By Maggie Mahoney, LACC Team Captain of Ellen’s Angels
As I sit down to reflect on my time working with the Hirshberg Foundation I am overwhelmed with many emotions. First and foremost I think of my beautiful, amazing, and inspiring, mother Ellen Mahoney, who passed away in June 2006. Her short five month battle is the reason I got involved in the fight against pancreatic cancer. I found out about the Hirshberg Foundation on the internet. In October of 2006, I created Team “Ellen’s Angels” for the LA Cancer Challenge. I thought I would fly down from San Francisco for the weekend to run it myself, but little did I know, my whole family flew out from Washington D.C. to cross the finish line with me. My mom is the reason my family, friends, and I will continue to run with Team “Ellen’s Angels” at the LA Cancer Challenge every October. I am a part of the Hirshberg Foundation to honor her memory.
“You Can Hope, Or You Can Help” is the Foundation’s motto. And it represents how my mother lived her life. She was one to take action and make the lives of the people around her, better. Even after her death, people still tell me how my mother changed their lives. This is how I hope to live my life.
The work we are doing to find a cure cannot bring my mother back but I believe our efforts can help the lives of others. This is the reason I will continue to fight. In many ways the Foundation has become my extended family. I’m working to cure this disease in honor of my mother and for all of loved ones we have lost. I will work hand and hand with you until we have a cure.
