Help Nicole raise money

For the past 10 years Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh has been the most important place to our family.  It was 10 years ago that they diagnosed my mysterious newborn’s rare heart disease when many others had written me off as a crazy new and sleep deprived mother.  When they diagnosed him, it was just in time, as he was in severe heart failure and getting sicker and sicker without anyone knowing why.  Since diagnosing him they have been with us every step of the way the last 10 years.  Children’s is where our Cameryn was life flighted to two times and seen by 5 different specialist all before he even had his first birthday.   The staff there have held my hand, hugged me, educated me, and even provided me with basic needs at times (in crisis you don’t remember your toothbrush or pack food and water).   When Cameryn was old enough to feel the anxiety of having a chronic and incurable heart disease they connected us with Heart Camp and treated the whole child and his emotional needs also by connecting him with other kids who experience the same heart condition.  They still monitor and treat our whole family to this day and I am full of gratitude and hope every time we visit there.

In 2019 I ran my first half marathon in Pittsburgh.  At the time my only goal was to run the entire race without stopping.  I trained hard and I did achieve this goal.  However at mile 11 when I had gone through my entire music playlist and all my positive thought mantras to motivate me, I was struggling.  I wanted to give up and stop more than anything.  What got me through mile 11, 12, and 13 was thinking of my Cameryn, the opportunity to run long distances taken from him before he could even talk.  And I thought of Maddox (my other son’s best friend who passed away earlier in 2019 from cancer), who would have given anything to keep living and experiencing all of life.  I thought of every single child I have seen in all my times at Children’s hospital over the years, each one of them with their own sad story.   And I thought of all the staff there trying to give each child their best shot at health and at times just the best possible experience in their time there while sick.  I was given the privilege of being healthy without even earning it and I thought “how dare I give up now when all those kids and staff push through in much harder times.”  I pushed through and they motivated me to keep going and cross the finish line.  This year I run the Pittsburgh Marathon again (back in person for the first time since 2019) and this year I choose to fundraise for Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh who have provided our child and so many children treatment and hope.  The hospital that motivates and drives me to keep going when things get hard.  Here is to Children’s Hospital and to the Pittsburgh Marathon 2022! Let’s go!