Charity Runner Spotlight

In 2005, Christopher O'Loughlin was given a death sentence.

"When you sit down and the doctor looks at you and says what you've got is terminal, we have no cure for this..." O'Loughlin trailed off. But he was quick to add, that was nearly four years ago.

Now, the distance runner is logging miles and raising money as an American Cancer Society Charity Runner.

O'Loughlin and his running partner, Phil Davis, who's also a cancer survivor, call themselves "cancer brothers."

"We like to run and joke," said O'Loughlin, who seems to be the more outspoken of the two. "We just decided we would be cancer brothers. We're both survivors, we both like to run long distances."

Long indeed. They run the road up to the South Mountain towers about 40 times a year, logging anywhere from 14 to 28 miles each run.

This Sunday, O'Loughlin and Davis will run as pacers in the P.F. Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Marathon. The 26.2 mile race sounds daunting to most, but according to Davis: "I believe you can do anything you set your mind to, everyone's capable of doing that."

Reported by: Jenn Burgess

Chrissann and Mike Gasparro’s Story 

In the summer of 2005 at the age of 31, Mike Gasparro was diagnosed with testicular cancer. After undergoing surgery, he visited the New York University Clinical Cancer Center for a chemotherapy consultation. At the end of his appointment, the oncologist suggested a last-minute consultation in the radiation oncology department to explore radiation as an alternative treatment option. At first reluctant, Mike agreed to the appointment at his mother's prodding. When the elevator doors opened on the radiation floor, he was pleasantly surprised to see "the most beautiful brown haired girl" holding a chart with his name on it.

Over the course of Mike's 3-week radiation treatment, a shy courtship of "hellos" and smiles developed between Mike and the "girl" Chrissann Box, a medical secretary for gynecological and breast cancer patients in the radiation oncology department. One month later, at the end of his follow-up appointment, Mike worked up the nerve to ask Chrissann on a date, and nearly 2 years to the day after their first encounter, they were married.

For Mike and Chrissann, the Hamptons Half Marathon will be a day of celebration. Running has always been one of the couple’s favorite activities so much so, that Mike proposed to Chrissann on a Saturday morning run through their neighborhood park. They will celebrate Mike’s 3-year anniversary of being cancer-free by running to raise money for the American Cancer Society where Chrissann's mother, Diana Dew, has worked for the past 13 years (one year for every mile.

"Through my husband's perspective as a cancer survivor and my mother's viewpoint as an American Cancer Society employee, I have seen from both personal and professional angles how valuable the programs and services that the Society provides are to cancer patients and their loved ones."

The couple will also run in honor of their family members and friends who have survived cancer, and to commemorate Mike's grandparents, Lona and Paul Vitulli, who he lost to the disease.

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