The Moser Family
“They say that long distance running helps you learn to endure suffering; to process emotional anchors; to understand your strengths and limitations. The parallels of running and living life never cease to amaze me.”
More than a Marathon
“They say that long distance running helps you learn to endure suffering; to process emotional anchors; to understand your strengths and limitations. The parallels of running and living life never cease to amaze me.”
In July 2006, Tara Moser’s daughter, Mattea, was diagnosed with a brain tumor at nine weeks old. Just five years later, a similar diagnosis was given to their seven-month-old son, Maddox. With two children diagnosed with infancy brain tumors, Tara and her husband spent the first six years of parenthood in and out of hospitals for surgeries, chemotherapy, cranial radiations, complications, and medical setbacks.
The unsung hero during that time became their local Ronald McDonald House in Chicago. There they found a sense of home and a community of support, where they spent seven to eight months total between two Houses over the course of 20 years. Recently, Tara and her family found themselves back at Ronald McDonald House.
“I had hoped my days of needing the service Ronald McDonald House provides were long over. Instead, there I was, given the ability to stay close when I needed to, and on a moment’s notice. As always, the House has provided exactly the respite needed to survive the reality of making it home, not just once, but hundreds of times over,” Tara explained.
Today, Tara honors her children, Mattea and Maddox, by running for Team Ronald McDonald House in the Chicago Marathon. Mattea passed away at the age of 17 in January of 2024. Maddox, now a teenager, continues to forge his way through unchartered territory, “and is as best as he’s ever been.”
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