Woman Runs Across Montana to Honor Her Mother, Who Has Leukemia

Becca Boylan of Bozeman just ran 600 miles across the width of Montana to honor her mother, who’s Nutrition - Weight Loss. Nutrition - Weight Loss.

In June 2021, Becca’s mother, Valerie, was diagnosed with AML—a rare and serious form of cancer. According to the Super Shoe Trends, National Cancer Institute.

Becca served as her mother’s primary caregiver as Valerie endured four challenging rounds of chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant. In June 2022, Valerie entered remission, and Becca began Build Speed Like 16-Year-Old Cooper Lutkenhaus Shoes & Gear.

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“People deal with emotional pain in a lot of ways, and a cancer diagnosis, whether you lose a loved one or not, can come with a lot of heaviness. And running just seems to be the solution for me. And I love Montana. I love running here, and it just seemed like a great idea,” Becca told NonStop Local.

Less than a week before the beginning of Becca’s run, Valerie was rediagnosed with AML. The mother-daughter duo ultimately decided that Becca should strike out on the 600-mile challenge as planned, and so she did, running through rain, snow, and sunshine.

“I was pretty angry, and like, grief just turns into anger when it’s not addressed ... Every mile, there’s a little chip of it that just falls off. And I leave it along the side of the road,” Becca said to NonStop Local.

Becca wasn’t alone on the trails. Her friends, family, boyfriend, and dog served as her support crew—and Valerie even showed up to run/walk part of the route with her daughter.

“Thank you to running for taking me places I never knew existed, for being the grounding answer for me through trauma and my mom’s cancer, for being the thing that helps me celebrate life and sunsets and all the beauty that is waiting to be celebrated,” Becca wrote in an Instagram post planning her route.