Patty Gopez
Jessie Russell, a 26-year-old from West Bridgewater, Mass., had been dealing with the effects of lupus since her junior year of high school. While sunlight during the spring months is welcome by many, especially in usually cold environments, but for people with lupus, that’s another story. Sunlight can worsen symptoms in people with lupus, but Russell didn’t let that stop her from fulfilling her lifelong dream of running the full 26.2-mile Boston Marathon – and her supportive brother did everything to make sure that happened.
He followed along Russell’s route, took pictures and cheered like a proud sibling. But by the 14th mile, the sun was getting the best of the female runner. Russell had spotted a medical tent in the distance and was ready to quit when her brother showed his true colors. He ran into a store and came back with an object that he hoped would help Russell finish the race.
Help came in the form of a child’s blue umbrella covered in sharks to represent “her tenacity,” Jeffrey told the Boston Globe.
“If you think it’s just the sun,” Jeffrey told his sister with the umbrella in hand, according the outlet. “I’ll be your medical tent. I’ll be your water stop.”
The siblings took it slow for the next 12 miles as he held the umbrella above her head, giving her the shade she needed to finish #BostonStrong.
“I just love him,” Russell told CBS Boston. “I absolutely could not have finished without him there.”
Image Source: The Huffington Post
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