Some of you may know I have been training to run the Marine Corps Marathon this year on Sunday, October 25th in Washington D.C. Running has been a passion of mine (and a much needed therapy) for a few years now, and I have had this USMC race in my sights for about that long. Besides the personal benefits, I am running this race to honor and remember Sonia by raising money for and awareness of Chai Lifeline.
Chai Lifeline is an international organization that provides year-round emotional, social, and financial support to more than 3,000 children and their families every year. Chai Lifeline’s goal is to bring joy to children and hope to their families, enabling them to live full and happy lives despite the presence of illness. A few years ago, we were one of those families.
On April 24, 2007, my beautiful Sonia Chaya was born with a condition called Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. This meant only half of her heart developed properly in utero. Although this condition is fatal without intervention, Sonia was given 4 1/2 beautiful months of life. During this time, Chai Lifeline was an invaluable support system to me. I was far from home, from Jason and Faye, and I spent most of every day in a small room with my sweet girl. Volunteers from Chai Lifeline visited me many times during these weeks, providing a steady flow of kosher meals, emotional support, and good company. I was able to give more time to my sweet girl because Chai Lifeline was there to help. (To learn more about Chai Lifeline, visit its website, www.chailifeline.org.)
Because I believe so strongly in Chai Lifeline’s work, I’ve decided to run the Marine Corps Marathon in order to raise money for this cause. My objective is to raise $2,000 with my brother Ryan by race day and I hope you will help me reach this goal. All donations are 100% tax-deductible.
If you are interested, you can contribute either by visiting my web page at the Team Lifeline site or by sending a check, made payable to Chai Lifeline, to me at 210 Drake Landing, New Bern, NC 28560. If your company has a matching gift program, your gift may be doubled or tripled. If you send the paperwork to me with your check, Chai Lifeline will complete the form and send it to your employer.
Thank you in advance for supporting me, and in doing so, helping children and families like mine cope with the diagnosis, treatment and aftermath of serious pediatric illness.
