Boston Marathon
“I have learned to carry the unfathomable loss of Micah and channel all that love and energy into fueling the NEC Society’s work.”
Jennifer Canvasser is running the 2026 Boston Marathon. (Photo courtesy of Jennifer Canvasser)
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Name: Jennifer Canvasser
Age: 42
From: Davis, California
I’m gearing up to run the Boston Marathon on April 20 in memory of my son, Micah, and for the Necrotizing Enterocolitis (NEC) Society.
I founded the NEC Society after Micah tragically passed away from the disease just before his 1st birthday. April 20th will be my 17th marathon, after beating my first marathon time by 62 minutes at the California International Marathon and qualifying for Boston.
Since running my first marathon, I have run thousands of miles, undergone emergency C-sections, given birth to three babies, and built the NEC Society, which has grown into the world’s leading nonprofit dedicated to NEC.
Through running, I have learned to carry the unfathomable loss of Micah and channel all that love and energy into fueling the NEC Society’s work to protect babies and families everywhere from the devastation of this disease.
After completing the Boston Marathon on April 20, I will present at the Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting in Boston, where I will lead sessions on NEC, focusing on post-diagnosis care.
Editor’s note: This entry may have been lightly edited for clarity or grammar.
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Annie Jonas is a Community writer at Boston.com. She was previously a local editor at Patch and a freelancer at the Financial Times.
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