Brighton Woman Trains for Hope, Cure and First Triathlon

Two years ago, 50-year-old Pam Cusumano had never run a mile in her life, at least not all at once. 

But after hearing news that a 23-year-old family friend was diagnosed with leukemia, the Brighton resident laced up her running shoes to show her support.

"He (Brandon) was my daughter's best friend's fiance and here was a young man who was really sick, but they were in Ludington so there wasn't much we could do to help," she said. "We couldn't take dinners or drive people to the hospital."

Unable to help in a traditional way, Cusumano discovered Team in Training and decided to run her first ever marathon to help raise money and awareness.

"Every time it got hard I just thought of that young man going through chemo," she said. "Just watching the devastation of his family is what got me through it." 

Ten weeks after his diagnosis, 23-year-old Brandon died. Cusumano was only half-way through her training, up to 14 miles on her long runs, and with her body beaten and sore and her soul emotionally drained, thoughts of quitting ran through her head.

It was the people training next to her however, some of them diagnosed with some type of blood cancer themselves but who continued to run alongside her was what kept Cusumano going.

"They will come up to you tearfully and thank you for what you are doing that is making such a difference in their life," she said. "And that's why I stayed."

Watching her mother complete her first marathon in honor of Brandon's life, Cusumano's 21-year-old daughter Jordan became inspired and decided to start training herself.

"I hate running," Jordan Cusumano said. "But I felt like if I could get (Chelsea Lerhbass) who had lost her fiance to run as well, it would really help her grieve and help her feel like she was doing something to help."

Two years later, the mother-daughter duo continue to train and race to help raise money and together have raised more than $17,000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. 

Now, at 52, Pam Cusumano is training for her first ever triathlon in September. Although not a strong swimmer, Cusumano is stepping outside her comfort zone and will once again challenge herself while challenging others to keep supporting her efforts. 

"Sometimes I want to back out of the swimming thing but I can't now because I told everyone," she said with a laugh. "But I felt like I had to give them (supporters) something new."

While neither mother or daughter claim to be "runners," the two women say they continue to push themselves simply because "you can go anywhere and run, but it's raising the money that really makes a difference."

"And when you lose somebody like that out of the blue, it really puts everything in perspective," Jordan Cusumano said. 

To donate to Pam and Jordan's Cusumano's Team in Training fundraising goal, click here.