My name is Mathew Montiel. For those of you who have had the privilege of knowing my mom, you will know she is the hardest-working, loving, and caring person on this earth. My mom is a Middle School history teacher who has dedicated her life to her children. Her students will say she is a tough teacher and that she gets mad at them too much, but this is who she is. She has always brought out the best not only in my sister and me but also in those she interacts with day by day. My closest friends will remember when she used to get very upset at us for staying up too late during a sleepover or for not helping wash the dishes after dinner. There has never been a moment when she has not been there for us, and I owe everything I am to her. A few weeks ago, I learned my Mom has breast cancer. Although this can be said about any one of the roughly 300,000 women diagnosed this year, my Mom truly does not deserve this.

My mom is the hardest-working person I know by far, and she will fight this as she has fought everything else in her life, with pure and utter devotion and vigor. Unfortunately, my Mom lives on a teacher's salary. For most of my life, he has taken extra assignments like summer school, after-school programs, and various other jobs to make sure my sister and I had everything in life to succeed. She helped us both through college, making sure we were comfortable, fed, and non-stressed about money. She has helped us with rent, loans, cars, food, furniture, and even supported me when I decided to take on a full Ironman. It's safe to say my mom succeeded beyond what she could ever have hoped for. My sister and I can never truly repay her. This is my way of supporting my Mom through this. I am not asking for much, whether it $1, $5, or $20, anything will help ease the stress of my Mom. If you're not in a position to donate, sharing this with family and friends is more than enough and greatly appreciated.

As I raise support for my Mom, I will begin running or biking one mile every day. Every $500 that is raised will add another mile to the daily mileage. There will be no breaks, and no excuses. The hurt that I will go through will be nothing to what my Mom is fighting, but it is the only way I know how to stand next to her. My Mom is one of the most important people in the world to me, and she is the reason I am the man I am. I owe her everything I have, but for now, all I can do is start running.