Help Kelly raise money

Hello! My husband Tom and I are thrilled to be running the Falmouth Road Race again this year!

We are honored to be running in support of the Courageous Parents Network (CPN) once again, a non-profit organization that orients and empowers parents and others caring for children with serious illness, by providing resources and tools that reflect the experience and perspective of other families and clinicians.

This year is even more meaningful to me, as I’ll be running in honor of Jacob and his family. 

I had the privilege of meeting Jacob’s mother, Maria – a fierce advocate and dedicated mother who is generous to her core; an example of what I aspire to be for my own son. Maria told me the following: Jacob lived with a mitochondrial disease for ten beautiful years. Jacob’s brain and lungs were severely impacted by his genetic metabolic disease, of which there is no cure. Jacob had frequent respiratory infections and pneumonias. Despite Jacob’s disease, he loved to go to school, spend time in the pool and loved the Minions. The song “Happy” was always on repeat. For us, it was absolutely critical to have a pulmonologist who considered our whole family’s goals and guided us in complex, difficult decisions, for example the pros and cons of tracheotomy (a procedure where a tube is inserted in the throat to help someone breathe). Our pulmonologist also let us treat many pneumonias from our home rather than the hospital. We’re forever grateful for this.

Tom and I are both physicians practicing pulmonary medicine in Boston. Courageous Parents Network has provided an invaluable collection of resources for us to be able to share with our patients and families, in particular those same resources that helped Jacob and his family: guides for understanding palliative care and hospice, guides for navigating difficult decisions in the ICU setting, and the decision guide for those considering tracheotomy. CPN has supported our mission that our patients and families "Never Worry Alone". 

We appreciate any and all donations for this truly wonderful cause. See you in Falmouth as we run past our wedding venue, blasting “Happy” on our headphones in honor of Jacob! 

Click here for Tom's donation page