On June 7th I ran the Covered Bridges Half Marathon in Woodstock, VT to raise funds for the Jett Foundation.
Christine McSherry, a truly inspiring woman and mom, founded the Jett Foundation to fund research and provide the highest quality care possible for kids suffering from Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). Her son Jett was diagnosed at age 5 with DMD, a debilitating muscle-wasting disease where most are wheel-chair dependent by age 12 and don’t live beyond their 20’s. Our son Justin was recently diagnosed with Emery-Dreifuss Muscular Dystrophy (EDMD), a rare form, less severe than DMD, but a slowly progressive muscle disease with no treatment or cure.
The dust has settled, the finish line is behind me and as I take this opportunity to reflect back on the past few months, I am in awe of how family and friends stepped up the plate to be a part of my run by donating funds for the Jett Foundation. I felt like I had a whole support team behind me, not just encouragement for the run, but a whole team that really took this cause to heart. A “thank you” doesn’t seem adequate, but I am sincerely so appreciative and thankful for all your contributions and support for myself, Justin, our family and the Jett Foundation.
My run went well, it was a perfect day for running, the route was quintessential Vermont – beautiful. Justin, Brendan, Cameron, Jackson and Mark cheered me on at a few spots along the route and were there at the finish. I had energy and I really felt pretty good, but during that last mile (I swear it was a lot longer than all the others), I had a little twinge in my heart, Here I am, getting to experience this great moment – I wish all the boys affected by MD could have this chance. During the last couple of miles I really needed to focus and put every ounce, plus some into it, and I realized that these boys have to put everything they have into most everything they do 24/7. When they don’t seem to have enough, they just dig deeper and press on every minute of every day, and they don’t always have a whole support team cheering them on, they just keep going and never give up. My efforts pale in comparison to what these kids do every single day. I know that if their muscles could do it, their courageous spirit, emotional tenacity and mental toughness would win every marathon and surpass every record there ever was. I just wish they had the chance.
Thank you all again – you are making a difference in the lives of these kids. Your contributions are helping to be one step closer to treatments and a cure for longer, healthier lives for Justin and all the boys affected by DMD.
Our sincerest thanks – Laurie, Mark, Justin, Brendan, Cameron, Jackson Tedeschi