Matt Daly and his daughter Caroline
One man is inspiring others in Saturday's Myrtle Beach Marathon, running the half-marathon just two years after his daughter was diagnosed with Leukemia, in an effort to raise awareness in her honor.
From the time runner Matt Daly's daughter turned four, her routine consisted of hospital visits.
Daly's daughter, Caroline, was diagnosed with Leukemia, a disease that accounts for nearly a third of cancer cases in children, according to www.cancer.org.
For treatment, Caroline's family had to take her to a hospital in Columbia at least once a month for chemotherapy, causing her to miss several of her dad's races until last year.
"Last year when we ran, we all ran together and she ran the last 60 some odd yards with us and it was great," Daly said.
Daly added that Caroline was able to give them their finish medals.
"Using her as inspiration is easy. Her smile, her perseverance through everything and knowing what she's gone through"
Matt and his team are trying to be leaders and mentors to other families going through a tough time and he draws a parallel between running races and beating cancer.
"Yes we're getting down to that finish line for her and we've been blessed and you know the last day when she did have her treatment we met the 4 year old girl who was in week two and we saw her Dad there, I just saw the look in his eyes and remember where I was when I was in his shoes," Daly said.
Daly is running to show other families they are not alone.
