Liam was born on September 21, 2014, in Wilmington. Arriving six weeks early, he spent his first two weeks in the NICU. We were lucky to have three wonderful months at home with him before, in late December, it became clear something was wrong. At UNC Children’s, we learned he had a brain tumor. At just three months old, he endured two twelve-hour brain surgeries that revealed an extremely rare form of brain cancer.

His prognosis was bleak, but we began chemotherapy in January 2015. After three months of fighting, Liam passed away on April 3, 2015.

In his short time here, he showed remarkable strength and taught us more than we could have imagined. We miss him every day, and he will always be a profound part of our family. We’re organizing this race again to honor him, preserve his legacy, and give back to UNC Children’s, whose team provided exceptional care during the final months of his life.