredibly brave battle. TNBC is aggressive, but Naomi faced it with a quiet, fierce dignity that we will admire for the rest of my days. Even on the hardest afternoons, that gentle spirit never wavered. But cancer is a cruel, relentless thief. It took her from us far too soon, leaving a void in the hearts of everyone who loved her that can never be filled.

Naomi did not leave us empty-handed; she left us with her legacy of love, and a reminder to live as fiercely and kindly as she did.

Every Step in Her Name

This October, Naomi's beloved father Allan and husband Hatem will be standing at the starting line of the Cardiff Half Marathon. They won't be running alone. Beside them will be Naomi’s lifelong friends—the people who grew up with her, shared her secrets, and loved her fiercely. Together, we are turning our collective heartbreak into strides of hope.

We are running to raise vital funds for Cancer Research.

We are running so that future families might be spared the agony of a short, brutal battle with TNBC. We want to fund the breakthroughs, the science, and the cures that Naomi so desperately deserved.

Every mile of that 13.1-mile course across Cardiff will be heavy with emotion. There will undoubtedly be tears, and our legs will grow tired. But whenever the pavement feels too hard and the distance too long, we will think of our kind, gentle girl. We will picture her smiling, we will hear that beautiful, screechy, infectious laugh in the wind, and we will keep moving forward.

We cannot bring Naomi back, but we can run in her honor. We can fight the disease that took her from us.

How You Can Help

If you are able, please consider donating to our run for Cancer Research. Every single penny goes directly toward finding a cure and supporting families fighting this devastating disease. If you cannot donate, please share our story, hold your loved ones a little closer today, and consider showing a bit of Naomi’s trademark kindness to an animal or a stranger.

"Those we love don't go away, they walk beside us every day."

Thank you for supporting us, for remembering our Naomi, and for helping us carry her beautiful light across the finish line.