While tens of thousands of runners prepped and waited for the NYC Marathon on Sunday, November 7, one runner, 28-year-old Jonah Adelsberg, looked forward to a special milestone just three days later.  

November 10 marked 20 years since Jonah was diagnosed with non-Hodgins lymphoma at age 8, and when he began mentally training for a marathon.

Now managing a music studio in Brooklyn, NY, Jonah dedicated his marathon run to raise funds for Chai Lifeline, the international health network that provides a network of support services for children and families facing serious illness and other challenges. Over the years he and his father ran numerous half-marathons with Team Lifeline, Chai Lifeline’s endurance training program, raising over $100,000 for the organization that he credits with helping him get through his personal health crisis. This was Jonah’s first full marathon, and where better to run it than at the famed NYC Marathon, a bucket list item for Jonah and millions of others.