Many of you know that I'm training for a half-marathon in December, but some of you may not know why. I am doing it in honor of Will, my friend Katie's newborn son, who was born on August 30th. The following is a letter she wrote to all her friends & family explaining everything I would like to say to all of you who read my blog.Dear Friends & Family- As you know, our son, Will,was diagnosed with a rare syndrome affecting his hands & feet in June of this year. He was born August 30th and is such a blessing to us! We are completely in love! After learning he would have hands & feet differences, we traveled to Dallas to visit Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children. This facility provides pediatric orthopedic services to Texas kids for free! It is an incredible hospital - very kid friendly- with popcorn popping all day, hallways decorated with various fun themes, parks, friendly staff, etc. They have camps for kids with hand differences & take teenagers with prosthetics skiing in Colorado every year! They truly provide support for the entire family! And it is FREE!!! It has been the only place where we have felt completely safe since June 20th. We were able to let our guard down while there. Moreover, they provided us with such hope & optimism - they couldn't wait to meet our baby & continually remind us that Will can do whatever he chooses to in life- he is not limited by hand & feet differences- What an encouragment they have been! In less than 2 weeks, we will be taking Will to TSRHC for his first visit! I am literally counting down the days! I can't wait for him to meet the fabulous doctors, therapists, child life specialists, & other staff members who will become such a vital part of our lives. At that first visit, we learned that the Dallas White Rock Marathon benefits this hospital. I immediately began brainstorming ways to help support the hospital through the race since I love running & have participated in White Rock before. Our goals are: 1) make as many people as possible aware of what an incredible place TSRHC is & 2) raise money to benefit the hospital - we want to give back! After working with dear friend, we are excited to announce our White Rock Marathon Team!!! "Where There's A Will, There's A Way!"
We have created a website, www.psalm139race.org to provide you with information on how to join our team! You can participate in the marathon, the half-marathon, or the 5 person relay, or you can participate as a spectator. You can even participate by simply donating to the hospital. We so hope you will consider spending the weekend of December 8-9 with us in supporting our son & TSRHC. We have planned several events for the weekend & can't wait to celebrate with you. Details for the events are on the website as well as ways to contribute to the hospital. Finally, we are desiging t-shirts for runners/walkers, & spectators to wear on race day. We envision lots of green shirts supporting Will & making an impact at the race! Details for the shirts are also on the website. Finally, there is contact information for various cities on the website so you can find someone in your area who is serving as our local coordinator. (Thank you dear friends who have agreed to coordinate so many details for us so that we don't have to since pretty much all we do right now is feed & take care of a new baby! :))
The hospital has made Will a "Patient Champion" and he will represent the hospital at the race. The marathon directors have also been so gracious & are working with us to give Will a very special finish at the race! We hope you can be there to cheer on the youngest person cross the line with his parents! We are so grateful for your prayers & support of our family. Someday, if Will chooses to, he will cross the finish line on his own! We want him to know that he he is loved, supported, & cheered for in whatever he chooses to do & we believe he can do anything he wants!!!
Thanks for checking out the website! Hope to see you at the race!!!
Truly Blessed,
Reagan, Katie, & Will