Boston Marathon: Running for a Cause
When it comes to running the Boston Marathon, everyone has a story.
But for many of us, running Boston is more than a race; it’s a mission. We’re running not only to cross the finish line, but raise awareness and funds for causes and organizations that are near and dear to our hearts. In fact, in 2014, Boston Marathon runners raised $38.4 million for over 300 non-profit charities, including many of those listed here. Therefore, one of the beauties of the Boston Marathon is the opportunity it affords for so many noteworthy organizations to raise their profile and funds, while also affording runners the opportunity to align themselves with organizations and causes that are near and dear to their hearts.
However, if you ask most runners about the causes they are supporting, in many cases what you will get is a story. It is through this story that you get to understand the emotional underpinnings of why they are running and have chosen to support a particular cause. For some it may be about raising awareness of an issue of condition, for others it may be about lending support to a particular organization. And for others, such as me, it’s simply an opportunity to give back. It’s a chance to say “thank you.’’
The date was September 10, 2008.
I was in the midst of training for the Chicago Marathon and my wife and I were eagerly anticipating the birth of our first child. We knew it was going to be a boy, and we had already decided on a name – Liam.
On that Wednesday morning, as I headed out the door for a 10 mile mid-week run, it seemed just like any other day. At that point my wife was 29 weeks into her pregnancy, and it had been going very smoothly. No morning sickness, all tests were good and each ultrasound showed that we had a healthy and growing little guy on our hands.
“Ty, I woke with major bleeding,’’ the note read. “Called 911, going to Brigham’s. I’m OK – but need to get checked out. Don’t get upset, I love you, I have my cell.’’
Then I came home from my run to find this note taped to our front door.
Needless to say, my heart dropped. I quickly collected myself, got in the car, and sped down to Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH). As scared and confused as I was, I also knew that there was no better place my wife and our unborn child could be. Brigham and Women’s was where we were actually planning to go when it was time for the little guy to arrive, and I knew that if there was going to be a problem, they would have the care, expertise, facilities and technology to address it.
As I walked into the hospital, I recall being quickly directed to the maternity ward and to a room where my wife, who was very calm, was hooked up to many different machines to monitor both her vital signs and that of our child. In speaking with the doctors, they told us that she had suffered a placental abruption, a somewhat common, but very serious pregnancy complication. In our case, they told us that we needed to prepare for the fact that our child may born pre-maturely.
However, I will never forget how reassuring the entire medical team we worked with was. Not only were they taking care of my wife, but they immediately started to administer treatments that would help to ensure that should the little guy arrive early (at 29 weeks) the odds of positive outcome would be in our favor.
We then spent the next 10 days at BWH. There were certainly some “down’s’’ during this time, but fortunately there were more “up’s’’ and we counted our blessings each and every day that the little guy stayed tucked inside my wife’s womb. I still remember the sense of elation we felt when she hit 30 weeks, and he had decided to still stay put.
Throughout the course of this ordeal, one thing that truly made a difference was the care and support we received from the entire team at BWH. We were scared, unsure. They were confident, totally in control. We had no idea what the future held. They assured us that everything would be okay.
In the end, my wife did get to leave the hospital and then exactly at 37 weeks to the day, we were back. After a frantic late-night drive, we walked back through the doors of BWH in the early morning hours of Monday, November 3 and at 10:12 a.m., we welcomed our son Liam into this world.
This is my story.
This is also why for the 2015 Boston Marathon, I have decided to run in support of Brigham and Women’s Hospital as part of their “Life. Giving. Breakthroughs.’’ Marathon Team. I wish I could stay that my story is unique, but I can tell you that BWH has touched not only me and my family, but also countless others. The work they are doing to advance the future of medicine is truly amazing and it has benefited countless numbers of Bostonians as well as the lives of people around the world.
To lend your support to me or any of my fellow teammates, please click here.
However, I also encourage you to explore the many other non-profit organizations that have aligned themselves with this year’s Boston Marathon. While you may not be running in the year’s race, by supporting a runner, it’s an opportunity to for you to join their team, be part of their story and lend your support. Most importantly, you will also see that the Boston Marathon is much more than a race; it’s also an incredible opportunity to support some truly amazing organizations along with some very dedicated runners.
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