#BraveLikeBriana
Briana Boehmer and her dad, Jon Messick
Jon’s Diagnosis: Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS) and Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML)
Years of Survivorship: 1.5 years
Location: Colorado
Follow Briana on Instagram.
Published on December 11th, 2025
When Briana Boehmer set a bold $15,000 fundraising goal for Brave Like Gabe while training for the 2025 TCS NYC Marathon, she wasn’t sure what to expect. She’d raised money for other causes before, but this felt like a stretch. As donations came in totaling over $20,000, the support overwhelmed her. “They feel like family,” she says, “I’ve just been blown away.”
This collective community effort to support her fundraiser means even more now, as Briana navigates one of the hardest chapters of her life: supporting her dad through an unexpected and serious cancer diagnosis.
Briana grew up in Colorado as an only child raised by her dad, Jon. Briana’s mother had tragically passed away when she was just 19 months old. As a single parent, Jon worked tirelessly to care for and support Briana’s upbringing. Now, in their small and close-knit family, their roles have changed. “I can’t imagine not being there for him now. It feels like the roles have reversed in a really meaningful way,” Bri reflects.
In July 2024, Jon was diagnosed with Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS) that had progressed into a rare blood cancer, Acute Myeloid Leukemia. The leukemia cells crowd out normal-blood making cells which results in low red blood cells which are responsible for carrying oxygen throughout the body. Fortunately, Jon lives with Briana and her husband so they can tag-team appointments, errands, and overall caregiving.
“Caregiving is really hard. You’re constantly wondering what tomorrow will look like. And cancer isn’t predictable. You wish you knew what to expect, but no one can tell you.”
Jon’s diagnosis explained everything: the exhaustion, the declining activity, the breathlessness. “He gets winded walking just a couple hundred feet,” she shares. For a man who spent 31 years as the head tennis coach at Colorado State University, losing energy has been incredibly hard.
But there have been glimmers of hope. He recently felt well enough to gently hit tennis balls against a backboard. He attended a tennis match where he got to do the coin toss for some tennis legends. He wears his Brave Like Gabe “Celebrate Everything” hat proudly. He maintains his sense of humor and close relationships with friends and family. All of these things, both big and small, are reminders that life can be meaningful despite challenges.
Fortunately Jon’s current cancer treatment has improved his quality of life. It’s not a cure, but it gives him more days that feel like him. That’s one of the reasons Briana’s fundraising feels so meaningful to her: “This treatment, which was approved through clinical trials, exists because of research. These funds matter.”
“There’s a Rudyard Kipling poem posted at the entrance to Wimbledon tennis complex. It’s a reminder to stay grounded and balanced, whether you win or lose.
I have always thought that things are never as good or bad as you think they are. Reality falls somewhere in between. Control what you can control and enjoy life as it is presented to you.”
Briana is a talented runner, sponsored by Oiselle and a Masters Athlete. Her running journey started back in high school when she didn’t follow in her dad’s footsteps with tennis. Jon nudged her to try cross country as it was a sport that “let anyone join the team.” Bri was surprised to find that she not only loved running, but she happened to be pretty good at it. She won the state title her senior year of high school and was offered a scholarship to run at CU Boulder. She later transferred to UW-Madison, but her collegiate years were disappointing due to injuries. “When I graduated, I was a little discouraged and gave up a little bit on my goals and dreams and went straight into entrepreneurship and building businesses.” She stayed active by doing triathlons after believing she was never going to be that great at running.
The pandemic hit in 2020 and all the triathlons and races were shut down. With breathing room to set some new goals, she decided to train for her first marathon–the California International Marathon. Her only race day goals were to just see what she could do and not worry about the time. She went on to set a master's course record with a time of 2:33 at 42 years old. She reflects, “It was such a lesson not doubting yourself just because you didn't do it when you thought you should or because people told you that you weren't really as good as you thought you could be. It's never too late, you know? I mean, I was 42 and I ran a time that I would have loved to run when I was 25.”
Soon after, Bri was sponsored by Oiselle and invited to run in the elite field of the Boston Marathon. All of a sudden, she was competing at a high level which brought the pressure to run fast. She was achieving amazing things, but also reminding herself to stay grounded in why she loved running in the first place.
Briana was invited to run the 2024 TCS NYC Marathon in the elite field. Her dad had gotten diagnosed with AML a few months prior and then two days before the race, she got sick. Unfortunately she had to drop out of the marathon at mile 4. The heaviness after the race was undeniable, it was not the performance she wanted.
She knew that her story in NYC was not finished. When the opportunity came to run for the Brave Like Gabe Foundation in 2025, she immediately set a high fundraising goal and started training. Even though her race on November 2nd, 2025 didn’t go as planned when her achilles and soleus seized up after mile 9 causing her to drop out, she was still proud of everything that got her to that moment. “I realized the race wasn't really mine anyway. It was for my dad, for Gabe, and for all of the people we were raising funds for. If you asked me at any point would I want to raise the funds I did or finish the race... I would choose to raise the funds every single time.” Bri’s attitude speaks to her resilience and drive to never give up when life presents challenges.
How HAS RUNNING AFFECTED YOUR CAREGIVER JOURNEY?
“I came to running late compared to some of my peers. When I first started I just had this sense of freedom when I would go out to run. Then eventually as I got faster, there was a lot of pressure that came on performance-wise.
It's interesting with this marathon training and raising funds for Brave Like Gabe in honor of my dad, it's definitely brought me back to just really enjoying running. Going out for a run allows me to reconnect with myself. Even a short run helps me process my thoughts, let go of stress, and reset emotionally.”
What are some of your proudest accomplishments as a caregiver?
“I've been proud of myself for always just figuring it out and finding a way through things. I can't imagine not being there for my dad and doing whatever he needs. And I know he's so appreciative. I am really lucky that I have my husband who has been amazing in helping us tag-team because most people don't realize that there's a lot of appointments and treatments to get my dad to.”
How has Gabe's story impacted you?
“I have been a fan of Gabe’s forever. Whenever Brooks would come out with her shoes or clothing, I’d buy them. Her story, the hope and not giving up, really resonated with me. Little did I know that the pull I felt toward her story was preparing me for my own. When my dad was diagnosed with cancer, everything I admired about Gabe hit much closer to home. Her mission became deeply personal. I just felt very compelled and drawn towards running in New York again, but I wanted it to be about something much bigger than just running. It's not about a finish time, it's about completing something that I started. I wanted to run it again and raise money for Gabe’s foundation and rare cancer research.”
What does it mean to be #BraveLikeBriana?
“When you're a kid, you think bravery is like a firefighter or Superman and I've realized particularly in the last year and a half that bravery sometimes is getting up and putting a smile on your face when you know that you would rather just start crying. Seeing my dad, on certain days where the treatment's hard, but he’s still putting on a happy face, that’s bravery too.
I think this situation of caregiving has given me a new perspective of what it means to achieve, stand up for things and handle difficult situations. There are people behind the scenes doing these small things that are incredibly brave.”
WHAt Are you looking forward to in the near future?
“I am looking forward to everything I have in store with the newfound friends and family I've made via Brave Like Gabe. It is hard to explain in words how much having this NYC team and community has helped me. I know I am not just forever changed for the better by it, but because of them there are so many more adventures to be had and memories to be made. In times that feel dark, there is always the most unexpected light if we let it in.”
“The finish line I care most about is the one where we raise these funds together. Where we make a dent, however small, in this big, heartbreaking problem. Where we run toward something better. I don’t know what the next months will look like. But I know I’ll keep running.”