New Hampshire man runs Boston Marathon to honor his late children
A New Hampshire couple is channeling their grief into a mission after losing their first child and a second pregnancy.
Jake Fingerson, of Amherst, is running the Boston Marathon for Boston Children's Hospital to share his family's story and offer comfort to others.
"In April of 2023, our daughter, Cecilia Lynn, was born extremely prematurely. And she passed away in my arms 89 minutes later," Jake Fingerson said.
"And she knew nothing but unconditional love," said Kerri Fingerson.
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After losing their daughter, Jake and Kerri Fingerson found ways to cope.
"I knew that getting out and exercising would help. It wouldn't make things right, but it would help," Jake Fingerson said.
Jake Fingerson applied to run the 2024 Boston Marathon for Boston Children's Hospital.
"It gave me a way to try and bring something positive from the worst day of my life," he said.
As he started training, the couple discovered they were pregnant with their son. But their grief would only grow.
"In the middle of training last year, in February of 2024, we went for a routine ultrasound for our son, Landon. And at 16 weeks, there was no heartbeat," Jake Fingerson said.
He described the heartbreak of losing their children as paralyzing.
"Initially, it was we wake up, and it's the worst day of our life again," he said. "And what can we do to do the next right thing? And that is get out of bed. And it might just be a shower, and after we shower, it's OK, now we just need to eat."
This year, Jake Fingerson is running again for Boston Children's Hospital for Landon's Legacy.
"I wanted to run again so that he could do good things in this world like his big sister did," he said. "So this year, I'm running for Landon's Legacy, so that he can make a positive difference in this world, too."
"It's the biggest loss that we've had to experience," Kerri Fingerson said. "But I think we are really lucky to have so much love and support from friends and family."
Jake Fingerson will run the marathon with both of his children symbolically with him, wearing a pink shoe for Cecilia and a blue shoe for Landon.
"It gives me a purpose and a way to turn the worst days of my life into something positive. So, it's a way to keep moving forward," he said.