Sounds like the tagline of the Real World, right?
On October 2-3, 2015, our team of 12 runners will be tackling the Ragnar Relay Washington DC, a relay race from Cumberland, Maryland to Washington DC. We all have something in common - we either have or know a child with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome.
The race works like this: Each participant runs three times, with each leg ranging between 3-11 miles and varying in difficulty. While one person is running, the rest of the team is on support duty in the race van. Our goal is simple. Run day and night to raise awareness for VCFS/DiGeorge Syndrome/22q and raise funds for the Dempster Family Foundation.
We run:
- because at some point, we found out our children had a chromosomal abnormality none of us had even heard of prior to diagnosis
- because in addition to being mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles, and friends, we have had to be warriors, advocates, teachers, occupational therapists, physical therapists, and speech therapists
- because our children have had surgeries to correct palatal defects and congenital heart defects, remove laryngeal webs, and place feeding tubes and trachs
- because our children require help from therapists to perform tasks other parents and children take for granted
- because we are inspired by those who cannot
- because 22q and those affected deserve awareness and recognition
- because we love our 22q cuties, we are powered by their strength, courage, and warrior spirits
- because TOGETHER we can make a difference
We will be raising money and awareness for the Dempster Family Foundation; the DFF helps fund educational programs for medical professionals, teachers, and parents. The DFF also helps send our children to summer camps where they can have fun despite their medical challenges! Our goal is to have each of our 206 miles sponsored by families and dedicated to their 22q cutie! EVERY penny of our mile sponsorship program through the Dempster Family Foundation stays with the foundation to help families and children like ours.
We will be holding a separate mini-fundraiser to assist us in gathering all of the equipment we need to complete this race (vans, reflective gear, water, food, running gear). We are each paying our own travel expenses to the Maryland/DC area and most of us are parents who have incurred major medical bills in caring for our children. Many companies have offered us discounted prices on the gear we require, which helps greatly, but we are still in need of financial assistance to pull this off!
Over the next few weeks, we'll be introducing the members of our team, discussing our preparation and training, and giving you a glimpse into the 22q world by sharing our stories! We hope you'll stop by soon!
will be following!
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