Crossing the finish line of the New York City Half Marathon is a powerful moment for any runner. But for Aarika and TJ Frankel, every mile leading up to it carried something deeper: a story rooted in survival, family, and the rare chance to run not just for someone they love, but in the context of a life shaped by pancreatic cancer, and everything that came after.
What began as a goal to get active again after having their first child became something far more meaningful. Together, they took on 13.1 miles with Project Purple, honoring Aarika’s step-dad, Kevin Chouinard, a Stage 4 pancreatic cancer survivor, now celebrating ten years since his diagnosis.
For them, this wasn’t just a race. It was a reflection of everything they’ve been through, and the family, resilience, and routines that have grown out of it.
Learning to Move Together
Aarika and TJ didn’t always see themselves as distance runners. Aarika, originally from Vernon, Connecticut, had always stayed active. She ran cross country as a teenager and later found creative expression through dance. Movement, in any form, had long been her outlet.
TJ, on the other hand, came from an intensive athletic background. Growing up in Chicago before moving to Arizona, he played hockey, baseball, and football, but running was never something he enjoyed. “The only time we ran was as punishment,” he laughs.
The two met in Arizona, where Aarika moved to pursue a graduate program, and eventually built a life together. They had always been somewhat active as a couple, but it wasn’t until they later settled in Greensboro, North Carolina, and welcomed their son, Easton, that running became a serious part of their lives.
Like many new parents, they found themselves navigating the physical and emotional adjustments that come with raising a child. Wanting to regain a sense of routine, and to find something they could share, they began looking for ways to get active together again. “Life just changed,” Aarika shares. “We both wanted to get back into working out, but in a way that we could also have Easton involved.”
Nine months postpartum, Aarika floated what felt like a wild idea at the time: training for a half marathon together. TJ’s initial reaction was a mix of surprise and hesitation, but it didn’t take long before he was on board. But while running became a way for Aarika and TJ to reconnect with themselves, the deeper motivation came from someone else entirely.
Against All Odds
In 2016, Aarika’s stepfather, Kevin Chouinard, began experiencing unusual symptoms. At first, it was weight loss, stomach pain, and a diabetes diagnosis, but it didn’t take long for doctors to realize something more serious was going on. After further evaluation and a second opinion at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Kevin was diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer.
The prognosis was devastating. At the time, he was given only months to live. But Kevin’s story didn’t follow the expected path. He underwent years of treatment, including chemotherapy and participation in a clinical trial. Slowly, his condition stabilized. Over time, treatments became less frequent, eventually transitioning into routine monitoring.
Now, ten years later, Kevin is not only surviving; he’s thriving. He’s a father, a husband, and now, a grandfather. And perhaps most importantly, he’s still the same person his family has always known: warm, outgoing, and capable of turning a simple walk into a conversation with ten new friends.
“He just has the biggest heart,” TJ says. “He makes new friends wherever he goes.” And for Aarika, Kevin has been a constant presence for most of her life, shaping the person she’s become in ways that go far beyond titles. “I always call him my ‘stepped-up dad,’” she shares. “He helped raise me into the person I am today. He’s the person you go to no matter what: good day, bad day, and all the in-between days. He’s such a supportive, loving human who will always have your back.”
That reality, that Kevin is still here, still showing up, still loving his family, is not something they take for granted. In fact, Aarika carries that closeness with her every day in a deeply personal way: a tattoo she got shortly after his diagnosis. It reads, “I love you, Pickles,” (in Kevin’s handwriting), a nickname Kevin has always called her, with a small purple heart for pancreatic cancer.
“There was a time I didn’t know if he would even get to walk me down the aisle,” Aarika says. “I didn’t think he would ever meet my children.” And now, he has. Now, Kevin lives just minutes away, having moved to North Carolina to be closer to family, and especially to his first grandson, Easton. They spend time together often now, sharing dinners and everyday moments that once felt uncertain, but are now simply part of life.
Watching him step into the role of Grandpa has become one of the most meaningful parts of this chapter. Easton’s middle name is Kevin, and his bond with his grandfather is incredible. “There could be ten of Kevin’s favorite people in a room,” Aarika says, “and if Easton is there, that’s who he’s going to. He’s an amazing father, but he’s an even more amazing grandfather.”
A Natural Choice
Thinking about who Kevin is as a person made the decision to run their first big race an easy one. As he approached his ten-year survivor anniversary, Aarika and her family began looking for a way to mark the milestone in a meaningful way, and the New York City Half Marathon offered the perfect convergence of personal meaning and celebration.
“The opportunity came at a really good time in our lives,” Aarika says. “So we took those two motives and said to ourselves, ‘You know what, we want to not only start doing this together, but to also be able to represent it for Kevin.’”
Choosing that specific race also felt natural for the pair. New York City has always held a special place in their lives, especially Aarika’s. Her family are diehard New York Yankees fans, and the city itself has been a constant backdrop throughout her life: visits during childhood, trips during college, and family traditions that always seemed to bring them back there. “Even before I met TJ, I always said if I ever ran a half marathon, I wanted it to be New York City,” she says. “It’s just iconic.”
And beyond that personal connection, the link to Project Purple made the decision feel even more meaningful. The organization had already been woven into their family’s story for nearly a decade. Aarika’s mother first learned about Project Purple years ago, and from there, the family stayed involved through countless fundraising efforts; sip-and-paint nights, Super Bowl squares, cornhole tournaments, and small events that added up to something much bigger.
Her mom, Jodi, has also run multiple races, including the New York City Marathon, to raise awareness and funds in honor of Kevin and his journey. Over time, those race days became familiar family moments. Just as importantly, they gave Aarika a clear sense of how Kevin would show up. He’s not a runner himself, but he thrives in the race-day atmosphere.
She remembers him during the New York City Marathon. Her mother was running, and Kevin was moving along the course with a “#1 Fan” sign, cheering on strangers and fully immersed in the moment. As a musician, Kevin has always been drawn to that kind of energy. He’s a people-watcher, someone who will strike up conversations with strangers, compliment someone’s shoes, or get just as invested in the spectators as the runners.
“If you asked him to run, he’d say he’s meeting you at the end,” Aarika laughs. “But he’ll be your biggest cheerleader the whole way through—dropping water, biking alongside you, making sure you’re taken care of.” So for Aarika, the decision to run for Project Purple wasn’t just meaningful; it felt familiar. It fit into a rhythm their family had already been living for years. “If I ever ran an organized race,” she shares, “I always knew it would be for Project Purple.”
So when Aarika and TJ shared their idea with Kevin, his reaction was immediate. He was moved by it. “He was very excited,” TJ says. “I think it meant a lot to him.” Aarika adds that Kevin has a tendency to internalize those moments at first, before it all catches up with him. “He definitely teared up,” she says. “We’re a really close-knit family, so I think it just hit him in a very real way.”
Still, excitement quickly took over. “He was like, ‘Oh, I get to go to New York?’” Aarika laughs. “He loves New York, so he was all in right away.”
Ten Years in Every Mile
Training for their first half marathon was no small task, especially with a one-year-old at home. Balancing long runs, strength training, and everyday responsibilities required constant coordination. For shorter runs, they could bring Easton along in the running stroller, but as the mileage increased, that was no longer possible.
Some days meant early mornings; others meant leaning on family for support. Fortunately, Kevin and Jodi had recently moved nearby. “They’d watch Easton while we got our long runs in. And honestly, I don’t think he even noticed we were gone,” TJ laughs. “Easton is so obsessed with his papa.”
Still, the process wasn’t easy. Between unpredictable weather, treadmill sessions, and the physical demands of parenting, the experience was, as Aarika puts it, “humbling.” But it also became something deeper. Running created a space to reflect, reset, and reconnect with their purpose.
Training with intention and knowing exactly what they were running for became a constant source of motivation. One moment in particular stayed with Aarika. When they reached a ten-mile training run, she looked over at TJ and pointed out what it represented to her: “Every mile represents a year that Kevin has been fighting and surviving.”
On the hardest days, when they wanted to stop or cut a run short, that perspective kept them going. So did the broader community they were running for: those fighting cancer in all forms, not just Kevin. Project Purple’s message, including its “Work harder, it’s not chemo” mantra, became something they carried with them on tough runs.
“It definitely helped clear my head, but it also made me realize how lucky we are to be able to run, to move our bodies, to just get outside and do this. Not everyone is able to,” Aarika says. “So we’re running not only for Kevin, but for everyone else who is fighting this disease.”
They note that Kevin was diagnosed a decade ago, and in the years since, they’ve seen how much progress has been made in the pancreatic cancer space: progress that had felt unimaginable to them back then. That reality stayed with them throughout training. “Knowing the money is going to research and that there are people working toward a cure, that’s what keeps you going,” Aarika adds.
On the Streets of New York and Beyond
When race day arrived, it became a full family affair in the Big Apple. Relatives flew in from all over, including Kevin himself, turning the weekend into something far bigger than just a race. And that support system carried them through.
Going into it, Aarika and TJ made a small but intentional choice: they bought new headphones designed not to block everything out, but to let the outside world in. “You can actually hear what’s going on around you,” Aarika explains. “We wanted to take it in, let that carry us through, and really soak it all in.” And soak it in they did. They had both pictured it beforehand: the turn into Times Square, the surge of energy, the crowds lining the streets. “We envisioned how electric it was going to feel,” TJ says. “And it was exactly that.”
But what made the experience even more meaningful was doing it together. “TJ is my best friend,” Aarika says. “I really appreciate having someone who was crazy enough to do this with me. Being able to do that with my husband, my partner, my best friend… it was really emotional.”
Throughout the 13.1 miles, Kevin’s presence was never far from their minds. They kept coming back to the way he approaches life. “His resilience… just being able to keep fighting,” TJ says. “That’s what Kevin has been doing for the last ten years.” For Aarika, it was that courage that stayed with her. “When I’m scared or frustrated, I know he’s someone I can think of,” she says. “He gives me the courage I don’t always have in myself.”
Crossing the finish line was a moment they won’t forget. They hadn’t set a specific time goal. Just finishing was enough. And being surrounded by other runners, many with their own deeply personal reasons for being there, made it even more meaningful. “I was really looking forward to running with people who genuinely want to find a cure, like we do,” Aarika says.
For others thinking about doing something like this, their advice is simple: “Just jump in and do it,” TJ says. “Your support network is bigger than you think it is.” Aarika adds, “If you have a reason why you’re doing it, hold onto that. It becomes therapeutic in a way you don’t expect.”
And while the race meant so much for Kevin, it also became something they hope their son Easton carries with him one day too. “I hope that he looks back one day and is like, ‘Holy crap, my parents ran a half marathon when I was one,’” Aarika laughs. But more than that, they hope it sets an example, not just that you can do hard things, but that doing hard things for the people you love, like his Grandpa Kevin, is always worth it.
If you’d like to run or participate in an event of your own for Project Purple, visit our events page.
