Community Corner

Attleboro Woman to Run 26 Miles to Fight Leukemia

Joei-Lynn Cote will run the Boston Marathon in April to raise awareness.

Joei-Lynn Cote had never run a race in her life, but the sudden death of her sister-n-law made her tie up her laces and begin her race to raise awareness.

Cote, an Attleboro native, will run in the Boston Marathon on April 16, 2012 in memory of her husband's sister, Lori Ann Cote-Hosford of Attleboro.

"She was 30 years old and diagnosed with Acute Lymphoma Leukemia," Cote said. "They didn't realize how bad she really had it. It shocked me only because she and the doctors thought she had the flu."

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"That weekend was Mother's Day and the family got together, which never happens," Cote added. "I guess God got us all together for a reason, maybe he knew. She found out on a Thursday and she went in on Monday (to check her platelets) and she passed away that night. It just takes them away. We didn’t have time to do anything."

Hosford's children Michael, who was 12 at the time and twins Mackenzie and DJ, 5, are now older, but Cote said it is still hard on the family.

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Cote has always wanted to do something for Leukemia, but could not find any local marathons for the cause. She found 5Ks and half marathons for the cause, but not a full marathon. So after running her first 5K at in March and then running a 10K in Boston, Cote inquired about the Boston Marathon.

"The people who don't have qualify run under a cause," Cote said.

The novice runner applied and was accepted into The Boston Marathon, as a member of The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s (LLS) Team In Training. Her first training meeting was Saturday.

"I'll train now until April," she said. "They say new England is the toughest because of weather.

The New England weather, however, will not stop Cote from hitting the pavement or raising the $4,000 needed to participate, but she needs help from the community. Cote needs to raise the funds by January 31, 2012 in order to run in the Marathon. Anyone interested in supporting her race to raise awareness for Leukemia can visit her profile page, where she will post updates on her progress.


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