When I think of Anna Cate’s life with Rett Syndrome, Miley Cyrus’s song, "The Climb", comes to mind for two reasons. One is that Miley Cyrus (aka Hannah Montana) is one of Anna Cate’s favorites! And the other is her song,"The Climb", couldn’t be more perfect to describe Anna Cate and her daily struggles with Rett Syndrome and how they affect her. Rett Syndrome affects every girl differently and we are blessed that she has a mild variation of this syndrome.

Every day she takes chances and tries to do what her peers are doing, whether it is fighting to hold her cup by herself, trying to hold her crayon, using a fork to feed herself, learning to type on her keyboard and struggling to say new sounds and words. She loves to learn and wants to learn the same things in school that her classmates are learning. Some days things come easily and other days are full of frustration. But with frustrations she doesn’t stop trying because she wants to get over that mountain and gain another skill.

Watching her struggle and try so hard breaks our hearts, seeing her win and accomplish the climb to the top is priceless because seeing her succeed is amazing!

Since Anna Cate’s daily life is a climb, I decided to climb my own mountain by joining other mothers whose daughters are fighting the same fight against Rett Syndrome and signed up to run the Disney Princess Half Marathon on February 26th, 2012 on the Girl Power 2 Cure Rett Team.  I have NEVER run in my life, other than sports tryouts in high school!

And going with the mission of Girl Power 2 Cure, I have harnessed my own peers into joining me and being a part of our team! I have five friends from Richmond, one from South Carolina and one from Indiana who make up Anna Cate’s Fairy Godmothers!

Rett Syndrome is caused by a single gene mutation that leads to underproduction of an important brain protein. Rett syndrome was REVERSED in mice in 2007!  REVERSED! When the Rett research mice got the right protein levels in their brains, they went from cowering in the corner, shaking with seizures, to running around normally with their fellow mice within in few weeks.

Please consider sponsoring me as I climb my personal mountain of 13.1 miles in honor of Anna Cate’s struggle with Rett Syndrome. I wish that at the end of the race, instead of a finisher’s medal, they would tell me a cure has been found. But until that day (which is VERY close) I will continue to raise money for research as a cure is possible in Anna Cate’s lifetime.