On January 22, 2023, Alison Baker’s entire life changed in an instant, when her husband, Jason, died suddenly from a massive heart attack.

While in Dallas, Texas for their 14-year-old daughter, Gina’s, cheerleading competition, Alison and Jason (Jay), went to a local sports bar to watch the Buffalo Bills playoff game with friends.

During the game, Jay stepped away to go to the bathroom. After a little while Alison was worried that he hadn’t come back yet, but assumed he took a call outside. To check on him, she called his cell phone multiple times, when a paramedic answered it, and told her Jay had collapsed in the bathroom.

By the time Alison got to the bathroom, Jay’s heart had stopped, and the paramedics were performing CPR and using an AED.

“The paramedics were able to get his heart back beating and told me to get in the ambulance and they would be right out to bring us to the hospital,” Alison stated. “About 10 to 15 minutes later, I saw Jay on the stretcher and one of the paramedics was performing CPR as they were bringing him to the ambulance.”

Shortly after they arrived at the hospital, doctors told Alison that Jay had passed away.

While in complete shock, it was now Alison’s job to call family and friends, to try to explain something that she herself could not comprehend at the time.

After she left the hospital, Alison went back to the hotel to get ready for Gina’s competition that night. She had spoken to the coaches and decided to wait until after the competition to tell Gina what had happened.

“Jay was a total cheer Dad, and I knew he would have wanted Gina to compete with her team that night,” explained Alison.

A few days later, when Alison and Gina arrived back home to New York, it was the beginning of their healing journey.

Alison, who has been running races the last 15 years for herself, wanted to shift her focus after Jay’s passing and start to run with more purpose.

“We had planned a family trip to Paris that April so that I could run my final marathon, but obviously I backed out after Jay passed.” Alison said. “I was going to just give up but decided to shoot for the stars with the Boston Marathon and try to finish what I started – this time for Jay.”

Now, just over a year later, Alison will be running the 2024 Boston Marathon® with Tedy’s Team® in honor of her husband, Jay, and others who have suffered from heart disease and stroke.

“Jay was an extremely kind and giving person, so it became clear to me that I needed to do something to give back as a part of his legacy,” explained Alison. “As a member of Tedy’s Team, I want to use this opportunity to raise more awareness of heart disease and urge others to listen to their bodies and make time for their health.”

On Monday, April 15th, Alison will be joining her fellow teammates on the streets of Boston as they tackle the 2024 Boston Marathon. To support her fundraising and awareness efforts, please visit her personal team member page and learn more about heart disease TODAY.

Back to All Blog Posts