ASHLAND, Wis. (Northern News Now) – Two women from Wisconsin are running the Whistlestop Half Marathon in Ashland on Saturday to raise money for cancer research.
Hope Bretting, Ashley Moore, and Amanda Rossing have been friends since childhood.
But several years ago, Brett was diagnosed with bile duct cancer, a rare and aggressive form of cancer that affects the liver.
“The support of my friends means nothing to me,” Bretting said.
Since then, their friendship turned out to be unbreakable.
“When we need to be strong, we can be strong together,” Rossing said.
During the battle, Bretting asked his friends to run the Ashland Whistle Stop Half Marathon with him, and they agreed without hesitation.
Moore and Rossing said they would do anything for Bretting, even running 21.1 miles.
“Yeah, extra points are important,” Moore joked.
Two years ago, the trio crossed the finish line hand in hand, raising more than $6,400 to support cancer research.
On Saturday, Moore and Rossing will do it again.
This year, their goals are even bigger.
“So we said, ‘Why don’t we give it a shot for $7,000?’ Within 24 hours, we had over $7,000,” Moore said.
To date, they have raised over $20,000.
Two friends have one mission. It is “running toward hope.”
Brett says he is grateful for the unwavering support of his friends.
She will be waiting for them at the finish line of the race.
Brett is still receiving treatment and is grateful for the community’s support throughout the process.
Her friends plan to wear green on Saturday and hope to “dye the trail green” as it is the color of liver cancer awareness.
They encourage those participating in the race to wear green.
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