After Mets assistant pitching coach Jeremy Accardo does his fatherly duties -- home-schooling his sons and daughters -- he goes out for his daily run. It's a run with a purpose, one that will be gracing the New York City Marathon stage on Nov. 1.
And the reason behind his training is his daughter, Leighton.
Leighton was diagnosed with Stage 4 malignant germ cell tumors in May of 2019, and she has been undergoing chemotherapy to combat them ever since. She's also recently traveled to New York with her mom to undergo surgeries as well, per Yahoo! Sports' Tim Brown.
So, as Leighton continues to fight, her father keeps fighting to run that extra mile to be in tip-top shape for the marathon, which will be run under the "Leighton Strong" banner.
And he's not alone.
The rest of the Mets' coaching staff -- manager Luis Rojas, third base coach Gary DiSarcina and pitching coach Jeremy Hefner to name a few -- are also getting up every morning to run. A group chat over text message shows Leighton their progress each day with an accompanying message to continue her fight.
"She's fighting her ass off," DiSarcina told Yahoo! Sports. "And I'm feeling humbled and honored to put myself through the training for such an incredible little girl."
Leighton has already touched lives other than the Mets' coaches through her battle with cancer. She signed a one-day contract with the NHL's Arizona Coyotes last year, and spent the day showing off her skating skills as well as talking to coaches and players.
She touched our hearts.
- Arizona Coyotes (@ArizonaCoyotes) November 24, 2019
She made our week.
She changed our lives.
Get to know our brave new teammate Leighton Accardo: pic.twitter.com/X4sEWykzdA
Her fight is inspiring and one that has tons of backing, especially from Accardo's coworkers. So they run, hoping they can make it to the finish line in Leighton's honor to see her there cheering them on at the marathon.
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