Cancer Patient, 75, To Mark Incredible Milestone At Philadelphia Marathon
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Among the thousands of people running in the Philadelphia Marathon will be one visitor marking an incredible milestone.
Don Wright says he's ready for the big run. "I feel great, I'm ready to go," he said.
Road Closures Announced For This Weekend's Philadelphia Marathon
It will be his 100th marathon, a major accomplishment on its own, but Don is 75-years-old and he has multiple myeloma a blood cancer and doctors told him it was deadly. "They said three to five years, but that was that was 13 years ago," Don explained.
The lawyer from Minnesota, who started running when he was 63, has now run marathons in all 50 states. About Philadelphia he said "I love this town. I love being downtown where there's a history and character."
He travels with his wife and daughter and is now being treated with a newly approved immuno-therapy. "I don't know the value of another year with my family and friends, or even another morning in my running shoes you know but I have lived to meet my grandchildren and they know their grandpa and that's just one of hundreds of thousands of stories like that, that are made possible by the innovative new medications," Don said.
He's working with a nonprofit called "My Life Is Worth It," advocating to include cancer patients in drug cost discussions and giving them equal access. His quote on their web site says, "When I head toward the finish line in Philadelphia, I'll be thinking of all those cancer patients still in need of more research and newer treatments. Just like running marathons, we can't hit the wall; we've got to keep pushing medicine forward."
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Don will be among thousands of people running the marathon that starts and stops on the Parkway Sunday morning and Don who says he does more walking than running these days hopes to finish in about 6 and a half hours
