Dan Moran’s Story

What does it mean to walk the stage in honor of your mom?

For Dan Moran, walking the Runway stage in honor of his mom means everything.

Her legacy continues through him, but Runway gives him a place to share it with others. When Dan walks, he is showing people who his mom was and what she meant to him.

“Runway allows me to show the world what an incredible woman, mother, and warrior she was throughout her battle with breast cancer,” Dan says.

Each time he steps onto the stage, he feels connected to her.

 

What made you want to come back for the 20th Anniversary?

Dan missed Runway.

After not walking last year, he felt the difference. When he looked back on everything he had done and experienced over the year, something felt absent.

“I missed it,” he says. “It felt like there was something missing.”

Coming back for the 20th Anniversary felt like the right thing to do.

 

What has Runway meant to you over the years?

Runway has given Dan a community he did not know existed.

It has connected him with people he may never have met otherwise and given him experiences that each hold their own place in his heart.

“Runway has meant so much to me over the years,” Dan says.

For Dan, it is a place where his mother’s story continues to be remembered and celebrated.

 

What would you say to other young people who have a parent going through cancer or who have lost a parent?

Dan knows how painful it can be to lose a parent.

He also knows that pain can eventually become something meaningful.

“There is a lesson to be learned from every experience,” he says. “Every hard time, every heartache, every cry: it makes you stronger and prepares you for whatever the world has to throw at you, whether you realize it or not.”

Dan remembers being angry at the world. Over time, he came to understand that hardship and hope often exist together.

“Without darkness, there can be no light,” he says. “Without bad, there can be no good.”

For Dan, one way of turning pain into something meaningful was starting the Think Pink Fundraiser at Belmont Hill School.

“Something so bad allowed me to create something so good,” he says.

His advice does not have to mean starting a fundraiser or doing something big. It can begin with something simple.

“Maybe just start by treating everyone with kindness,” Dan says. “One day at a time, make the world a better place.”

What are you most excited to celebrate on stage?

When Dan walks the Runway, he feels like he is walking with his mom.

He says that when he is up there, he almost blacks out. Those 30 seconds have been some of the most meaningful moments of his life.

This year, Dan is excited to celebrate the peace that walking brings him.

He is returning to the stage for his mom and for the feeling he gets when he knows she is with him.