My team
My Story…
"Our goal is simple: to help make sure Live4Evan never has to tell a family “no.” Because when your child is fighting for their life, having a place that feels like home just minutes from the hospital isn’t just convenient, it’s a miracle."
This year I am absolutely thrilled to be running the Falmouth road race in honor of Harrison Smith. Back in November of 2024, Harrison and his family traveled from Georgia to Massachusetts to stay with Live4Evan for about 2 1/2 weeks while he went through two heart surgeries as a 5 week old!
Harrison and his family will be returning to Boston in October of this year to go through another long and complex heart surgery.
In spite of these challenges, Harrison (besides being tough as nails), is a funny, stubborn, and cool dude (currently sporting a mullet for the summer)!!!!!!
The quote above is from Harrison's mom. Here at Live4Evan I don't think we could have said it any better! Our focus is on growth through fundraising efforts like the Falmouth road race. These efforts will get us closer that ultimate goal!
Please take a minute to read about Harrison's journey below, as shared so elegantly by his mom (Emily).........
"When I was 23 weeks pregnant, I went for a second, more in-depth anatomy scan. It was there, while I was alone, that I was told my baby had a life threatening heart defect. My very first question was, “Did I do something wrong?”
I didn’t.
Harrison’s heart defect isn’t genetic. It’s just bad luck. A 1-in-33,000 kind of bad luck.
Harrison has something called ccTGA. His heart is essentially the opposite of yours and mine. It works overtime because it’s pumping blood in a way it was never designed to. He had his first open-heart surgery at just 5 weeks old, and 7 days later he had another surgery to place a pacemaker after developing complete heart block.
But do you know what God did in seven days?
He created the world.
And Harrison is living proof that He is still in the miracle business.
If you met Harrison today, you’d probably never know anything was different. Besides relying on a pacemaker for every single heartbeat and a G-tube for every single meal, he’s just a little boy. A hilarious one, too. He’s funny, stubborn, occasionally a little mean and honestly, we love that for him. He’s our hero, and because of him we’ve become better parents and better people.
Our prayer has always been that Harrison’s story does two things: first, that it brings awareness to congenital heart disease and everything these children endure. And second, that it opens the door for someone who hasn’t talked to Christ in a long time to whisper a simple prayer for a little boy they’ve never met.
This October, we’ll travel from Atlanta to Boston Children’s Hospital. That’s where the team knows Harrison’s heart best. They’ve studied it, operated on it, and quite literally held it in their hands. They’ll perform his double switch operation which is a long, incredibly complex surgery, and once again we’ll hand our baby over to them and trust God with the rest.
During Harrison’s first surgeries, Live 4 Evan gave our family a place to stay. It wasn’t just a quiet place to rest. It was fresh sheets after impossible days, a hot shower after hours in the ICU, a place to cry, eat, pray, and finally blow dry my hair after days of living at the hospital. Being just a few minutes walk from the hospital meant everything.
Our goal is simple: to help make sure Live 4 Evan never has to tell a family “no.” Because when your child is fighting for their life, having a place that feels like home just minutes from the hospital isn’t just convenient, it’s a miracle."
Description
ABOUT US: The Live4Evan Organization was formed out of a desire to recognize and support the critical relationship between a child and their loved ones. We believe that there is no greater gift to be given than a parent’s love to a child. We understand the importance of staying by a child’s side without having to worry about the additional burdens that life can place on us. And so, our organization works tirelessly to provide financial and emotional support to families by providing them with temporary housing while their child receives congenital cardiac treatment.
The Falmouth Road Race has been a crucial fundraiser for Live4Evan for the past 8 years. Over this time, the Live4Evan team members have collectively raised over $720,000. Thanks in large part to these efforts, Live4Evan is currently providing SEVEN patient-family apartments for families traveling to Boston for pediatric cardiac care. These apartments are next to Boston Children's Hospital and offer calm and comfort in the midst of such a difficult time. The close proximity to the hospital ensures that caretakers can be at their loved ones bedside in a moment's notice. The need for patient-family housing is critical and Live4Evan is committed to increasing our apartment portfolio in order to help additional families.
OUR STORY: Live4Evan was founded in memory of Evan Girardi, who passed away his senior year of college from a heart arrhythmia. Evan was born with a congenital heart defect (CHD) known as Corrected L-Transposition of the Great Arteries. Despite his heart condition, Evan lived his life to the fullest. Rather than allow Evan’s passing to put an end to the life and legacy that Evan had built, his friends and family formed Live4Evan to serve as a testament to the power of relationships and the importance of having loved ones by your side.
Watch our video to learn more about the Live4Evan Organization by clicking HERE or by visiting our website.
DONATE: If you would like to make a donation, support one of our runners below or send a check to LIVE4EVAN at P.O. Box 845 Hopkinton, MA 01748
Recent donors
| Donation date | Donor name | Donation amount |
|---|---|---|
| Jul 18 | The Casadys | $100.00 |
| Jul 12 | Benjamin Lieberman | Undisclosed amount |
| Jul 10 | Richie and Amelia Guill | $273.35 |
| Jul 09 | Jojo and Pops | $55.35 |
| Jul 09 | CM Murphy | $200.00 |
| Jul 07 | John Rosso | $500.00 |
| Jul 01 | MFS Investments Match (Shane L) | $50.00 |
| Jul 01 | Shane | $50.00 |
| Jun 29 | Dietz & Watson, Inc. | Undisclosed amount |
| Feb 11 | Anonymous | Undisclosed amount |
