Running for HealthTree Foundation

Running
For Chad
Berlin Marathon · 2026

On September 27, 2026, I'll run 26.2 miles through Berlin in memory of my childhood friend Chad Baltuck — and to raise funds for HealthTree Foundation, the nonprofit fighting blood cancer with technology, data, and community.

Donate to HealthTree Read Chad's Story
In Loving Memory
Chad Baltuck
Taken at 21 · Hodgkin Lymphoma
"Every mile I run is one more reason to keep fighting for the people who didn't get the chance to."
42.2km
Race Distance
$1,500
Fundraising Goal
SEP '26
Berlin, Germany
Tyler running
BMW Berlin Marathon 2026 In memory of Chad Baltuck Benefiting HealthTree Foundation Blood Cancer Research & Patient Support Together We Care · Together We Cure 26.2 Miles · September 27, 2026 BMW Berlin Marathon 2026 In memory of Chad Baltuck Benefiting HealthTree Foundation Blood Cancer Research & Patient Support Together We Care · Together We Cure 26.2 Miles · September 27, 2026
$0
Raised so far
Running for Chad · HealthTree Foundation Goal: $1,500
$0 $375 $750 $1,125 $1,500
$1,500
Total goal
0%
Donate now
Why I'm Running

For Chad

"He was 21 years old. He had his whole life in front of him. Blood cancer took that away — and research is the only thing that changes that story for the next person."

Chad Baltuck was my childhood friend. The kind of person who made every room a little better just by being in it. He was diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma and lost his life at just 21 years old.

Blood cancers like Hodgkin Lymphoma are most common in young adults — people in their 20s, people with everything ahead of them. The good news is that survival rates have improved dramatically over the decades, thanks to relentless research. The hard truth is that we still lose people we love. We still have too far to go.

On September 27th, I'll be thinking of Chad at every kilometer marker — especially the hard ones around kilometer 36. Running 26.2 miles is the least I can do for someone who never got the chance to live the life he deserved.

This race is for him. And every dollar raised goes toward making sure fewer families have to go through what his did.

21
Chad's age
Lost to Hodgkin Lymphoma — one of the most common blood cancers in adults ages 20–39.
~8,700
New U.S. Hodgkin Lymphoma cases each year
Most common in young adults. Research saves lives and changes outcomes every year.
+21%
Improvement in 5-year survival since the 1970s
From 72% to over 92% — because of exactly the kind of research that HealthTree accelerates.
Where Your Donation Goes

HealthTree Foundation

HealthTree Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that sits at the intersection of patient support, data aggregation, and research acceleration. Founded by Jenny Ahlstrom after her own blood cancer diagnosis, it's grown into a global force for patients living with blood cancer.

Their flagship platform, the HealthTree Cure Hub, is a patient-controlled registry connecting over 10,000 blood cancer patients directly with researchers — contributing real-world data that helps scientists at Mayo Clinic, Fred Hutch, and Roswell Park accelerate the development of new treatments.

They cover multiple blood cancers including multiple myeloma, AML, MDS, CLL, and lymphomas — and they recently launched a mobile app to put all of this power directly in patients' hands.

Their motto: "Together We Care. Together We Cure."

Learn more at healthtree.org
📚
Patient Education
HealthTree University, podcasts, webinars, and guides help blood cancer patients understand their diagnosis and navigate treatment with confidence.
🤝
Community & Support
Patient navigators and volunteer coaches who've faced similar diagnoses ensure no one faces blood cancer alone.
🔬
Research Acceleration
The Cure Hub Registry connects patient real-world data directly to researchers at top cancer centers — shortcutting the road to cures.
📱
Health Technology
A first-of-its-kind mobile app puts disease education, clinical trial search, and research contribution in patients' hands — anywhere, anytime.
About the Runner

Who Is Tyler?

Hi, I'm Tyler. I'm a runner in the loosest possible sense of the word — self-described "clueless but enthusiastic," which honestly feels like the only honest way to enter a World Marathon Major.

The 2026 BMW Berlin Marathon is one of the six World Marathon Majors — a fast, flat, iconic 42.2-kilometer course through the heart of Germany's capital, past the Brandenburg Gate, past history, past everything. It's going to hurt. I'm doing it anyway.

I'm running in memory of my friend Chad Baltuck, who lost his life to Hodgkin Lymphoma at 21. And I'm raising funds for HealthTree Foundation because their work represents exactly what should exist in the world: technology that serves patients, not shareholders. Data that accelerates cures. Community that holds people up when cancer tries to knock them down.

I'll be thinking of Chad somewhere around kilometer 36 when things get really dark out there. That thought will carry me to the finish line. Your donation is part of that too.

The Race
BMW Berlin Marathon
World Marathon Major · Berlin, Germany
Race Date
Sep 27, 2026
26.2 miles through the heart of Berlin
Beneficiary
HealthTree Foundation
healthtree.org · 501(c)(3) nonprofit
In Memory Of
Chad Baltuck
Forever 21 · Hodgkin Lymphoma
Fundraising Goal
$1,500
Donate via Venmo · @tyler-sidell