New York City Marathon runner on a mission to help save lives as she fights for her own

UPPER EAST SIDE, Manhattan (WABC) -- A woman from the Upper East Side is fighting for her life while battling two types of cancer -- but she is determined to complete the TCS New York City Marathon on Sunday and she has a message that could save lives.

More than 55,000 runners are expected to take part in the 2025 TCS New York City Marathon this weekend, and among them is Liz Healy, who is courageously battling stage 4 colon cancer and stage 2 kidney cancer.

Healy, who just turned 45, says the running is helping to keep her going and she is racing to raise money to fight colon cancer.

"Running and movement has always been kind of a mental health approach to life to me, it's something whenever I've had tough times or dealt with losses or whatever it may be, is put on a pair of sneakers, just get out and move," she said.

Healy said her life changed in a heartbeat three years ago when a skiing accident eventually led doctors to discover kidney cancer and colorectal cancer that had spread to her liver and lymph nodes.

Currently the cancer has spread to her lungs, brain, bones, hip, femur, shoulder and vertebrae.

"And I'm in the fight of my life, I had no symptoms at the time that I would have gone to a doctor," Healy said. "I had more bloating and gas than I had normally. And the reality is I didn't know what the symptoms of colorectal cancer was at that time."

She said over the last couple of years she has had multiple surgeries, multiple rounds of radiation to her brain, her bones and countless sessions of chemotherapy.

"And so in my cancer journey over the last couple of years, movement for a cause is my medicine," Healy said. "And it has been as critical as the medical care that I have received."

This will be her fourth year as a member of Fred's Team for Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and her fifth New York City Marathon.

"Cancer is a tough and lonely disease," she said. "And if you have an outlet to manage the emotions and the mental health impact of it, it is such a gift. Our family has been fighting colorectal cancer for almost three and a half years now, and anything we can do to raise awareness to help other people and maybe save one other life is something we try to do every day."

Along the way she is working to encourage people to get screened for colorectal cancer and is making it her mission to spread awareness about the symptoms and the importance of knowing your family history and getting screened.

"I'm currently fighting for my life, and our family would like to save at least one other person, one other family from this journey, and it can be done by getting screened," Healy said.

Healy is running as part of the New York Road Runner's "Team Inspire" and Fred's Team, the official running program of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

Every dollar raised through Fred's Team supports groundbreaking cancer research at MSK.

For Healy, running isn't just about crossing the finish line - it's a source of strength, purpose, and hope. She's also using her miles to make a difference, aiming to raise $100,000 to support colon cancer research. So far, her sub-team, "Team Check Your Colon," has already raised more than $144,000 for Fred's Team.

You can support Liz, Team Check Your Colon, and Fred's Team by visiting her fundraising page.

The 2025 TCS New York City Marathon takes place on Sunday, November 2. Coverage on Channel 7 and wherever you stream ABC 7 New York begins with pre-race coverage, Marathon Sunday, at 7:00 a.m. on November 2. Live coverage of Sunday's marathon begins at 8:00 a.m. only on Channel 7 and ESPN2.

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