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New mom and cancer survivor will run at the Boston Marathon

BOSTON — This new mom has a lot to celebrate this spring.

Three months into motherhood, Katie Meinelt had a shocking diagnosis.

“My son was born in August of 2015 and when he was 3 months old, on December 2nd 2015, I was diagnosed with breast cancer,” said Meinelt.

Meinelt said it was a shock. In her 30s and an avid runner, she never thought she'd be one of the more than 250,000 American women diagnosed with invasive breast cancer each year.

Now she's back in form and ready to run the Boston Marathon for the eleventh time.

“This is my way to get back at cancer for everything that it put me through, and my family through, in the past year and a half,” said Meinelt. “It will be my way to show them I was able to get through this and I am doing okay.”

She'll be part of Team Katie, a group of friends raising money and awareness for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. Katie has raised close to $30,000.

“Dana Farber has been the absolute best thing that has happened to me in the last year and half, my team of doctors have been so incredibly supportive to me,” said Meinelt.

Moments with her son Wes and husband Stephen are cherished more than ever. A special hug isn't taken for granted and it will be her reward when she crosses the finish line.

“I can't wait, he has been, the thing that keeps me laughing and kept me smiling the past year and a half. I am just thankful that I had him before all of this because he's been able to get me through it,” said Meinelt.

And she'll be thinking of him for 26.2 miles on Monday.

More than 500 runners will be raising money for Dana Farber this year. The goal is to raise $5 million.