My mom always says that the older we get the faster time goes by. Boy is she right. Nine years ago today I unexpectedly found myself in the hospital because my water had ruptured. I was admitted to the hospital 5 days before Mia was born. Each year, I relive what happened on each of those days. Now that Mia is older I tell her the story day by day. She of course wants to hear the whole story the first day. You ask, why do I do this every year? I do not know. I guess it is my way of remembering how grateful I am for having a healthy, smart, and happy child. Spending three months in the NICU you get to see that not every story has a happy ending.
Every parent would do anything they could for their child but most of the time all we can do is love them. It is the wonderful doctors, nurses, researchers, and staff that really take care of your child when they are in the hospital. When the alarm goes off early, the weather is not ideal, or I just do not feel like training on a particular day, I keep remembering the one thing I can do is successfully complete the Chicago Marathon as part of the Lurie Children’s Hospital Team. As I start to celebrate the July 4th weekend and Mia's birthday I will remember what it felt like that July 4th nine years ago when I was discharged from the hospital without my child. Maybe the money I raise will allow another family to have a happy ending to their story.
Lastly, I want to say early Happy Birthday to Mia, my sunshine on a cloudy day!
