Giving the Gift of Movement in Loving Memory
Meet Owen Soderholm, a 24-year-old law school student living in Denver, Colorado. On June 14, Owen will be participating in the Ironman 70.3 in Boulder, Colorado in loving memory of his longtime girlfriend's mom, Mercedes Limeres.
When asked about Mercedes, Owen shared that she was a loving mother of four amazing children who was driven by their happiness. Diagnosed with pleomorphic sarcoma, also know as undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma (UPS), Mercedes underwent more than 20 major surgeries during her lifetime, including an amputation of her leg.
Mercedes was fortunate enough to be able to afford a prosthetic that changed her life. As activewear prosthetics are often deemed as "unnecessary" by insurance companies, being able to afford a specialized prosthetic out of pocket is not a reality for many.
Owen said, "she [Mercedes] was still able to go to the park with her youngest kid, drive her older ones to school and go on vacation (her favorite thing). No matter what she had going on with her battle whether it was chemo or just out of a surgery, she was always in a great mood and wanted to be with her family."
As a part of his participation in the Ironman 70.3, Owen is on a mission to raise $10,000 in Mercedes' honor. With these funds, Owen will be able to give the gift of movement through the Move For Jenn Foundation.
If you would like to support Owen's efforts, you can make your fully tax deductible gift to the Move For Jenn Foundation here.
We're so proud of you, Owen! We can only imagine how proud Mercedes must be as well.