I’m running in the Boston Marathon. And I need your help.

this is a previously published post. please read it (again). please “like” it. please share it. and if you can, please donate.

My little brother Christopher was born in 1982.  I was in 8th grade at the time.

He was a surprise, and he was perfect.

I was always one of those kids who wanted my mom to have another baby, so I was pretty happy to have him around.  I loved to show him off.

Come on, how could you not show this kid off?

I played softball in high school.  My parents always came to every game.  I was at a home game my sophomore year.  The game started and my parents weren’t there, which was weird.  I knew Christopher had a doctor’s appointment earlier in the day.  Maybe it had just run late, or they were stuck in traffic.

We finished one inning, and then another, and still my parents never showed.  The game was over, and still no Mom and Dad.  I went to eat pizza with my best friend and her parents, wondering what the heck was going on.

“I’m sure everything is fine,” said my best friend’s mom.  There were no cell phones back then, so there was no way for me to get in touch with them.

When I got home, my aunt and uncle were at the house.  Still no Mom and Dad.  The phone rang shortly after I got home.  It was my mom.

“We’re at the hospital,” she said.

“What’s wrong?  Are you okay?”

“It’s Christopher.  He had some bruises on his legs that the doctors thought looked unusual, so they did some tests,”she explained.

“Is he okay?” I asked, completely unprepared for the answer to my question.

“He has leukemia.”

I don’t remember anything after that.

He was 1 1/2 years old at the time.

The next year-and-a-half was a never ending cycle of chemo, radiation,

and, when those didn’t work,

finally a bone marrow transplant.  That was the last hurrah.

If that didn’t work, there was nothing else they’d be able to do.

Here he is, after the bone marrow transplant, his hair growing back in.

My junior year I was at a swim meet.

I knew Mom was taking Christopher to a check-up earlier in the day.  Mom was late, and that was, again, weird.

I kept looking up into the stands to see if she had come, and finally, I saw her walk through the doors.  She sat down next to one of my teammate’s moms.

And she started to bawl.

Christopher lived two weeks past his third birthday.  I find some solace in the fact that because he was so young, he never knew any better or different.

He didn’t realize that weekly visits to the hospital, daily bouts of puking your guts out, chemo and radiation, losing your hair, and wearing a mask every time you went out in publicwere not things that all little boys did.

But it was a completely devastating experience.  For so many people.

And so, on Monday, April 20, I am participating in the Boston Marathon with Swim Across America.

Swim Across America [SAA] is dedicated to raising money and awareness for cancer research, prevention and treatment through swimming-related events. With the help of hundreds of volunteers nationwide and past and current Olympians, SAA is helping find a cure for cancer through athleticism, community outreach and direct service.

SAA was also given two charity spots in the Boston Marathon, and was given the honor to have one of them. My fundraising goal is $5000. I would really like to surpass that.

So here is a link to my fundraising page.  If you are able to donate anything, even 5 dollars, my family, and so many other families will thank you.

CLICK HERE TO GO TO MY FUNDRAISING PAGE!

Thank you so much for reading this, and for keeping Christopher’s memory alive.

Now go give your kids a big hug.  Watch them sleeping peacefully. When they wake up in the morning, give them an extra long hug. When they get off the bus, tell them you love them.

I know I’m going to.

 

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